This is PJ Harvey’s version of angst 2.0, now tinged with something like professionalism, or polish, or just more self-assurance, not that any were lacking on her debut. It’s a clear development of her music that remains dark and ironic throughout.

It’s fascinating how the threads of grunge, a genre in which PJ Harvey is often lumped, seemed to almost dead end in 1993 (the year changes depending who you ask), but PJ Harvey’s thread continued so strongly and so uniquely. Grunge was one of those weird musical cul-de-sacs where the normal cycle of “rebels invent a new sound” to “toned down version of the new sound for the masses” didn’t really happen on a big scale. But not for PJ Harvey. Looking back, she really stood apart from grunge, alt rock, and riot grrrl. A motivated listener could find elements of each in her sound, but not on every album. PJ liked to change her sound, her look, even her persona on each album, the only rule being “no repeats.” If there’s ever been a philosophy I can get behind, that’s it. And it’s probably a big reason she’s had such a long career, with her latest album in 2023 receiving all kinds of critical praise and a Grammy nomination. Sure, Pearl Jam and some of their peers continued down the grunge path for years, but their later efforts (as much as I love them) seem more like nostalgia-preservers than anything groundbreaking. But somehow PJ Harvey kept her music fresh and evolving with the times, like her own little thread of where the early 90’s alt sound could have evolved.

Jams

“Missed”
“Run ‘Til It Bleeds”

From the roundup Jamwise #42 - Best Albums of 1993.