PJ Harvey wins Mercury Prize

SHAKE, RATTLE & ROLL: P.J. Harvey’s Let England Shake won the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for best British or Irish album last night, beating out, among others, Adele’s 21, Tinie Tempah’s Disc-overy, James Blake’s self-titled debut album and past winner Elbow’s Build a Rocket Boys! The 41-year-old Harvey is the first artist to repeat as the winner of the U.K.’s most prestigious award, which typically places more emphasis on artistic risk-taking than commercial success. It was 10 years ago that she became the first female Mercury winner with Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea,” her New York song cycle. Ironically, Harvey won the award on Sept. 11, 2001, while on tour in the States. “It’s really good to be here this evening,” she told the audience in London’s Grosvenor House hotel. “I was in Washington, DC, watching the Pentagon burning from my hotel window. So much has happened since then.” She has said that the album was influenced by the poetry of T.S. Eliot and the war works of the painter Francisco de Goya, as well as The Doors, The Pogues and The Velvet Underground. The Mercury, first awarded in 1992, is determined by the votes of a small group of music journalists and music industry professionals. The winner receives $31,800—typically more than he or she earns from record sales. (9/7a)