The Garden, a PJ Harvey Discussion Site

Apparently, they played 10 (!!) songs: https://twitter.com/teabolton/status/652602607261884420.

Kuk91 wrote:

Apparently, they played 10 (!!) songs: https://twitter.com/teabolton/status/652602607261884420.

And there's tommirow, where they may play different songs.

Kujjj wrote:Can anybody make out the opening line to the other song?

I think it's a song "River Anacostia".

Just came back. I follow Polly since ITD?. I've seen her probably five times and...

I am utterly disappointed.

She played ten songs indeed. I only liked two songs: "Ministry of Social Affairs" and "Medicinals".

The album (no title yet) will be released next spring. A film will also be released.
The songs do not sound anything like LES, or anything like what I heard last February at the Somerset House. No autoharps, etc. For me, what saved the night was her voice (top form). I really hope things sound different on record.

I thought I was the only one who was not really loving it. Then, some people started leaving while Seamus was speaking about the photos (the most interesting part of the show, tbh). The most saddening part was seeing people leaving the audience when Polly was singing and hearing others saying things like "Finally, a good tune" when she finished "Medicinals". The song "All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" is possibly one of her worst songs ever.

The final applause was an awkward moment. Cold half minute of clapping that abruptly stopped when the bunch went backstage. She did not even have to come back to the stage and get her stuff. We were all leaving, really.

I feel really sad

natinhos wrote:The songs do not sound anything like LES, or anything like what I heard last February at the Somerset House.

There was just 3 people on stage, wasn't it? I don't think that's a full touring line-up.

natinhos wrote:The album (no title yet) will be released next spring. A film will also be released.

Now, THIS makes me sad. When they said "early" I was thinking January / February, and now "spring". Even if it means March, it's almost half of the year from now - SERIOUSLY?!!

Film was about "Recording in Progress"?

Kuk91 wrote:

natinhos wrote:The songs do not sound anything like LES, or anything like what I heard last February at the Somerset House.

There was just 3 people on stage, wasn't it? I don't think that's a full touring line-up.

natinhos wrote:The album (no title yet) will be released next spring. A film will also be released.

Now, THIS makes me sad. Film was about "Recording in Progress"?

Yes, three on stage (Polly, John Parish and James Johnston). I'll wait to hear the songs with all the saxophones and more instrumentation.

I think it is a film about their journeys in Kosovo, Afghanistan and DC.

natinhos wrote:"Ministry of Social Affairs"

Did they used a sample from this song?

natinhos wrote:Just came back. I follow Polly since ITD?. I've seen her probably five times and...

I am utterly disappointed.

She played ten songs indeed. I only liked two songs: "Ministry of Social Affairs" and "Medicinals".

The album (no title yet) will be released next spring. A film will also be released.
The songs do not sound anything like LES, or anything like what I heard last February at the Somerset House. No autoharps, etc. For me, what saved the night was her voice (top form). I really hope things sound different on record.

I thought I was the only one who was not really loving it. Then, some people started leaving while Seamus was speaking about the photos (the most interesting part of the show, tbh). The most saddening part was seeing people leaving the audience when Polly was singing and hearing others saying things like "Finally, a good tune" when she finished "Medicinals". The song "All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" is possibly one of her worst songs ever.

The final applause was an awkward moment. Cold half minute of clapping that abruptly stopped when the bunch went backstage. She did not even have to come back to the stage and get her stuff. We were all leaving, really.

I feel really sad

How many song titles do you remember?
What was wrong with ALL Near The Memorials", that made is bad to you?

Kuk91 wrote:

natinhos wrote:"Ministry of Social Affairs"

Did they used a sample from this song?

Yes, that's right. The song started with the sample.

Kujjj wrote:That must be The Revolving Wheel, sounds great! I liked LES, but I see it as more of a stepping stone to this album. The more I hear and read, the more excited I am. This will be one of her best. Can anybody make out the opening line to the other song?

"Oh my Anacostia"

wanting for words right now to describe how I feel about tonight's performance, but having taken an instant (and intense) liking to just about half the new songs, I can only revel in the prospect of hearing them again tomorrow night. the first one, Chain of Keys, blew me away (I absolutely loved it on first listening) and both Dollar Dollar and Anacostia were excellent as performed (impressively) against the backdrop of select images on the big screen. two or three more songs were definitely to my liking, though I wouldn't dare to name them here without first refreshing my memory (as I might mistake the titles). another three or four songs fell rather flat on my ears, simply seemed too bland to arouse my approval. time and repeated listening will tell, however, how well these compositions hold up to scrutiny by the seasoned P J Harvey follower.

Pollyphoniac wrote:wanting for words right now to describe how I feel about tonight's performance, but having taken an instant (and intense) liking to just about half the new songs, I can only revel in the prospect of hearing them again tomorrow night. the first one, Chain of Keys, blew me away (I absolutely loved it on first listening) and both Dollar Dollar and Anacostia were excellent as performed (impressively) against the backdrop of select images on the big screen. two or three more songs were definitely to my liking, though I wouldn't dare to name them here without first refreshing my memory (as I might mistake the titles). another three or four songs fell rather flat on my ears, simply seemed too bland to arouse my approval. time and repeated listening will tell, however, how well these compositions hold up to scrutiny by the seasoned P J Harvey follower.

Was there a song about homo sapiens, with lyrics, what god sent you? And the orange monkey? How would you describe the songs. Really hoping to get some full length videos at some point. I immeditaly liked the small clip of The Revolving Wheel. And what was the Vietnam Memorial song like?

Kujjj wrote:

natinhos wrote:Just came back. I follow Polly since ITD?. I've seen her probably five times and...

I am utterly disappointed.

She played ten songs indeed. I only liked two songs: "Ministry of Social Affairs" and "Medicinals".

The album (no title yet) will be released next spring. A film will also be released.
The songs do not sound anything like LES, or anything like what I heard last February at the Somerset House. No autoharps, etc. For me, what saved the night was her voice (top form). I really hope things sound different on record.

I thought I was the only one who was not really loving it. Then, some people started leaving while Seamus was speaking about the photos (the most interesting part of the show, tbh). The most saddening part was seeing people leaving the audience when Polly was singing and hearing others saying things like "Finally, a good tune" when she finished "Medicinals". The song "All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" is possibly one of her worst songs ever.

The final applause was an awkward moment. Cold half minute of clapping that abruptly stopped when the bunch went backstage. She did not even have to come back to the stage and get her stuff. We were all leaving, really.

I feel really sad

How many song titles do you remember?
What was wrong with ALL Near The Memorials", that made is bad to you?

I guess these are the songs:

"Chain of Keys" and "The wheel" (Kosovo)
"Homo Sappy Blues" (this one was OK), "Ministry of Social Affairs" "Orange Monkey" "Dollar, Dollar" (Afghanistan)
"Community of Hope" (I think this was was OK too), "Medicinals" (favorite, by far), "River Anacostia", "All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" (Washignton DC)

"All near the memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln" had Polly strumming the acoustic guitar and John Parish playing an accordion. The song was kinda short and all I could think of was that she was singing too many words, too many syllables without any rhythm (and too quickly) in the chorus. Trying too hard to be catchy. Forced, really.

I guess one of the things that I really disliked was that I got the impression that the music, the melodies, the songs are secondary to the images and words now. There were three songs that were played while some photos of Seamus were being projected in the background. Those were the bits of the show that I kind of enjoyed. I felt that the songs made more sense with those photos.

Seamus said that Polly asked to collaborate with him after she started to work on LES. I assume this means that his videos during LES were sort of "constrained" by what she had already done and did not influence the songwriting process of LES that much.

Now it is a different story. He said said that this new work was a fully collaborative effort right from the start. I felt like music was not the priority for her atm and this collaboration with Seamus affected, in some way, her songwriting. The songs sounded a bit flat. I don't feel very surprised that the album will be released next spring, her head is "somewhere else". But I need to hear the songs in the album

The feeling that the music is completely secondary (and the six years wait to hear what I heard today) left me angry and really disappointed.