Bleep

With a catalogue of indie rock outliers, PJ Harvey truly set herself apart with 2007’s White Chalk. A more sombre, piano-driven affair than any of her work up to that point, a strange air of gothic tragedy lingers around the finished product — and this demos collection feels even more haunted, like a version of Cocteau Twins haunted by the silver silhouette of Tom Waits. The keyboard slamming of ‘The Piano’ sounds evermore unhinged here, as if a particularly unsettled spirit has found its way to the baby grand.