PJ Harvey has done it again. The amazing Polly Jean has recreated her sound and image to embody England's consciousness as she tells stories of war through the eyes of the land itself. Her latest album Let England Shake positions Harvey as part of England as she takes an introspective view on how war has affected the land and the citizens of the country.

The differences between Let England Shake and her 2009 effort with John Parish A Woman A Man Walked By, where the lyrics and music sync up to present her dark and forlorn experiences with love and lust are incredible. Where A Woman A Man Walked By shows off Harvey's incredible vocal stylings with her gutteral power, the vocal presentation on Let England Shake is seen as a lesson on restraint, as she uses her falsetto and gentle delivery to allow the weight of her words to sink in. Tracks like “England” express her undying love of her country, giving aural reasoning to why she's so committed to vocalizing her political views. “

Remedies never were within my reach /I cannot go on as I am /Withered vine reaching from the country/That I love” she sings, harping on the metaphor of vines as human arms. The track “Bitter Branches” furthers this imagery by pairing wives waving Goodbye with their 'bitter branches' stretching across the sky, entwining the longevity of sorrowful goodbyes with the consistency of trees and nature.

Let England Shake covers a lot of ground in 40 minutes. Her concise songwriting and thoughtful sampling make this album easy to put on repeat for hours. The personification of England helps to place her political views of war's affect on a country in a timeless matter, even though she is speaking about current issues. Harvey was recently able to perform on the The Andrew Marr Show, and UK's Prime Minister Gordon Brown was in attendance as she performed “Let England Shake.” Here's to hoping he listened.