Pitchfork feature reviews "Dry"

[HowardF]

Not sure why they chose to do this, as it's not an anniversary or anything, but here's an interesting review on "Dry" from Pitchfork, for which they gave a score of 9.2/10.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22131-dry/

[ct4spinner]

Better late than never? A good review of my favourite album by PJ.

[Cartman]

They're doing this thing where every sunday they feature an album that is deemed "a classic" and hasn't been reviewed yet. It was an interesting read on a boring sunday

[diogenesagogo]

The reviewer doesn't seem to realise that Oh My Lover is a murder ballad, not a song of subjugation:

"what's that colour
forming around your eyes"

[Shadowboxer]

The reviewer doesn't seem to realise that Oh My Lover is a murder ballad, not a song of subjugation:

"what's that colour
forming around your eyes"

Wow, that went over my head too. Makes sense with all the "there's no time"s. The "before you go away, why don't you just say my name" line sounds so much creepier now.

[TheNightingale]

Today they've also featured Rid of Me as their Sunday Review:

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pj ... rid-of-me/

[Yes_No_Maybe_So]

Today they've also featured Rid of Me as their Sunday Review:

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pj ... rid-of-me/

Hmm, not sure if I've ever heard this one before, re: Mary Queen of Scots:

“Missed” is the most conventionally pretty song. In a chorus that escalates as she repeats “No, I missed him,” Harvey could be baring her lonely soul. But the verses channel that quotidian heartbreak through a more vivid and specific story that some have interpreted as alluding to the gruesome tragedy of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Can anyone flesh this one out for me a bit? I don't recall ever reading about theories relating to Mary Queen of Scots before.

My feeling about the lyrical thrust of the song is that it is clearly centered around the Jesus resurrection story. With a foot in both the divine and non-divine human relationship aspects of Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Missing him when he was gone.

Her feelings being expressed in the first verse, if he had indeed been resurrected, i.e., "in a cloud, please come down". Then later, in moments of doubt or skepticism perhaps, wondering where he had gone, i.e, "where (are) you hid?" And in between, Mother Mary accusing Mary Magdalene, i.e., "My son, where's he been? Don't deny it And don't you hide him", to which Magdalene replies, "No, I've missed him".

[AineteEkaterini]

re: Mary Queen of Scots:

No, I'd not heard that before, although it gets a mention here (https://genius.com/Pj-harvey-missed-lyrics) so it must be current. I think it's most unlikely, and only that line 'Mary lost her head' justifies the connection. I'm sure you're right that the content is really about faith and doubt; not everything fits completely comfortably, but then by the time it's recorded the lyric will have been battered about until the sense isn't entirely clear. And that vagueness is part of PJ's power.

[Yes_No_Maybe_So]

.... I'm sure you're right that the content is really about faith and doubt; not everything fits completely comfortably, but then by the time it's recorded the lyric will have been battered about until the sense isn't entirely clear. And that vagueness is part of PJ's power.

Totally agree. Snippets of meaning, never fully realized or understood. So you're always left with the question, which keeps the song interesting. A mystery, never quite fully solved.