‘Let England Shake’: PJ Harvey’s War Record Still Rewards Attention

PJ Harvey built Let England Shake around the idea of a nation losing itself to war, and she sings about it with a voice that never raises above a whisper. This is a record about loss, pride, and the quiet horror of being alive during a conflict that nobody seems to fully understand. It is also her most stripped-down work, and it stands or falls on the strength of those songs rather than any spectacle.

Opening With the Title Track

The title track sets the tone immediately. It is a slow, deliberate march through the history of a country that has done this before and will likely do it again. “The Last Living Rose” follows and leans on a simple acoustic guitar, asking questions about faith and memory that the album never fully answers. “The Glorious Land” shifts into a more anthemic mode, with a chorus that sounds almost celebratory until the lyrics make clear that this glory comes at a cost.

“The Words That Maketh Murder” is the record’s sharpest moment, a song about language used to justify violence that still lands hard. “All and Everyone” stretches to five minutes and becomes the album’s centerpiece, a sprawling meditation on community and individual responsibility that rewards patience. “On Battleship Hill” closes the first half with a quieter, more reflective mood, though it is not one of the strongest tracks here.

Middle Stretch Through the Wire

“England” is a direct address to the country itself, and it is the most emotionally raw moment on the record. “In the Dark Places” and “Bitter Branches” form a loose pair, both shorter and more atmospheric, though neither reaches the heights of the earlier tracks. “Hanging in the Wire” brings the record back to its central concern of war, delivered with a sense of dread that feels earned rather than forced.

“Written on the Forehead” is the strangest moment here, a song about fate and predestination that asks the listener to accept what is coming. The closer, “The Colour of the Earth,” ends the record on a note of exhaustion and acceptance, a fitting close to an album that has spent its runtime building toward this moment.

What Stands Out

• “All and Everyone” — the longest and most ambitious track, and the one that best captures the record’s emotional range
• “England” — the most direct statement of what the album is really about
• “The Words That Maketh Murder” — the sharpest, most pointed song on the record
• “Let England Shake” — the title track, which sets the tone for everything that follows

Final Verdict

Let England Shake is not an easy listen, and it does not pretend to be. It is a record about a nation that has lost its way, told through a voice that refuses to raise above a whisper. The weaker tracks — “In the Dark Places,” “Bitter Branches” — are filler, and they are easy to skip. But the strong tracks — “All and Everyone,” “England,” “The Words That Maketh Murder” — are some of the best work Harvey has ever done.

This is a record that demands attention, and it rewards it. It is a flawed masterpiece, and it earns that description.

The recordLet England Shake PJ Harvey12 tracks · 40 min

1. Let England Shake3:09
2. The Last Living Rose2:21
3. The Glorious Land3:35
4. The Words That Maketh Murder3:46
5. All and Everyone5:40
6. On Battleship Hill4:08
7. England3:11
8. In the Dark Places3:00
9. Bitter Branches2:30
10. Hanging in the Wire2:42
11. Written on the Forehead3:40
12. The Colour of the Earth2:34

album review · English music · folk rock · PJ Harvey · war music