Kathryn Calder - Bright And Vivid Review

Integral member of the New Pornographers and Singer/Songwriter Kathryn Calder releases her second LP. Did I mention that she is Canadian? Poutine for e'rybody.

Kathryn Calder - Bright And Vivid (2011) – 7.8 / 10.0

Release Date: Sept. 13, 2011
Running Time: 41:32
Label: File Under Music
Producer: Colin Stewart
Genre: Dream Pop, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Drug of Choice: Marijuana, Hot Toddies
Key Tracks: 
"One, Two, Three"
"Turn A Light On"
"Five More Years"


It can be easy to write off the New Pornographers as Carl Newman's band, but I think that explanation discounts the individual talents of the people in that group. Kathryn Calder is my new favorite example. Those of you unfamiliar with either her solo work or her part in the group Immaculate Machine will recognize Calder's contributions to the Pornographers immediately upon a first listen to Bright And Vivid. She's the one making the harmonies of your favorite tracks so interesting. For that similarity isn't to say that this album is in any way beholden to Calder's work with the Pornographers. The music here is an odd but fresh melding of Kate Bush or Aimee Mann with the folk instrumentation of the Shins. Stripped of Newman's ability/need to include constant hooks, the songs on Bright And Vivid are less immediate, but offer more ground to explore and even get lost in than a typical New Pornographers record.

The album opener, "One, Two, Three" is a stomping dirge that offers up the record's most immediate hook. That one-two march fades immediately, as the rest of the record is all about big sounds and grand landscapes. Calder's vocal performance on "Turn A Light On" is a personal favorite, proving that she can lead a ballad as good as anyone working today. For me, the production is the real standout here. Where most of the albums made in this genre take the shoegaze aesthetic so far as to sound like they were recorded down a long hallway from the performers, the sound on Bright And Vivid is just that. Calder and producer/drummer Colin Stewart keep this record from ever dipping into the hopelessly murky, providing a fresh take on the genre that I truly appreciate. The second half of the record hurts a little bit for the aforementioned lack of hooks, but is saved from the fire by the shimmering "Five More Years".

Kathryn Calder proves to be an individual talent on Bright And Vivid. These songs are bright, uninhibited by studio trickery, and expertly performed (mostly by Calder, I should note). For all of the baggage that a term like Singer/Songwriter brings with it, Calder proves to be a standout performer. On this record she puts herself clearly above contemporaries like St. Vincent or Bradford Cox. She successfully avoids unnecessary, pretentious concepts or gimmicks and focuses clearly on producing great songs. Bright And Vivid is a record worth every second of your time.