desire

so yesterday i was talking to my good friend frankie who is a fellow music lover about a dilemma we're both having: you know when you find a really special band/musician and you know they'll be huge in like a month...so you don't want to share them with anyone? well, this is certainly the case with our new found love for the singer/guitarist anna calvi who brian eno recently dubbed "the new patti smith." i think music is something to be celebrated and shared, and i think that calvi is incredibly talented and should get the following she deserves. therefore, i'm going to swallow my pride and share her album with my blog readers...whoever you are (hi mom). anna calvi's self-titled debut album is probably going to be the best of 2011 in my humble opinion. born in london, calvi has been playing in bands for years, and her eclectic taste in tango, classical music, and rock n' roll is evident in her complex songs. her powerful vocals are inspired by the great edith piaf, and opera singer maria callas, and she uses a circular strumming technique on the guitar, giving her songs a haunting quality. according to calvi, every sound in this record is intentional. her vocal quality is also very precise: in one song she will shout a phrase and then retreat to a conspiratorial whisper. the album is produced by pj harvey's producer and drummer, rob ellis, which is pretty clear if you're familiar with any of pj harvey's work. i can also hear some similarities to siouxsie and the banshees in this record, but comparing it is kind of pointless. it's very original. i think music is in an unfortunate place at the moment, where female singers can speak over a synthesizer or do their best impression of billie holiday (what's up zooey deschanel), and people eat it up. i'm not saying everyone has to be inspired by opera singers like calvi, but i think that the voice is a very powerful instrument, and true singers should be celebrated. i love dancing to half-ass vocals, but we shouldn't keep settling for less. calvi is a true artist. okay enough of my ranting. i'm not going to put up the link for this record because you should all BUY IT. but here's a video with my favorite song: click HERE to listen