PEAKY BLINDERS SEASON 5+6 OST by Anna Calvi 2LP

Anna Calvi’s captivating and atmospheric compositions, her first foray into scores, for seasons 5 and 6 of the BBC’s record-breaking TV show - 37 tracks over a double LP.

Talking about her work on the score, Calvi says “Composing for Peaky Blinders was about atmosphere and space. There’s so much nuance when it comes to scoring to picture. It’s more about what you leave out than what you leave in. I had to let the voice of the actors do the talking but find ways of bringing out the emotion within that. I became completely obsessed with Tommy Shelby, I dreamt about him every night whilst I was working on the scores, I had to really inhabit the show.”

'Three albums that inspired the life and career of Julia Jacklin:'

The third pick, which will probably surprise no one, is the multi-talented Anna Calvi. Calvi has been celebrated for her remarkable skill as a guitarist, alongside her commanding, expansive operatic contralto vocals and occasional androgynous stage persona. “I haven’t listened to [Anna Calvi] in ages but it came at a perfect time for me a few years ago,” Jacklin explained.

“I had trained as a soprano and I guess I had always thought I had to sing like a little girl or something, that I had to play pretty, non confrontational music in order for people to like me. Then I heard this and it just gave me some strength, to get a bit louder, sing a bit lower, not worry too much if people didn’t like what I was doing.”