PJ Harvey’s 4th studio album is, as seems to be her way, a pretty wild departure from her previous work. There are moments that veer close to the emerging world of trip-hop or noise rock, which as you may know is the surest way to my heart. But at the same time, it’s an effort to get out of the guitar-rock rat race and into something moody and soundscape-y, which as you may know is the surest way to make me turn on a band altogether (cough cough, Radiohead). In the end, I think PJ Harvey pulls it off far better than others have, at least to my taste. It’s not an easy listen by any means, more like one long unrelenting expression of woe mixed with the occasional break in the clouds. But it’s PJ Harvey - even with the mix of ingredients that I often dislike by themselves turn into a good listen in her hands.

From the roundup Greatest Albums of 1998.