By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Date Posted: October 31, 2011
Print Edition: October 26, 2011
Bright and Vivid is the second solo album of Kathryn Calder, a Canadian artist, who is no stranger to recording: this is her ninth album overall. Three of those albums were with The New Pornographers, of which she became a permanent member after periodically filling in for Neko Case during certain tour dates.
The New Pornographer influence is fairly established in the album. Gentle rhythms, many layers of sound, gentle voice – none of these are a surprise, coming from a solo album of one of their group members. The album holds many soundscapes: layers of different sounds, different instruments, and found objects that create one unifying sound. This makes for an interesting listen as each time you hear the song you’ll likely notice something new. However, the gentle addition of the voice and lack of overbearing instrumentation (such as loud guitars or drums) keep this from being a stressful and overly-cerebral album.
The first track, “One Two Three,” sets the tone for the album in its entirety. The sound gently and gradually layers itself, until finally Calder’s voice comes in around the one minute mark. Even when it does come in, it is almost lost, drifting in the ambiguity of so many unidentifiable songs. The next track, “Who Are You,” continues in this vein, building a strong base of sound before the vocals are introduced. The difference is the tone of the song – this one is decidedly upbeat, something that calls for dancing with a crown of daisies on your head and herbal stimulation in your hand.
The composition of the majority of the songs is reminiscent of early operatic material, in that the voice is seen as another instrument rather than the main focus of the music. This is perhaps best embodied in the fifth track, “All the Things.” For the first minute or so of the track, the song is purely instrumentation and when Calder’s voice is introduced, the words are unrecognizable and decidedly ethereal. The method with which the song has been engineered is haunting – the fact that the voice is the melody that sticks with the listener is quite the compliment to the melody, given the wildly changing instrumentation (from electric guitar to a pseudo-banjo to what sounds like a synthesizer but could very well be a dirty bong played with a broken violin bow). A strong aspect of this track is one continued throughout the album; it gently fades out to virtually nothing, drawing the listener’s focus to a single element of sound, further suggesting that the tracks possesses innumerable layers to pay attention to.
“Right Book” is the next track, and structures itself on a strong piano baseline. The piano continues throughout the piece, though at times it is obstructed by the plethora of other instruments. This song is decidedly in the vein of Regina Spektor – listeners familiar with the work of both artists may be hard-pressed to find a difference in style or sound. “Five More Years” departs slightly, with an introduction that sounds like it could have been ripped from a classic old Hollywood movie – strong in strings, weak in over-editing. However, the sound is still much the same – if you like one, you’ll likely appreciate the other.
Though the album isn’t overly new or exciting, it’s a solid piece of art music. If you’re looking to break out of a pop rut, this may be a good choice. The songs aren’t a wild departure from other indie groups, but they have enough quirks to be interesting. Example? The final track, “Younger Than We’ve Ever Been,” includes what sounds like a glass of water being poured. An interesting listen, no doubt about it.
