Let England Shake on 2011's year-end lists

[menju56]

It's coming to the time of year when the music press starts their "Best of 2011" lists so I thought it would be good to have a topic to keep track of such things.

The first ones are in - from Q and Mojo - and Let England Shake ranks at #1 on Mojo's Top 50 and at #2 on Q's Top 50 (behind Florence and the Machine.)

There's also an interview to accompany the Mojo #1 position, where Polly says she is "forming many ideas at the moment, and writing all the time."

[Romario11]

number 5 on Rough Trade http://www.roughtrade.com/site/content. ... page2.html

1 josh t pearson
last of the country gentlemen

2 nicolas jaar
space is only noise

3 kurt vile
smoke ring for my halo

4 gillian welch
the harrow and the harvest

5 pj harvey
let england shake

[Polly_Jean_Cave]

It's coming to the time of year when the music press starts their "Best of 2011" lists so I thought it would be good to have a topic to keep track of such things.

The first ones are in - from Q and Mojo - and Let England Shake ranks at #1 on Mojo's Top 50 and at #2 on Q's Top 50 (behind Florence and the Machine.)

There's also an interview to accompany the Mojo #1 position, where Polly says she is "forming many ideas at the moment, and writing all the time."

When are people going to wake up and realise that Florence is utter shit? Thanks for letting us know though. I suppose anything in the top ten is still an accomplishment.

[Cartman]

^ God, you can be so annoying with your artist-bashing. It's all very well if you are narrow-minded and have some romanticised standards of what qualifies as artistry but that doesn't mean everything you dislike is utter shit.

I don't even like Florence and the Machine but I don't think they're utter shit. If Florence and Tori Amos are utter shit, what accolade is left for the likes of Miley Cyrus that indeed fail to meet any artistic criteria.

Have some humility and respect, because your negativity is poisoning this community.

[mickeyskippycat]

Yeah, we are very lucky here, lots of information, interesting discussions, people sharing all kinds of really good stuff, no trolls, no adolescence or macho man type "goddess" or "idol" worship (well not much anyway )..... AND a good friendly and relaxing atmosphere . Seriously, I don't know a better site on the web. Why there are only 1,266 registered members here (I just looked), is a mystery to me.

People's attitude towards music seems to be increasingly tribal. I see comments everywhere in reviews that are either very prejudiced and derogatory or show a complete blind faith in artists. I don't see much constructive criticism anywhere. Can you imagine the comments I received for suggesting in a Telegraph review thread that Kate Bush's new album was just a 3 star album and nothing more.

Having said that, I think two people here should have their heads bashed together! Only joking.
Love you both

[Polly_Jean_Cave]

^ God, you can be so annoying with your artist-bashing. It's all very well if you are narrow-minded and have some romanticised standards of what qualifies as artistry but that doesn't mean everything you dislike is utter shit.

I don't even like Florence and the Machine but I don't think they're utter shit. If Florence and Tori Amos are utter shit, what accolade is left for the likes of Miley Cyrus that indeed fail to meet any artistic criteria.

Have some humility and respect, because your negativity is poisoning this community.

Get off your high horse! This is a forum of free speech! I will bash and I will praise whovever the hell I damn well like! End of discussion! Maybe it would be best for you not to read my "poison" from now on!

[ethereal]

If I had to pick a Top 10 it would go:

1 PJ Harvey - LES (stopped taking entries for my 'album of the year' last February )
2 Björk - Biophilia
3 The Fall - Ersatz G.B. (not 'technically' released yet but well worth a listen!)
4 Low- C'mon
5 Warpaint - Warpaint
6 Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
7 Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
8 Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
9 The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
10 Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

Would be interesting to see everyone elses

[mickeyskippycat]

If I had to pick a Top 10 it would go:

1 PJ Harvey - LES (stopped taking entries for my 'album of the year' last February )
2 Björk - Biophilia
3 The Fall - Ersatz G.B. (not 'technically' released yet but well worth a listen!)
4 Low- C'mon
5 Warpaint - Warpaint
6 Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
7 Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
8 Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
9 The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
10 Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

Would be interesting to see everyone elses

I agree with your top 3 ethereal.

1 Let England Shake - PJ Harvey
Stunning album, so way out in front of everything.

2 Biophilia - Björk
Wasn't sure at first, however, its just grown on me.

3 Ersatz G.B. - The Fall.
Only other music that's grabbed my attention.

I can't comment on the others, but I will try and check them out.

[Romario11]

Warpaint album is ok but a big let down after the EP

..err and didnt it come out in 2010?!

[menju56]

Here's the accompanying interview from Mojo magazine; annoyingly the image doesn't seem to be in its original size so apologies for the needing of magnifying glasses

[Polly_Jean_Cave]

^Thank you menju56

Top of the list, just as It should be =).

Honourable mentions IMO: Tom Waits -Bad As Me, Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow, The Fall - Ersatz G.B., Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.....and I really like some songs off the James Blake album and some off The King Of Limbs.

[Teclo25]

Thanks menju!

[jesuspolly]

mmmmmm

[sau]

One of the albums of the year at A Girl Called Sam blog. Let England Shake is the first, and only album so far, to receive 10/10 from them. I know next to nothing about this site, though!:

http://www.agirlcalledsam.co.uk/post/13 ... s-album-of

This year we decided that instead of arbitrarily assigning numbers to our favourite albums and putting them into a league table, we’d just pick some of the records we enjoyed the most and write about them. And while I could claim this was a noble move to examine music on it’s own merit and not make everything a competition, the real reason for abandoning the list format is simply that it’s awfully crowded at the top. In my initial review of PJ Harvey’s “Let England Shake” I gave the record AGCS’s first (and so far only) 10/10 grade, but while I still think it’s the most brilliant, the most accomplished album released this year, the truth is there are albums I’ve listened to and enjoyed more.

That’s not to say “Let England Shake” isn’t an enjoyable listen; considering the often harrowing subject matter it’s the most accessible PJ Harvey record in a decade. The opening four tracks alone contain some of the most memorable hooks Harvey has ever written, while elsewhere she takes to sampling obscure reggae to great effect. Indeed, in spite of the record’s focus on death and destruction, PJ sounds like she’s having fun, something it would be hard to say of much of her post-Millennial output. And in England and The Colour of the Earth she’s crafted not just two of this year’s most moving songs but two of the most moving songs I’ve ever heard.

I could go on about Polly Jean for ages, but seeing as I wrote a pretty comprehensive review of the record back in March, I would just be repeating what I’ve already said. So I’ll just say this - if you have somehow managed to avoid the glowing reviews, the Mercury win, the broadsheet fawning over this record, then you need to listen to it immediately. And for those of you who haven’t been in hiding, who have seen the praise lavished upon this album and dismissed it as hype or the bandwagon effect, more fool you. Because you should believe the hype, as this is a more than worthy Album of the Year.

Jed. x

http://www.agirlcalledsam.co.uk/post/13 ... s-album-of

And here's the original review by Jed. I think I may have posted this before:

http://www.agirlcalledsam.co.uk/post/38 ... land-shake

[sau]

From The Skinny: Albums of the Year (#4): PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/featur ... land_shake