The Garden, a PJ Harvey Discussion Site

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-b7 ... iNjgm7p43g

"“My photographs are not exclamation marks,” Murphy explains, “they are question marks.”"

http://thequietus.com/articles/19032-pj ... -southbank

"Walking underwater, flowing with the poisons from the naval yards / Talking to fallen marines,
what will become of us?"

I REALLY want to hear "River Anacostia"!!

http://www.the-monitors.com/2015/10/21/ ... ival-hall/

Interesting review, but "Dollar, Dollar" is a great song IMO.

http://potd.pdnonline.com/2015/10/34607/

"Murphy filmed the process for a documentary to be released some time next year, after the album comes out in April 2016."

April?!

Maybe that's why she sang "April" back in April? ))) If seriously, though, that is very upsetting - it's a bloody half of the year from now!

I'm really enjoying 'Dollar, Dollar' kind of a movie song, as Air Virgin Suicide
Ministry... is a great as first track , as To Bring You...
can't wait

Based on the audio-recording of the first show, made available in the "Amusement Park" section:

All new songs are just truly great!! I'm only a little disappointed in "Homo Sappy Blues", and it's not because it's bad, but solely from the title I was expecting moody, slow and guitar-heavy number, but sonically it turned out to be a "happy pop-rock" (and very short, too).

And "All Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" deserves a special mention - personally, after a first round of listening, I'd say it's the most exciting song for me. Sorry, but I just can't see how nobody in here liked it LIVE.

"River Anacostia" is the most beautiful psychedelic trip of a song I've ever heard.

Here's what I can made out from the lyrics of "Medicinals" (I'm not a native English speaker, so I was using audio, a book and the picture from the spoiler):
"I was walking thru the National Mall
thinking about medicinals, how they used to grow there

When the ground was a marshland
Undisturbed by human hands, and I hear their voices:

Sumac said "We're always here"
Witch Hazel - "We're always here"
Sassafras - "We're always here"
Bluestem grass is always here

I looked around, and what I see?
Medicinals grow around me, rising from the gravel
Sumac and the Witch Hazel
Come to soothe our primal (?) sores, come to soothe our troubles (?)

Sumac said "We're always here"
Witch Hazel - "We're always here"
Sassafras - "We're always here"
Bluestem grass is always here

But do you see that woman, sitting in the wheelchair?
With her Redskins cap on backwards
What's that she's singing?
As from inside a paper wrapper
she sips from a bottle
a new painkiller
for the native people."


It is a great song. Gotta say, I don't understand why Polly took that brilliant last line about painkiller out of the poem - this text makes A LOT more sense for me now (back in time, americans used to "buy" land from Indians for "firey water", and now alcohol is a very cheap "social painkiller" in Indian reservations).

Listening to the songs live's versions: is it me or PJ is becoming Patti Smith? I mean, lyrics, her voice, music and her worship for poetry sound very similar to what I know of Patti Smith...

^ Yep, except Patti is not nearly as private about things as PJ is.
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books ... tti-smith/
http://www.pattismith.net/intro.html

Pluton wrote:Listening to the songs live's versions: is it me or PJ is becoming Patti Smith? I mean, lyrics, her voice, music and her worship for poetry sound very similar to what I know of Patti Smith...

I really like Patti Smith, but I think she's a bit more up herself than PJ if you know what I mean. Vocally, PJ is far superior. Songwriting, PJ has an edge over her. Plus, I think Patti is more direct with her opinions.
I do see an influence in some of the songs, Community of Hope. But PJ's always compared to Patti, ever since Dry and I don't think they are that similar/

Kuk91 wrote:Based on the audio-recording of the first show, made available in the "Amusement Park" section:

All new songs are just truly great!! I'm only a little disappointed in "Homo Sappy Blues", and it's not because it's bad, but solely from the title I was expecting moody, slow and guitar-heavy number, but sonically it turned out to be a "happy pop-rock" (and very short, too).

And "All Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" deserves a special mention - personally, after a first round of listening, I'd say it's the most exciting song for me. Sorry, but I just can't see how nobody in here liked it LIVE.

"River Anacostia" is the most beautiful psychedelic trip of a song I've ever heard.

I agree about All Near The Memorials, I love it. The lyrics work well with music I think, I love the feeling. I wasn't expecting something sinister sounding, but it makes total sense with the lyrics imo dealing with the sinister side to human nature.

Id say the only song I was disappointed in at first was Homo Sappy Blues too, maybe because I was expecting something different.

Favorite song may just be River Anacostia, the use of wade in the water is perfect. It's a very spiritual, beautiful song- and a perfect closer to an album.

Heard the songs again (Thanks so much!).

The best thing is: Polly's voice is really in its top form. Sounding better than ever. I remembered that I got really astonished by how strong and powerful her voice sounded when I went to the Somerset House.

The three songs that I really, really like are Homo Sappy Blues, Medicinals and The Ministry of Social Affairs. Homo Sappy Blues is possibly Polly's catchiest song ever (And yes, I also expected something different). Medicinals is just absolutely wonderful, instant classic.

I quite tolerated The Revolving Wheel this time.

I'll wait for the album versions of the remaining songs - they will sound much better with all instrumentation.

Kujjj wrote:...and a perfect closer to an album.

Maybe it is a closer, but I don't think that's an album order of songs overall. And Murphy did said in the radio-interview that there's gonna be at least a couple more songs on the record.

Also, now I think that "Throwing Nothing" could also be a good title for the album - you could apply this phrase to many situations: like, when military jets throw bombs and destroy everything ("create nothing"), or when politicians give big promises before elections ("throw words to the wind"), or it could be said of a person who tries to change the world, it also can be read as a hint for consumer society. It even goes well with Polly's often-said thought about beauty of performing music live (it's happening in the moment, and then it's gone).