PJ Harvey

PJ Harvey began life as a split-knuckle trio dominated by ultra-talented frontwoman Polly Jean Harvey, who was raised on a sheep farm. Her razor-backed, post-feminist catalogue of songs begins with the furious debut, Dry; the singles "Sheela-Na-Gig" and "Dress" (also on iTunes Originals) announced the arrival of a rare talent.

Harvey took a feather duster to her musical cobwebs and dropped her regular band for the album To Bring You My Love in 1995. A year later she retained the services of replacement guitarist John Parish for Dance Hall at Louse Point, which produced the shimmering, shiver-inducing "Un Cercle Autour du Soleil".

You don't have to scratch too far below Harvey's indie-rock surface to locate her seething underbelly. On Is This Desire? she lays her splendid voice on a dirty mattress of simple and scary electronica ("Joy" gives us nightmares), while "Goodnight," from 4-Track Demos, growls like a cornered beast.

For some people, music's all about smoothing away the creases of life in the scented bath of sweet melody. Not PJ Harvey, who owns a rock 'n' roll sound of searing feminine power, bloody honesty, and jangling nerves. Just listen once to the exquisite cracks in her voice on "Send His Love to Me", and you'll be hooked forever into the work of a gorgeous, refining talent who is dark, tough, versatile, provocative, and never less than brilliant. Here's Harvey.