ANNA CALVI (UK)
Monday 19.9.2019 @ Helsinki, Huvila-teltta
Monday 19.9.2019 @ Helsinki, Huvila-teltta / s t a r g a z e
Hailed as "the best thing since Patti Smith" by
Brian Eno, as well as being included in the BBC's Sound of 2011 list, the hype
surrounding London-born Anna Calvi came to a crescendo in late 2010. Gaining
critical acclaim among music journalists, Calvi drew...
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ANNA CALVI (UK)
Monday 19.9.2019 @ Helsinki, Huvila-teltta
Monday 19.9.2019 @ Helsinki, Huvila-teltta / s t a r g a z e
Hailed as "the best thing since Patti Smith" by
Brian Eno, as well as being included in the BBC's Sound of 2011 list, the hype
surrounding London-born Anna Calvi came to a crescendo in late 2010. Gaining
critical acclaim among music journalists, Calvi drew comparisons with
passionate and brooding musicians like Nick Cave and Polly Jean Harvey. The
dense and rich musical influences that inhabit Calvi's world are broad and
distinctive strokes of sultry flamenco, smoke-filled blues, and seductive goth
pop/rock. Adding to this tapestry of influences, Calvi claims to have been
inspired by the films of David Lynch, Gus Van Sant, and Wong Kar Wai; the
cinematic element to her music contributes a mysterious and unyielding
undercurrent to her work.
At the age of 17, after eschewing art school in favor of a
music degree, Calvi began to learn her trade and assemble musical partnerships.
In 2006, she met percussionist and harmonium player Mally Harpaz, and later
recruited drummer Daniel Maiden-Wood. The release of her debut single,
"Jezebel," in the fall of 2010 was an electric cover version of the
Edith Piaf standard. The young Calvi soon captured the attention of Domino
Records boss Lawrence Bell after a glowing reference from former Coral guitarist
Bill Ryder-Jones, who had witnessed one of Calvi's gigs in Manchester. Bell
quickly signed her to his label. Ryder-Jones was not the only celebrity admirer
of Calvi's, an acquaintance of the aforementioned Brian Eno similarly urged him
to listen to this emerging talent. After hearing Calvi's raw and unplugged
performances on The Attic Sessions (the early demos that she recorded on an
eight-track in her parents' attic), the distinguished producer soon became her
mentor and unofficial cheerleader.
One
BreathCalvi entered Black Box studio in France with the much-lauded producer
Rob Ellis to record her self-titled debut album in 2010. Using vintage
analog equipment, Calvi created a velvet Wall of Sound that justified the hype
in the buildup to its 2011 release. Following the release of her debut album,
Calvi was inundated with award nominations, with accolades such as Best British
Breakthrough Act at the BRITS in 2012, and she was presented with the European
Border Breaks alongside being invited to judge that year's prestigious Mercury
Prize. Toward the end of 2012 she lent her powerful voice to Noah and the
Whale's title track, "Heart of Nowhere," between sessions for her
second release, One Breath, which was issued in 2013. Strange Weather, an EP of
covers, arrived the following year.
Calvi released a new song in June 2018 titled "Don't Beat the Girl out of My Boy", and her new album is set to be released on the 30th of August.
- Aneet Nijjar /AllMusic.com
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