John Parish
Dance Hall at Louse Point
Album · Rock · 1996
Art-rock explorer Parish provides the music while Harvey writes and delivers the words on this spiky collaboration. Both are in a questing mood: channeling desire, deceit and salvation, Harvey runs the gamut from a manic whisper to inflamed wails while Parish whips up a maelstrom of detuned guitars (“Taut”) and discordant blues (“Rope Bridge Crossing”). Their artful abandon succeeds best on “Civil War Correspondent”, where Parish’s gauzy guitars complement rather than swamp Harvey’s rising despair and a haunting organ swirl.