Kathryn Calder - Bright and Vivid

Kathryn Calder - While last year's solo debut from the Victoria, BC-based member of acclaimed and revolving Canadian band The New Pornographers was a fairly stripped affair -- and lyrically steeped in the memory of her late mother -- Calder's latest is a 180 turn that reflects the album's title. With husband and producer Colin Stewart at her side, Calder has taken a bold and unpredictable "kitchen sink" approach to her songs, creating endless layers of intricate sounds that occasionally leave her voice simply another element in the mix // Release: Bright and Vivid (October 25) // Sounds like: what first may sound like a fog of sonic clutter and echoing feedback eventually is revealed, over additional listens, as a maze of intricate and precise patterns...synth-beats, off-kilter guitar riffs and a colorful tapestry of instruments give B+V a glossy 80's Brit-pop sheen but with a smart contemporary edge...

Quote: "When your husband is the producer, it means that we can spend a whole bunch of time doing a whole bunch of weird things to the songs... I didn't want it to be alienating or anything, for fans of the first record." // What we like: the sweet melodic hooks of songs like "Five More Years" and "Who Are You" have some sharp edges to boot, even if you sometimes strain to catch all the elaborate details...the lovely "Turn A Light On" has more of her Mother's more restrained folk/pop appeal, the rich melodic sweep of the chorus delivering a welcome respite to much of the album's buzzier busy-ness..."Younger Than We've Ever Been"'s quirky, twisting melody -- delivered in Calder's honey-and-lemon vocals -- and the prog/pomp scope of the dramatic punch-to-caress "New Frame of Mind" are like dreamy chamber pop songs taken to a larger, symphonic stage...

 

Kathryn Calder - "Turn A Light On" (from Bright and Vivid)

Kathryn Calder - "Five More Years" (from Bright and Vivid)

Stream the album at NPR. More DC on Kathryn Calder here.