Backwards I assume

Written On The Forehead by pjharvey

As one of the commenters says, if only all my idols surprised me like this. I did think that at last I might have found a Peej track that wouldn't make my wife say it was all just noise but unfortunately instead the response was that it sounded like Bjork who is another of the unacceptable face of the alternative in our house. Maybe it will sound better on the album which with this as the avant garde should be pretty damn excellent. Roll on Valentine's Day.

This is playing in a loop in my head - a haunting mess of a war-reporter's story of a devastated city - a place we've all seen on the news and put to the back of minds to stop ourselves going mad and now here it is in a catchy downbeat tune, cementing the right of this tragedy to be brought back in front of our eyes. This is The Human League's The Lebanon but done better - a song for The Killing Fields - a minor key for a major issue - and yet I'm still not sure what the issue is. It is perhaps a generic story of suffering and how we are all at fault for ignoring it. After the homely angst of White Chalk, this is the shout of despair at the rest of the world, the depression of states, the failed governments, the self-interest of those who claim to help.

From the backing samples on this and the first song we heard on The Andrew Marr Show all those months ago, I am wondering if Polly has been using old vinyl as a sort of Obliquely Strategic hook to start the writing process.