PJ Harvey needs no introduction, and now her 10th album, I Inside the Old Year Dying, is here.
Opening the album is ‘Prayer at the gate’ creating an eerie and whimsical beginning to the album and the song alike. The track starts with what feels like alarm sounds and following such, wonderfully highlights PJ Harvey’s stunning, high vocals and the song’s strong beat. Prayer at the gate’ is a slow song that feels like it’s filling the room alongside its electronic background and ending.
The next song is titled ‘Autumn Term’. This track is a duet with an immediately stronger beat and slightly faster pace, moving into the bulk of the song and lyrics way quicker. Throughout this song, the keyboard has a more prominent part to play. The tone throughout this piece, in music and especially vocal is far shakier leading into a longer ending. Continuing the eerie feel, the song ends with Echoey noises that sound like children laughing, a perfect touch.
Following ‘Autumn Term’ is ‘Lwonesome Tonight’ with a unique beginning including a countdown and immediately presenting a more upbeat guitar before moving into backing and duet style vocals mid-way through. This doesn’t however take away from Harvey’s own vocals. The song on the whole is a beautiful and melodic piece of art.
‘Seem an I’ is the following track with a slightly more upbeat tone in instruments and pace in comparison to ‘Lwonesome Tonight’. After the pure vocal only introduction, the guitar is more upbeat creating a fun sound. With distinctive layers, on and off throughout and the changing pace, it feels almost magical, spiritual, like witchcraft.
Next up is the song ‘The Nether-edge’ that starts with an echo filled introduction created with vocals only. This is followed with an electrical instrumental sound that proceeds to layer with her vocals. The song features deliberate blips in voice gives a unique hazy extra feel to the song, with the keyboard coming in half-way through giving the song a new sort of intensity.
The albums namesake now gets its turn, ‘I inside the Old Year Dying’ with its significantly stronger beat taking us immediately into the song. The song itself is full of haunting backing vocals and strong guitar despite being a much shorter song.
The next track is titled ‘All Souls’ an even eerier track with a staccato keyboard beginning that successfully creates an intriguing feel. The longer introduction is littered with hazy electronic sounds followed by Harvey coming in with the captivating vocals. As the song continues, we hear a faint countdown moving into more layers and backing vocals adding another layer of intensity and foreboding feel to the song. Ultimately, ‘All Souls’ is an interesting and well picked amalgamation of sounds and instruments.
After ‘All Souls’ is the previously released ‘A Child’s Question, August’ a truly hypnotising song. The track is identifiable for its mesmerising vocals and a witchy, fairy-esque bell sound alongside the strong beat and beautiful instrumentals. Then with another duet coming in, the song gains yet another layer of depth.
Then comes the song, ‘I inside the Old I Dying’ with what’s personally my favourite guitar opening of the album yet. Said opening is soft, a long introduction leading into the song, full of sweet sound. As another duet, ‘I inside the Old I Dying is quite simply a peaceful song.
‘August’ is the name of the following track and just like the album on the whole it’s a mellow track. Beginning with a simultaneously glitched out and sweet piano to accompany the whole song’s swaying feel. The song keeps this swaying sound alongside it’s fun background beat.
The penultimate song is named ‘A Child’s Question, July’. It’s magical, it’s passionate and its mystic. What more can I say?
Closing up the album is ‘A Noiseless Noise’ with its soft naturistic start of quite literally birds and bees. With the introduction of pure vocals following into guitar the song maintains this soft and pretty feel. With an acoustic start that contrasts to the heavy turning point, creating a song that gets harder and quicker with sharp strong drumming and electronic sounds to layer with the vocals. Insane use of sound there. Seems like rushing. I love how closing songs are often a summary of the album, that’s certainly true here.
I inside the Old Year Dying is a mellow album with a wonderful merging of electronic sounds with soft, strong vocals and stunning almost acoustic sections with guitar and keyboard. It’s eerie, ghostly and powerful, with a captivating intensity to each song whilst keeping them individual too. PJ Harvey strikes again!