The age of uncertainty

I'll admit to knowing next to nothing about The Durutti Column but can see why Daniel Dylan Wray's recent Guardian interview with Vini Reilly was widely praised and circulated. The reclusive Reilly - who has endured much, including homelessness, bankruptcy, mental illness and even very close shaves with Mancunian gangsters - spoke frankly about his musical career: "It's done. I've already expressed everything I needed to when I was playing it." No doubt the physical effects of his three strokes are a major factor behind the way that he feels, but it's nevertheless unusual to hear a musician reflect in this way, belittling their own achievements and effectively drawing a line under their career.

Nicky Wire's fascinating conversation with John Doran of the Quietus was tinged with similarly downbeat sentiments. As ever, Wire seemed to have few qualms about running the risk of being regarded as pretentious, quoting Kierkegaard at one point, but the famously mouthy Manic pointedly avoided making any pithy, poisonous comments about other artists, instead ruminating on ageing, melancholy and regret. Might it be that the formerly cocksure Wire is growing increasingly less certain and secure as he gets older, and becoming a more complex and thoughtful artist as a result?

That much also seems to be the case for PJ Harvey, who has described new album I Inside The Old Year Dying as being "about searching, looking ... and seeking meaning". The bold, brash brightness of Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - a record that simply exudes confidence - feels like a long time ago.

In conversation with the Guardian's Laura Snapes, Harvey came across as guarded and self-deprecating, venturing that she isn't a natural musician (god help the rest of us, then...), recalling her experience of imposter syndrome when sharing work with poets and suggesting that she's often wracked by self-doubt: "I definitely go through times where I wonder if I still have the ability to write the songs I dream of writing. Am I still any good? Have I still got it? But I'll keep having a go. And usually, if I persevere, I can get there." (The only time she got remotely bullish was in her defence of her poorly received last LP, 2016's The Hope Six Demolition Project.) It's remarkable (to me, at least) that an artist of her stature and track record can suffer from such anxiety - but I suppose we're all human.

I Inside The Old Year Dying represents yet another twist in the tale of Harvey's career - an eccentric folk album that, as usual, has a robust internal logic and coherence but that contrasts with pretty much everything she's ever done before (White Chalk and Let England Shake are its closest relatives, but even they are cousins once or twice removed). The critical consensus seems to be that it's both hard to fathom and strangely immersive - and one certainty is that it's a record that demands effort and patience on the part of the listener.