Polly Paulusma – When Violent Hot Pitch Words Hurt 

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Just a few months after the release of her stunning album The Pivot On Which The World Turns, singer, songwriter and multi-talented instrumentalist Polly Paulusma released a ‘sister’ album. And if the title, When Violent Hot Pitch Words Hurt, seems a little impenetrable, that’s because it’s an anagram of Pivot. But, fear not; the content is anything but. It’s moving, beguiling and often brutally honest about time, love, ageing and loss.

The two albums contain mostly the same songs in demo forms, live settings or as alternative versions. But which is better? There’s only one way to find out…

Of course, you don’t have to choose. The album draws back the curtain and lets you peer in on some of the secret places behind the studio release. For those wanting to learn the craft of songwriting, this is an essential album, demonstrating how songs move and shift from their earlier forms to the finished article.

Not that the content here doesn’t match the quality of the other, far from it. In fact, a raw emotional song like Snake Skin (about the death of Polly’s father) is given extra poignancy in the more direct, less adorned version on Hot Pitch. As stated, you don’t have to choose. Like portrait painting vs a polaroid, it’s the same image, but the perspective and intent is different. One contrasts and complements the other.

The most fascinating is Sullen Volcano. On Hot Pitch, it isn’t a song in the traditional sense (although it has an appropriate discordant musical accompaniment by the Elysian Collective), but rather a poem – originally titled 2 October 2020 (the date it was written). Polly says it ‘explores the sorrow of getting it all wrong’. The morphing of the earlier spoken-word lament into its piano-led final form is fascinating. But this isn’t an academic exercise; both are just as affecting in contrasting ways.

Like Snake Skin, Back of Your Hand, Brambles and Briars, and Braklesham Bay, are present in their demo forms. This might suggest they are not to the same standard as the studio versions. Far from it, they are stunning and wholly deserve wider listening. They just feel more direct and spontaneous, as you would expect.

Other songs – The Big Sky (with Kathryn Williams), Dirty Circus and Robin – are presented as live performances, the latter two at Cambridge Folk Club. The Big Sky live piano-led duet is in marked contrast to the programmed electronica take on Pivot, where Kathryn takes the lead vocals. It’s a thrill to see how these early live outings reformed in the studio. But mostly, it showcases what a brilliant live performer Polly is.

Finally, there are stripped-back versions of Tired Old Eyes (piano version and almost unbearably poignant) and a less poppy, acoustic version of Luminary. Like seeing artists’ sketches before the final painting, they have a freshness and vitality compared to the completed picture. Take your pick; it’s all wonderful.

The Pivot On Which The World has an earthy, raw, emotional power that shines through and makes you appreciate the craft and care that led to the studio album. At turns heartbreaking, heartwarming and heartstopping, this collection of offcuts, side steps and live tracks may even eclipse the original.

Order the album here: https://pollypaulusma.lnk.to/pitch

Video: The Big Sky (Zoom version) Oct 2020′

‘The Big Sky’ is a song co-written by Polly Paulusma and Kathryn Williams, performed by them both as a duet, and produced by Polly Paulusma. The audio from this ‘as live’ version, which Paulusma edited together as a Zoom concert during lockdown, appears on ‘When Violent Hot Pitch Words Hurt’.

Tracklist: 

1.     Back Of Your Hand (Demo Version 2013)

2.     Brambles and Briars (Demo Version 2018)

3.     Luminary (Acoustic Version 2022)

4.     Any Other Way (Demo Version 2017)

5.     The Big Sky (Live 2020)

6.     Snakeskin (Demo Version 2017)

7.     Sullen Volcano (Poem 2020)

8.     Bracklesham Bay (Demo Version 2017)

9.     Tired Old Eyes (Piano Version 2022)

10.   Dirty Circus (Live at The Cambridge Folk Club 2022)

11.   Robin (Live at The Cambridge Folk Club 2022)