PJ Harvey – White Chalk - Demos

I love the raw yet delicate sound of this release. Sadly my first copy came with a lot of pops on A2, plus a repeated tchic noise around the end of A3 and beginning of A4. So I'll review it properly once I get my hands on a decent copy, this one's clearly a dud.

Pro-Ject X2
with Audio-Technica AT-VM740ML
VTF @ 2.1 grams
Cambridge Alva Duo
Edifier S2000 Pro

Mine is super quiet. Picked it up today at Amoeba in Hollywood and it sounds fine.

For those complaining about surface noise, please note that some of the tracks have it "built in", probably due to their cassette tape origins.

Obviously this is not a vinyl you’d play to listen to 628262 layers or perfect audio quality. Though my copy also came with a lot of surface noise, clicks & pops. Cleaning it with my Knosti & storing it in an antistatic sleeve really helped a lot though! Definitely a great recording & I‘m happy I could snatch a signed copy. The new piano version of the title track is so incredibly beautiful & the even more stripped down sound fits the album so nicely. I‘m happy we got this cute little collection 🖤

This pressing seems to mirror the original 45rpm realease in that my copy has a lot of surface noise !

Pretty sparse and organic, mainly accompanied by an upright piano that's in serious need of servicing haha.... In this form, it actually sounds like a Grouper album, albeit with more clearly enunciated lyrics. I almost prefer it to the original, very intimate and engaging. Fyi this is not the album to test your sound system on, the vinyl treatment is hardly essential, but I'm glad I have it still.