Shred Heaven: Anna Calvi’s Guitar Inspirations

It's a six string playlist...

Anna Calvi is quite simply one of the most thrilling guitarists around.

In concert and on record she's capable of shredding with the best of them, matching a keen awareness for past greats with a determination to find her own voice.

Matching avant garde techniques to stellar songwriting, Anna Calvi's theatrical nous pushes her into a realm of her own.

A student of her instrument, Anna Calvi recently partnered with Fender and their American Professional II series for a special project.

The collaboration sparked memories of her own guitar inspirations, something Anna now recounts for Clash…

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Courtney Barnett – 'Avant Gardener'

The way Courtney Barnett plays is a perfect combination of noise guitar and melodic playing. She really knows how to squeeze out as much expression as possible in the guitar, especially on this song.

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St Vincent – 'Strange Mercy'

St Vincent is known for her riffs, but this song is a great example of real orchestration and arrangement skills. She really builds a symphony sized accompaniment with one guitar.

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Blake Mills – 'One'

I love guitarists who make the guitar sound like other instruments, and Blake Mills is a master at this. He used guitar synthesisers to build up this track, and the result is really beautiful.

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Lianne La Havas – 'Paper Thin'

Lianne is great at jazz chord arrangements. She’s a great player but not in a showy way. The voice and emotion comes first.

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Torres – 'Good Grief'

I love the atmosphere she creates with her guitar, it feels beautiful and dirty at the same time.

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Superknova – 'Serotonin Serenade'

She has a unique voice with her guitar and I’m really excited to hear what she does next.

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The Invisible – 'Spiral'

The singer/guitarist from this band, Dave Okumu, is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever heard. This track is an example of how original and unique his sound is.

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Orville Peck – 'Dead Of Night'

I love the cinematic nature of Orville Peck’s work, and his guitar tones are to die for.

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Kaki King – 'Until We Felt Red'

I love the performance of this track, and Kaki has an amazing feel. This piece is so haunting.

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Kim Gordon – 'Murdered Out'

Is there anyone cooler than Kim Gordon? I think not!

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