James R. Blandford - PJ Harvey: Siren Rising

PASSION / n. 1. strong barely controllable emotion. 2. an outburst of anger (flew into a passion). 3. intense sexual love. 4a. strong enthusiasm (has a passion for football). b. an object arousing this. 5. (the Passion) a. Relig. The suffering of Christ during his last days. b. a narrative of this from the Gospels. c. a musical setting of any of these narratives.

THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY
OF CURRENT ENGLISH, EIGHTH EDITION, 1990

Passion is a strange and powerful quality that, in its broadest sense, is inextricably linked to Art, both being a visible expression of uncontainable emotion. It is a quality that is sadly missing from a great deal of music these days, having been largely replaced by the manufactured pop championed by programmes like Pop Idol and Fame Academy. And yet, in seeking to manufacture music, the industry executives betray a gross misunderstanding of the very nature of real Art, as it is, by this same nature, unfakeable. They are like those scientists striving to create Artificial Intelligence, bastardising the most basic concept of the soul in their obsession with the superficial. On the surface, the results of both these parties may well resemble something of spirit, of substance, but scratch a little deeper and you will find a foundation based on a set of predetermined formulae. And art is a sphere in which such steadfast rules have no home the reason why a real Picasso will fetch millions and an imitation no matter how perfectly executed will only ever be worth a fraction of that amount. The true connoisseur of Art understands that an original passion, creation, can never be recaptured, hence its value.

This is one of the many reasons why Polly Jean Harvey is such an extraordinary artist. In an industry that thrives on bland commercialism, she has managed to build a career on an almost wilful dismissal of all that is popular and mainstream, only striving to be true to her own artistic passions. The results, seven studio albums which have confounded critics and defied classification with their visceral extremes of blues-drenched rock, have been uneasy listening confrontational, angry, ethereal and baffling in turns. And yet they all have the spark of passion that defies ambivalent listening. The proof of this passion lies in the story of her artistic career, a career that has seen her battle with depression and dissatisfaction with her own work a dissatisfaction that has spurred her on to explore many different directions, both musically and artistically, turning her hand to many other projects in the quest for that ever-elusive fulfilment. Film music, dance, poetry, sculpture and acting are just some of the avenues her pursuit of perfection has led her to try. And the results of all have been as captivating as her music, thanks to the soul that lies behind them.

Her earliest work has lumbered her with a reputation as a man-hating harpy thanks to lyrics that explored uncomfortable territory such as vengeance, mutilation, the pain of sex and the desperation of love. But as she herself has acknowledged, all of these works have centred on love and its incredible array of effects on the human psyche, so it isnt too surprising that her last, and most commercially successful album 2000s Mercury Prize-winning Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea showcased a romanticism that many found hard to ally with the image they had constructed around her. As she herself told Time Out in 2001, Love songs arent always about being in a relationship. It can be the love of creativity or spirituality. I think of creativity as a loving thing. Its passion, I suppose, more than anything.

This artistic integrity has led Polly to eschew the publicity-seeking stunts that accompany most rock careers, jealously guarding her private life with a reclusiveness that is reminiscent of that other eccentric Great British talent, Kate Bush. Indeed, like Bush, Harvey has sealed the sanctity of her private life by surrounding herself with a group of musicians, producers and collaborators who are, first and foremost, friends, most of whom have been working with her from the very genesis of her career, which can make it extremely hard to pin down anything of substance about the real woman behind this stirring body of work. Fortunately for us, she has left tracks in many places, tracks which can be pieced together like a jigsaw to reveal something of her own drives and experiences. True, Harvey has hidden many of the pieces up her sleeve, and probably thrown others on the fire. But those that remain can give us a valuable insight into her life and career that may bring us a little bit closer to understanding the artist.

Those who know how fiercely Harvey guards her privacy may well view this book as an intrusion, but I would beg to differ, preferring to see it as a tribute to an artist and her work. In telling her story, I do not seek to lift the veil and rend the inner sanctum. Instead, I seek only to describe what lies behind the veil without directly showing it. Indeed, only Harvey herself could lift the veil completely. But until she does, I hope this book will stand as a testament to her talent, a tribute that even she may accept.