PJ Harvey’s newest release, White Chalk, is dark. There is a remarkable sadness in her voice and the music, as she laments lost loves and loved ones, and wishes for their return. In fact, pining for lost love is a recurrent theme on the record. Her voice is in wonderful shape, and she demonstrates it well on this album. She is usually accompanied by a piano or a harp, and occasionally brings in other singers or accompanies herself. Harvey can go from haunting whisper to a wonderfully mournful howl in a heartbeat, and does it better than Bjork. In the first track, “The Devil,” Harvey sings about waiting for a past lover, and expecting them to come. The title track reminisces her childhood and the white chalk hills she lives by. “Broken Harp” and “Silence” are both depressing songs about failed relationships, and Harvey puts it well with this line from “Broken Harp:” “I tried to learn your language, but fell asleep half undressed, unrecognizable to myself.” In the track “The Piano,” she leaves the listener actually feeling depressed. Harvey does a remarkable job of creating a sympathetic feeling of heartbreak by chanting “Oh God I miss you” and “Nobody’s listening.” PJ Harvey has created a wonderful album for the heartbroken. It’s not in the slightest bit cheerful, but listeners will find with it a comforting sadness.
