Rid of Me

PJ Harvey's second album, 1993's Rid Of Me, is an art-punk classic that pushes the genre, and with it the listener, to extremes. Alternating between searing noise/feedback and sparse open spaces, Rid Of Me is truly an emotional experience. As usual, legendary producer Steve Albini maximizes every sound and space, working with that exacting, mechanical precision that he has come to be known for, the perfect complement to Harvey's harsh, stark, disturbed song writing. #52 on Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1990s, PJ Harvey's best album is available on vinyl for the first time in years.

PJ Harvey's second and most ferocious album finds her claiming images of sexuality, whether they're of a "hysterical" female (the obsessive title track and the indelible accusation "you leave me dry") or male "dominance" ("Man-Size," which also appears in an atonal arrangement with a string sextet, and the feral rockabilly size-brag of "50-Ft Queenie"). Recorded to play up the stark dynamic contrasts of Harvey's early trio, it's as harsh and abrasive as the gutter blues whose vocal style Harvey cops. And she demands a place for herself at the table of great songwriters--a hellfire take on Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" fits neatly alongside her own work. --Douglas Wolk