Are You My Mother? is a 2010 album released by Canadian musician Kathryn Calder. It is Calder's debut solo album. She had previously released records as a member of Immaculate Machine and The New Pornographers.
Background
The album was named after the children's book with the same name. It was recorded when Calder was caring for her sick mother, and the project was put on hold when her mother died. A feature in Victoria's Times Colonist noted that the album features her mother's "spirit and influence, but not the sadness associated with her death".
Recording
The album was recorded in Calder's family home in Victoria, British Columbia. After touring with The New Pornographers for three years, Calder began work on the album. Since she missed home and was caring for her mother, she set up a home studio with producer Colin Stewart. New Pornographer bandmates Todd Fancey, Kurt Dahle, Neko Case, and members of Ladyhawk and Frog Eyes play on the album.
Reception
Amanda Ash of Exclaim! praised the album as "melodically diverse and incredibly easy to sink into" and wrote that the songs are "perfectly manicured soundscapes". François Marchand of the Vancouver Sun gave the album a favorable review, stating that it is a "fine and poignant indie-pop record".
Professional ratings
Allmusic
Pitchfork Media
The AV Club (B+)
The Montreal Gazette
PopMatters
Track listing
Song Writer(s) Length
"Slip Away" 4:47
"Low" 4:08
"Castor and Pollux" 2:56
"Arrow" 2:52
"If You Only Knew" 3:15
"Follow Me Into the Hills" 3:27
"Down the River" 3:51
"Day Long Past its Prime" 3:01
"So Easily" 4:13
"All it Is" 3:39
Kathryn Calder is a Canadian indie rock musician, who performs as a solo artist, and is a member of the band The New Pornographers. She is a former member of Immaculate Machine. Calder started with The New Pornographers by filling in for Neko Case for live performances and was made a permanent member in 2006.
She is the niece of fellow The New Pornographers member Carl Newman. Calder explained in a 2007 interview: "My mom was adopted as a baby and about ten years ago she found her birth family and Carl is in her birth family. At that time I was a teenager and playing in a band and didn't really know I had that family ... so that's how I met Carl."
Her first solo album, Are You My Mother?, was released on August 3, 2010 (Canada) and August 10, 2010 (United States), with a digital release date of June 28, 2010. The album was named after the children's book with the same name. It was recorded when Calder was caring for her sick mother, and the project was put on hold when her mother died of Lou Gehrig's disease. The New Pornographers' 2010 release Together is dedicated to the memory of Calder's mother.
Calder is releasing her second album, Bright and Vivid on October 25, 2011. She said it features a synthpop sound. Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster, Jesse Zubot and Ford Pier are some of the guests on the album.
Discography
Solo
Are You My Mother? (File Under: Music, 2010)
Bright and Vivid (2011)
The New Pornographers
Twin Cinema (CA: Mint Records; US & EU: Matador Records, 2005)
Challengers (CA: Last Gang Records; US & EU: Matador Records, 2007)
Together (US: Matador Records, 2010)
Immaculate Machine
Transporter (Independent, 2004)
Ones and Zeros (Mint Records, 2005)
Immaculate Machine's Fables (Mint Records, 2007)
High on Jackson Hill (Mint Records, 2009)
