PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project: A World Art-Rock Masterpiece CD

UPC: 602547737588 

MPN: 4773758 

Brand Name: PJ Harvey / Island Records

Overview: Global Reportage Through Art Rock

The Hope Six Demolition Project is PJ Harvey's critically acclaimed ninth studio album, released in 2016. Moving beyond the historical focus of her previous work, this record adopts a journalistic, observational lens, documenting the social and political decay Harvey witnessed during her travels to areas of poverty and conflict in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Washington D.C. The music is a powerful blend of blues, gospel chants, and urgent art-rock, featuring prominent use of saxophone and a raw, immediate production style. The album's unflinching narrative—seen in tracks like the controversial opener "The Community of Hope" and the powerful single "The Wheel"—challenges the listener to confront global inequalities and the human cost of political systems.

Product Features

• Format: Music CD (Studio Album)
• Genre: Art Rock, Alternative Rock, Protest Music
• Style: Documentary/Reportage-based songwriting
• Total Discs: 1
• Release Year: 2016
• Total Length: 41:51
• Artist: PJ Harvey
• Producers: Flood, John Parish, PJ Harvey

Interesting Facts

• "Recording in Progress" Art Installation: The entire album was initially recorded at Somerset House in London as an art exhibition called Recording in Progress. For one month, the public was able to view Harvey, her band, and producers through one-way glass as they created the music, making the recording process itself a performance piece.
• The HOPE VI Reference: The album title refers to the controversial HOPE VI program—a U.S. public housing initiative—which critics argue often led to social cleansing by demolishing low-income housing and displacing original residents.
• Journalistic Method: The songs were written after extensive travel with photographer and filmmaker Seamus Murphy, with whom Harvey also published the poetry book The Hollow of the Hand. Her lyrics often reflect direct, verbatim observations and conversations from the field, rather than abstract poetry.
• Controversy: The opening track, "The Community of Hope," which describes a neglected neighborhood in Washington D.C., drew direct criticism from local politicians upon its release, highlighting the album's confrontational nature.
• Inspiration from the River Anacostia: The metaphorical track "River Anacostia" is named after the real American river that flows through Washington D.C. and has a history of environmental issues and neglect.

Track Listing

1. The Community of Hope (2:23)
2. The Ministry of Defence (4:11)
3. A Line in the Sand (3:33)
4. Chain of Keys (3:09)
5. River Anacostia (4:56)
6. Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln (2:59)
7. The Orange Monkey (2:47)
8. Medicinals (2:19)
9. The Ministry of Social Affairs (4:10)
10. The Wheel (5:38)
11. Dollar, Dollar (5:34)

Publishers

• Copyright & Sound Recording: 2016 Island Records Limited, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
• Distribution (EU): Universal International Music B.V.

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