It’s impossible to listen to PJ Harvey’s brilliant and cacophonous Rid of Me without experiencing a jolt to the system. The abrasion is intentional: While writing the album in a damp and noisy Tottenham apartment decades ago, Harvey set out to pen music that would startle listeners. She later recalled: “When I wrote “Rid of Me,” I shocked myself. I thought, ‘Well, if I’m shocked, other people might be shocked.’”

– Paula Mejía