STACK #146 Dec 2016

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MUSIC REVIEWS

PJ Harvey

Solange A Seat At The Table If big sister Beyonce’s Lemonade is a celebration of black womanhood, then Solange’s A Seat At The Table is for the entire black community, filled with declarations of pride, sadness, frustration and empowerment. A lot has happened in the four years since True - the Black Lives Matter movement has clearly shaped Solange’s songwriting, along

Rid Of Me (1993) Darker and more difficult than her demanding debut Dry of the previous year, this collection catalogues some of the deeper recesses of a troubled mind (a relationship had ended) and is full of vengeance, rage, punk anger and dense blues. Twisting melodies and Steve Albini's production only add to the allure. To Bring You My Love (1995) This belated follow-up to Rid Of Me was even more complex lyrically, owed debts to Captain Beefheart and Patti Smith, and again turned the microscope on her emotions after another relationship came apart. But in its weave of dense poetry, compelling music and producer Flood's atmospheric settings, it was picked as the year's By this time she was “Polly”, parading a confident sexuality, and from the chiming guitar jangle of the openers Big Exit and Good Fortune there was a more mainstream pop-rock ethic in play, and – although she still explored some nooks and crannies – you sensed she was emerging as a new person, more comfortable in her own skin. It won her the Mercury Prize after two previous nominations. Let England Shake (2001) Another Mercury Prize-winner and an album inspired by her readings about the folly of historic and current wars. But again, she wrapped her narratives and thoughts in engrossing music. She subsequently released a series of short films for the songs using images by war photographer Seamus Murphy. best by many writers and magazines. Essential in any collection. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (2000) And also... Check out this year's The Hope Six Demolition Project , the result of her trip to Afghanistan, Kosovo and a beleaguered suburb of Washington DC with photographer Murphy. Also the risky, sometimes uncomfortable but ultimately engaging AWoman A Man Walked By (2009), her second collaboration with producer/multi-instrumentalist John Parish. When she first emerged under her own name in the early '90s with the album Dry we called her “PJ Harvey”, because “Polly” seemed rather too familiar for someone so tightly wound and sharply poetic. She changed over time, but even in 2001 when I interviewed her before a Big Day Out it was with some trepidation. But she was funny, personable, quite charming and amused by the image she had. In advance of her upcoming tour dates, here's our buyers' guide to PJ.

with a string of personal conflicts. She could have written an angry, pointed album but instead took a step back and revealed herself more intimately that ever before. But don’t let her soft, angelic falsetto fool you – she has a lot to say. The album is centered around two interludes, one from each of the vocalist's parents. The first is her father Mathew Knowles’ story of KKK members hurling cans at his young family; if that tale wasn’t intense enough on its own, the following wobbly, slow jam Mad featuring Lil Wayne contextualises it further, as Wayne raps about personal struggles and Solange makes a powerful call to release her anger in the interest of self-care. The second interlude is spoken by Solange’s mother Tina Beyincé-Lawson, who explains that being pro-black isn’t the same as being anti-white, and touches on the pain she feels when black pride is misconstrued by other races. A powerful plea to heal straining race relations. ( Sony)Tim Lambert

Alex Izenberg Harlequin The otherworldy and the everyday find balance in the songs of LA musician Alex Izenberg. It's perhaps no coincidence his album is titled Harlequin , a theatrical archetype with playful, emotional, sometimes mischievous tendencies. So it is with Alex. Each track conveys deep feeling. Stories of the human experience – tales of love and suffering, clarity and confusion – are set against a backdrop of strings, piano melodies and elegant, acoustic folk arrangments. A vague audio haze and subtle melancholic sheen lends the album an antique quality, but Harlequin is a timeless pop record for modern times. A detailed window into the imagination of a romantic hero. (WeirdWorld/Domino) SimonWinkler

Pink Floyd Cre/ation: Pink Floyd, The Early Years 1967 - 1972 Imagine if Radiohead were a little more '60s pop-psychedelic and cracked… and you’d be a step closer to early Floyd. Messing with your head owing to superior production abilities, these guys pushed the envelope beyond the 13th Floor Elevator entry point and into the prism of madness. There’s a nastiness present – you need it. It underlies their catchy embrace and all the while pushes you towards self-reflection. See Emily Play is a prime example, alongside the mantra of mirrors that is Matilda Mother . 27 tracks that’ll reward fans of Pond, Tame, King Gizzard… you get the idea; these guys did it first. (Sony) Chris Murray

For more interviews, reviews and overviews from Graham Reid visit www.elsewhere.co.nz .

DECEMBER 2016

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