White Chalk

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title: "White Chalk" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2007-albums", "pj-harvey-albums", "albums-produced-by-flood-(producer)", "island-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-john-parish"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Chalk" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

FieldValue
nameWhite Chalk
typestudio
artistPJ Harvey
coverWC cover.jpg
altA woman sitting in an upright position in a white Victorian era dress. To her left, white text reads "PJ Harvey White Chalk."
released
recordedNovember 2006 – March 2007
genreChamber folk
length
labelIsland
prev_titleThe Peel Sessions 1991–2004
prev_year2006
next_titleA Woman a Man Walked By
next_year2009
misc{{Singles
nameWhite Chalk
typestudio
single1When Under Ether
single1date17 September 2007
single2The Piano
single2date3 December 2007
single3The Devil
single3date18 March 2008
::

| name = White Chalk | type = studio | artist = PJ Harvey | cover = WC cover.jpg | alt = A woman sitting in an upright position in a white Victorian era dress. To her left, white text reads "PJ Harvey White Chalk." | released = | recorded = November 2006 – March 2007 | venue = | studio = | genre = Chamber folk | length = | label = Island | producer =

White Chalk is the seventh studio album by the English singer-songwriter and musician PJ Harvey, released on 24 September 2007 on Island Records.

Work on the album started in 2006, with producer Flood and John Parish, who also worked on her To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire? albums. Other collaborators on White Chalk are Eric Drew Feldman and Jim White from Dirty Three.

The first single released from White Chalk was "When Under Ether" on 17 September 2007 on digital download and 7" vinyl. A second single, "The Piano," was released on 26 November 2007. A third, "The Devil," was released on 7", download, and CD formats in March 2008.

Style

The previous album, Uh Huh Her, had a raw sound For this album she gave up the traditional three-piece guitar/bass/drums sound and recorded a set of songs for piano, despite her lack of expertise on the instrument. In an interview in The Wire she explained, "the great thing about learning a new instrument from scratch is that it [...] liberates your imagination."

Vocally, she sang in a much higher register than usual, at a pitch outside her normal range, and "howled about being possessed by demon lovers and ghosts".

Harvey elaborated the meaning behind the album's title: "I just like the sound of the words white chalk. It can be millions of years old but erased in a second, and somehow has a timeless quality... The timelessness became more the source of inspiration".

Critical reception

| MC = 80/100 | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = The A.V. Club | rev2score = A− | rev3 = Entertainment Weekly | rev3score = C | rev4 = The Guardian | rev4score = | rev5 = Mojo | rev5Score = | rev6 = NME | rev6score = 7/10 | rev7 = Pitchfork | rev7score = 6.8/10 | rev8 = Q | rev8Score = | rev9 = Rolling Stone | rev9score = | rev10 = Spin | rev10score = White Chalk received critical acclaim and has a score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic. Uncut hailed the album in glowing terms, calling it "an album of lonely beauty and piercing sorrow" before concluding, "White Chalk is P.J. Harvey back at the peak of her considerable powers." The Observer gave the album 5 stars out of 5, while Robert Christgau picked out one song from the album, "When Under Ether", as a "choice cut" ().

In December 2007, American webzine Somewhere Cold voted White Chalk CD of the Year on their 2007 Somewhere Cold Awards Hall of Fame.

Accolades

::data[format=table]

PublicationAccoladeYearRankRef.
NME2007 Albums of the Year200713
Stylus MagazineTop 50 Albums of 2007200750
PopMattersThe Best Albums of 2007200747
The Wire50 Records of the Year200745
::

Formats

The US release is available on CD and rpm LP. The UK release is available on CD and 45 rpm vinyl record. White Chalk is also available on iTunes complete with a bonus track, "Wait".

Track listing

| total_length = 33:57 | all_writing = PJ Harvey. | title1 = The Devil | length1 = 2:55 | title2 = Dear Darkness | length2 = 3:09 | title3 = Grow Grow Grow | length3 = 3:21 | title4 = When Under Ether | length4 = 2:22 | title5 = White Chalk | length5 = 3:06 | title6 = Broken Harp | length6 = 1:57 | title7 = Silence | length7 = 3:05 | title8 = To Talk to You | length8 = 4:00 | title9 = The Piano | length9 = 2:36 | title10 = Before Departure | length10 = 3:45 | title11 = The Mountain | length11 = 3:10

| total_length = 36:14 | headline = iTunes bonus track | title12 = Wait | length12 = 2:17

Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Musicians

Additional musicians

  • Nico Brown – concertina, backing vocals (on "Before Departure")
  • Andrew Dickson – backing vocals (on "Before Departure")
  • Bridget Pearse – backing vocals (on "Before Departure")
  • Martin Brunsden – backing vocals (on "Before Departure")
  • Nick Bicât – backing vocals (on "Before Departure")

Technical

  • Flood – producer, engineer, mixing
  • John Parish – producer, mixing
  • PJ Harvey – producer, mixing, additional engineer
  • Catherine Marks – assistant engineer
  • Andrew Savors – assistant engineer
  • Ali Chant – additional engineer

Design

Charts

::data[format=table title="{{Screen reader-only|Chart performance for ''White Chalk''}}"] | Chart (2007) | Peak position | US Billboard 200 | US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) | US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) | |---|---|---|---|---| | 65 | | | | | | 14 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | ::

Certifications and sales

References

References

  1. Cohen, Jonathan. (2 July 2007). "PJ Harvey Goes into The 'White' On New Album".
  2. [https://www.nme.com/news/pj-harvey/29365 PJ Harvey to return with new album] ''NME.com'' 7 February 2007, Retrieved on 07-07-07
  3. Kem, Marc. "PJ Harvey Rolling Stone'Biography".
  4. Stubbs, D.. (September 2007). "Return of the Native". The Wire.
  5. (21 September 2007). "PJ Harvey explains the story behind 'White Chalk'". NME.
  6. "Reviews for White Chalk by PJ Harvey".
  7. Phares, Heather. "White Chalk – PJ Harvey".
  8. Phipps, Keith. (2 October 2007). "P.J. Harvey: White Chalk". [[The A.V. Club]].
  9. Greenblatt, Leah. (5 October 2007). "White Chalk".
  10. Macpherson, Alex. (21 September 2007). "PJ Harvey, White Chalk". [[The Guardian]].
  11. (October 2007). "PJ Harvey: White Chalk". [[Mojo (magazine).
  12. (21 September 2007). "PJ Harvey: 'White Chalk'". [[NME]].
  13. Klein, Joshua. (24 September 2007). "PJ Harvey: White Chalk". [[Pitchfork (website).
  14. (October 2007). "PJ Harvey: White Chalk". [[Q (magazine).
  15. Sheffield, Rob. (20 September 2007). "White Chalk".
  16. Hermes, Will. (October 2007). "Love Lies Bleeding". [[Spin (magazine).
  17. Hoskyns, Barney. (October 2007). "''White Chalk'' - review".
  18. Mardles, Paul. (15 September 2007). "PJ Harvey, White Chalk". [[The Observer]].
  19. Christgau, Robert. (November 2007). "Consumer Guide". [[MSN Music]].
  20. Lamoreaux, Jason T.. (December 30, 2007). "2007 Somewhere Cold Awards".
  21. (10 October 2016). "NME's best albums and tracks of 2007".
  22. "Pop Playground - Top 50 Albums of 2007".
  23. (2007-12-21). "PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2007".
  24. (January 2008). "2007 Rewind: 50 Records of the Year".
  25. "iTunes – Music – White Chalk (Exclusive Edition) by PJ Harvey". [[Apple Inc..
  26. (2007). "White Chalk". Island Records.
  27. "PJ Harvey Chart History (''Billboard'' 200)".
  28. "PJ Harvey Chart History (Alternative Albums)".
  29. "PJ Harvey Chart History (Tastemakers)".
  30. Lipshutz, Jason. (26 March 2011). "License Check".

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