Kathryn Calder Takes the Spotlight

As a member of the New Pornographers, Kathryn Calder tends to fade into the background. Her vocal contributions are frequently overpowered by those of the group's other female member, Neko Case, and her keyboard playing is buried beneath the eight-piece's ornate arrangements. To make matters worse, she's the niece of band leader Carl Newman, making her role in the band appear subordinate simply by virtue of the generation gap.

And then there's her former band, the now-defunct Immaculate Machine. While Calder's vocals and keyboards were initially a key facet of the outfit's keyboard-heavy pop rock sound, she played only a minimal role in its final album, 2009's High on Jackson Hill. Family commitments meant that she couldn't tour behind the album, and songwriter Brooke Gallupe appeared to have taken full control of the group.

Those who may have downplayed her role in the New Pornographers and Immaculate Machine, however, will sit up and take notice once they hear the newly-released Bright and Vivid. This isn't Calder's first solo album, but it makes a much bolder statement than last summer's Are You My Mother? While that previous disc was heavy on sombre folk ballads and breezy pop ditties, those low-key sounds have now been traded in for aggressive guitar workouts and atmospheric electro forays.

The record's daring new sound is heralded by the wash of feedback and amorphous amp fuzz that introduces opening cut "One, Two, Three." While the lilting melody is fairly standard stuff, the blurry reverb and simmering distortion keep this track out in left field. The song that follows, "Who Are You?", is even more daring, with a folksy intro that quickly gives way to nightclub-ready dance beats and a joyous synth riff.

Partial credit for the record's diverse, full-bodied sound belongs to producer Colin Stewart, a Vancouver studio icon who’s worked with Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, and Dan Mangan, among many others. Oh, and he just so happens to be Calder's husband. Just like she did with Uncle Carl, Kathryn is keeping it in the family, and the results are outstanding.

Not all of the songs are quite as exploratory as the opening pair, but tracks like the six-minute electro epic "All the Things" and the thunderously building "New Frame of Mind" will keep listeners guessing up until the end.

So will Bright and Vivid supplant the New Pornographers as Calder's claim to fame? To be realistic, probably not, since the hooks found on these 10 tracks don't have quite the same mass-appeal immediacy as those penned by the celebrated powerpop collective. But at the very least, this record ought to soften the blow for New Porn fans who were disappointed by last year's lacklustre Together.

And more importantly for Calder, it means that she need never be relegated to second fiddle again.