Years before Trump, Brexit, and the rise of authoritarianism around the world inspired other artists,
PJ Harvey
was making music about societal issues. While her second album to tackle these concerns, 2016's
The Hope Six Demolition Project
, wasn't as consistently brilliant as its predecessor, 2011's
Let England Shake
, it reflected her commitment to embedding herself (and war photographer
Seamus Murphy
) in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Washington, D.C., to tell its stories. However,
The Hope Six Demolition Project: The Demos
suggests that something may have been lost in translation when
Harvey
and her creative team went into the studio. While
's songs gained a dignified heft in their polished final form, the early versions of
Hope Six
's songs often have a nimble immediacy that heightens their power. They're often even more pared-down than the demos for her previous album were; frequently, it's just
and her guitar, and fans know how potent that combination is. Her voice and strumming ring out righteously on "The Wheel," "The Community of Hope," and "Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln," all of which evoke the spirit of '60s protest songs as much as her own early work. Occasionally, as on "Dollar Dollar,"
's sketches are so sparse that they threaten to float away. More often, though, the simpler approach on
lets the songs' moods and details shine through in ways they didn't on the studio versions. The meditative organ on "River Anacostia" is surprisingly affecting, as is the way the demo of "Chain of Keys" homes in on the song's hypnotic melody. The spontaneity of these sessions suits the journalistic feel of songs as different as "The Ministry of Defence," which feels just as startling here as it does on the final album, and the dreamlike version of "Orange Monkey." While
is one of
's more unfinished-sounding sets of song sketches, sometimes that's for the better -- and, as always, it's fascinating to hear her music in its rawest state. ~ Heather Phares