Just as the Foo Fighters did with the HBO documentary series on the cross-country recording of their latest album Sonic Highways, British singer-songwriter PJ Harvey plans on exposing the recording process of her next album to the public. But instead of filming her studio sessions like the Foos did, Harvey and her crew of musicians, engineers and producers will be recording the album in a custom-built studio inside London's Somerset House, which will be open to the public for viewing as part of an art exhibition titled Recording in Progress, starting Jan. 16.
According to the Somerset House website, the studio is designed "in the form of an enclosed box ... displaying PJ Harvey, her band, producers, and engineers as a mutating, multi-dimensional sound sculpture." Each studio session will take place 45 minutes at a time from behind one-way, sound-proofed glass — so Harvey will not be able to see you waving at her — and according to Harvey's Facebook page, the sessions could involve "anything from laying down a bass drum track, to discussions, to improvisations, through to full performances of new songs."
The exhibition was conceived by Harvey and commissioned by Artangel.
Tickets are on sale now for 15 pounds — about $23 — which you can purchase by clicking here.
This new album will be PJ Harvey's ninth studio effort overall, her first since 2011's excellent Let England Shake, which won the Mercury Prize, making Harvey the first artist to win the coveted prize twice — she first won for her 2000 album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. The album will be produced by Harvey's frequent collaborators Flood and John Parish, who have previously produced her albums Let England Shake, White Chalk, Is This Desire? and To Bring You My Love.
You can check out PJ Harvey's music video for "Let England Shake" here:
