Anna Calvi – Strange Weather EP

Anna Calvi has defined herself as a singer-songwriter who trades in the markets of gloom and theatrics. With this EP, she has sought to apply her craft to the works of others. Released on Domino Records, Strange Weather is a concentrated display of interpretive and vocal talents, which sensitively takes on songs from Suicide to Bowie.

The title track sees Calvi collaborate with David Byrne to cover Israeli songwriter Keren Ann's staple, with vocal harmonies that play with the conventions of the form; Byrne sounds crisp and forlorn, Calvi sounds deep, in both tone and sentiment. Also notable on the EP – for more than just its relative newness – is a rich, dusty take on Connan Mockasin’s willfully creepy I’m The Man That Will Find You. Diverging form the fiery nature of some of Calvi’s original material, Strange Weather stands testament to a confident stylistic distinctiveness that spreads well over many textures. [Lucy Holt]