aaamusic | On 10, Mar 2011

PJ Harvey has this morning unveiled the video for her stunning new single ‘The Glorious Land‘ (out on 18th April via Island Records) on YouTube:

Award-winning photographer/videographer Seamus Murphy (who has been responsible for all of the ‘Let England Shake’ videos released so far) said the following about his creative inspiration for ‘The Glorious Land’:

“As with the other films, I wanted  to avoid too literal an interpretation of Polly’s lyrics, but to try to remain true to the spirit and feel of the track. ‘The Glorious Land’ was the third film we edited and completed in Berlin in the cycle of the 12 films, the first was ‘The Words That Maketh Murder’ and the second was ‘The Last Living Rose’. Both editor, Sebastian, and I loved this track, and for me the bugle blast and where it sits is truly a glorious thing. It has the courage to be discordant, out of place and yet perfect on its own terms, surely the quality of great Art? At the first London show at the Troxy last week, when the bugle came in as they played ‘The Glorious Land’ it was like experiencing the music floating high above the band and audience and hovering over all of us like a massive Jackson Pollack. And it swung.

“I had noticed interesting things coming through the trees when driving around Dorset in October. Autumn colours, the sunlight streaming through the trees, the effect of movement during driving, how things changed if I speeded up or slowed down. How the angle at which the camera was held changed things so I started experimenting with shooting and driving. Some of this was shot through the car sunroof straight up into the sky, some deliberately overexposed and out of focus, to increase the abstraction. I particularly liked the white, washed-out look of the sky and how at times there are stretches of pure white. I originally had ‘All And Everyone’ in my head for these images, but knew visually it could work elsewhere. But when we started editing ‘The Glorious Land’ it became obvious it was made for it.”

‘The Glorious Land’, the second single from PJ Harvey’s ‘Let England Shake’, will be released as digital download and on 7” vinyl by Island Records on April 18th 2011.

The 7” vinyl will be backed by the track ‘The Nightingale’, recorded during the ‘Let England Shake’ album sessions.

PJ Harvey’s eighth studio album was recently released to widespread international acclaim and ‘Let England Shake’ has garnered Top 10 chart positions in the UK, Australia, Denmark, France, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland and debuted at number 2 in Belgium & Norway.

Having completed a sold out European tour, including two triumphant dates at the Troxy in East London, PJ Harvey will return to London this summer with a performance at Alexandra Palace on July 23rd.  Harvey will also play this year’s Coachella Festival sharing the bill with Kanye West and The Strokes on April 17th.

Mercury Prize Winner, PJ Harvey was awarded the Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution to Music at this year’s NME Awards, performing at last month’s ceremony with live band Mick Harvey, Jean Marc Butty and John Parish.

“… more than ever, Polly Harvey was made for these times.” MOJO ****

“Let England Shake is a record that ventures deep into the heart of darkness of war itself, and its resonance throughout England’s past, present and future. 10/10” NME

“…a profound and serious work from a singer-songwriter at the height of her powers…” The Telegraph *****

“…grabs modern history at its roots.” Q *****