POP MUSIC REVIEW : Britain Delivers Yet Another Rock Vision

When Island Records said that PJ Harvey’s Whisky appearance would be part of a brief, introductory U.S. tour, they weren’t kidding. The English rock trio was on stage Monday for little more than 45 minutes, start to finish.

Ah, but what a 45 minutes.

Mixing a powerful and seductive instrumental fury with intimate and introspective tales about sexual politics, the band and its captivating lead singer proved the most exciting arrival from across the Atlantic since Sinead O’Connor four years ago.

There’s more to PJ Harvey than the 22-year-old singer-guitarist who gives the group its name.

Drummer Robert Ellis and bassist Stephen Vaughan laid down a power-blues foundation that was so intense and appealing by itself that the audience was swept up by the sound.

The feel of this richly designed music ranged from the insistent energy of something like the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” to the galloping rhythm of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up.”

But it’s Polly Jean Harvey’s vision that fuels the band.

Reminiscent at times of Patti Smith, the free-spirited rock ‘n’ roll poet from the mid-’70s, Harvey understands the value of mystery and restraint.

Instead of defining attitudes in her lyrics, she usually infuses the songs with contradictory impulses, acknowledging the emotional cross-currents that can strengthen or undercut one’s resolve.

Sometimes, she even turns the songs into male-female dialogues, employing the names of such stereotypical characters as Samson and Delilah or Tarzan and Jane to explore issues of suspicion, independence and trust.

In one of her most gripping songs, “Dress,” the dialogue is, in effect, with a dress. Harvey uses the garment as a backdrop to explore how her choice of sexy attire can not only seduce others but also compromise herself.

“If you put it on . . . if you put it on . . . if you put it on,” she sings repeatedly, as if tempting herself in much the same manner she envisions the dress tempting someone else. “Swing and sway, everything will be all right,” she continues, playing out the evening in her head. But, finally, there is an uncomfortable recognition of the game-playing--and she’s not comfortable in the role: “It’s feeling so damn tight tonight.”

Given the sometimes stark, combative nature of her vocals and imagery, it’s easy to imagine Harvey as the female embodiment of the Angry Young Man stance that countryman Elvis Costello exhibited in the late ‘70s.

Instead, Harvey, wearing her dark hair pulled back in a bun and dressed all in black, responded to the initial applause with a warm smile.

Rather than open with one of the songs from her acclaimed new album, “Dry,” Harvey began boldly with a new song that summarized much of the emotional fervor of her music--a song about the break-up of a relationship in which the central character is alternately desperate and liberated.

“Don’t leave me . . . I’m hurting,” she pleads early in the song as the tempo builds. Finally, however, she unleashes an angry, naked assault, “You’re not rid of me . . . I’ll make you lick my injuries.”

Later, Harvey was equally daring with a customized version of Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited.” The choice not only showed Harvey’s willingness to tread on sacred rock ground, but also subtly addressed the issue of gender. The comparison with O’Connor isn’t raised because both are female, but because both are commanding artists with bold instincts and captivating vision.

The PJ Harvey band expects to return to the United States for a longer tour--and, one hopes, longer shows--in November. Circle the calendar now.