Many of the songs' inherent beauty is subverted by the ugly sounds she uses to relay her emotions. Over-driven electronics, especially deep throbbing bass tones, pervade the album with a fractured tone. Stylistically, this album is not as specific as To Bring You My Love, which captured a melodramatic, meet at the crossroads style of blues. Instead it seems to mix elements of all of her past work, including the desperate abrasion of the Steve Albini-produced Rid Of Me album. Flood's production is brittle and stark here.
Guitars are practically non-existent.
Harvey relies heavily on the resonance of her voice and her character-driven lyrical reticulations. DJ Spooky makes his major label debut with a synthesis of jungle, hip-hop, jazz, and experimental noise. Spooky integrates these elements with a few guest vocalists, rapid samples, and severe scratching. The over-stated tone is despairing but not without explanation. Guests like Kool Keith, Killah Priest, and members of Organized Konfusion dominate the mic with tales of suburban warfare.