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Steve
Oh cool, agreement.

Andrew
Just wait... Funny you should say that Noah, because yes, I did pick something willfully obscure, to get more exposure to an artist I think is under the radar... Because that's what music blogs do.

I didn't know who Anna Calvi was before I picked up her self-titled debut album at my public library on a whim. What a good whim. Taking cues from PJ Harvey, Bowie, Brian Eno, Roy Orbison, and other great singers who might wear sunglasses, this English lady has a lot of ambition, a powerful voice, and songwriting chops to match.

Noah
I too don't know who Anna Calvi is!

Reagen
Throws index cards into the air**

Andrew
I like that I'm apparently the obscure guy. I really do. Check these folks out readers.

Kim
The draft clip people are struggling to find footage to string together for this one.

Noah
I'm pretty sure Anna Calvi looked amazing in workouts versus a chair.





Steve
The Anna Calvi album was only produced on 20 pound stone cylinders, and you can't actually listen to it without special audio equipment and a bulldozer, but it's great.

Kim
Her Wonderlic score is questionable, though.

Reagen
That performance she put up against Grambling State can't be overlooked.

Noah
To be fair, that test is totally culturally-biased.

Reagen
It's possible I'll live to regret this last pick, but I'm going to go with Danger Mouse and Danielle Luppi's Rome. If you'd told me that in 2011 I'd be praising an album with a significant amount of contribution from Norah Jones, I might have shot you in the face, but here we are. Danger Mouse can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes and I'm with him where ever he goes. An album of songs inspired by Sergio Leone films? Why the hell not?

Andrew
Never underestimate the great equalizing power of Jack White.

Noah
My last pick is an album that actually just came out this week -- Sound Kapital by Handsome Furs. I've been listening to it a lot as it streamed in various places pre-release and it's terrific. Talk about a band that takes what could be a very limited sound and maximizes it, stretches it and makes it new. I loved Face Control, and I love Sound Kapital.

Reagen
The members of Wolf Parade make Prince look like a slacker with writer's block.

Noah
Well, clearly they don't object to piracy like a petulant child.

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