| alt.culture: PJ Harvey (b. Polly Jean Harvey, 1969) Singer from rural southwest England who earned acclaim for 1992's Dry LP, a debut which mixed brazen feminist politics with moody, minimalist rock. (To the consternation of record store rackers, Harvey called her band PJ Harvey.) An instant rock critics' darling, Harvey hastily recorded a follow-up: Rid of Me (1993), produced by Steve Albini, firmed Harvey's commitment to erotics, politics, and rock history (she covered Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited"). After disbanding her trio and releasing an album of 4-Track Demos (1993) from the Rid of Me sessions, Harvey released To Bring You My Love (1995), a somber, high-profile LP on which she sought common ground between industrial rock and deep blues. Along the way, Harvey has manipulated her public image from defiant androgyny (Dry's combat gear and guitar poses) to stark asexuality (on Rid of Me the rail-thin Harvey looks more starved child than rock star) to confident, even menacing, glamor (the cover photo of To Bring You My Love, all flowing satin and jolie-laide sensuality). |
