Anna Kashfi - Survival

"I was born when you kissed me, I died when you left." So begins the new album from Anna Kashfi, the Manchester based band named after Marlon Brando's first wife. She was presumed to be an exotic Indian beauty who was later revealed as the daughter of a Welsh steelworker and the duality and tragedy of the real life Anna Kashfi is a recurring feature of "Survival". The sense of characters being vulnerable to the whims of the world and circumstance, of the thin-line between existing and being wiped out forever. Sian Webley is the voice behind these characters and she gives them life, a sadness and a wit that speaks volumes. Theres also a duet of sorts with Robert Fisher of kindred spirits WIllard Grant Conspiracy, a song relating a story of how the townsfolk of a Tuscan town tricked the Devil into building their bridge for free. Musically "Survival" is Anna Kashfi in widescreen, where their previous album "Procurement" moved in slow motion through late night laments and droning psychedelic folk, on "Survival" you can really feel prodcuer / arranger James Younjohns testing how far he can push Webley's vocals. So, yes, for fans of Alt Country, fans of Willard Grant Conspiracy etc, the Bad Seeds, strong songsmithery, this could almost sound track Steinbeck.,

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