Are You My Mother? (album)

Are You My Mother?
Studio album by Kathryn Calder
Released	June 29, 2010
Genre	Indie Rock
Length	36:09
Label	File Under: Music
Producer	Colin Stewart

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. ^[1] It was recorded when Calder was caring for her sick mother, and the project was put on hold when her mother died. ^[2] 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". ^[2]

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. ^[3] Since she missed home and was caring for her mother, she set up a home studio with producer Colin Stewart. ^[3] New Pornographer bandmates Todd Fancey, Kurt Dahle, Neko Case, and members of Ladyhawk and Frog Eyes play on the album. ^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The A.V. Club	B+ [6]
The Montreal Gazette	[7]
Pitchfork Media	(6.2/10) [8]
PopMatters	[9]

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". ^[4] François Marchand of the Vancouver Sun gave the album a favorable review, stating that it is a "fine and poignant indie-pop record". ^[10]

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

References

1. McLaughlin, John. "The Province Playlist featured artist: Kathryn Calder". The Province . Retrieved 28 July 2010.
2. Devlin, Mike (28 April 2010). "The New Pornographers Together again". The Times Colonist . Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
3. Marchand, Francois (3 August 2010). "For Kathryn Calder, home is where your mom is". The Vancouver Sun . Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
4. Ash, Amanda. "Are You My Mother?". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
5. Hoffman, K. Ross. "Are You My Mother?". Allmusic . Retrieved 12 August 2010.
6. Heisler, Steve. "Are You My Mother?". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
7. Dunlevy, T'cha (12 August 2010). "New music Aug. 12, 2010". The Montreal Gazette . Retrieved 13 August 2010.
8. Raber, Rebecca. "Are You My Mother?". Pitchfork Media . Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
9. Conaton, Chris (13 August 2010). "Kathryn Calder: Are You My Mother?". PopMatters . Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
10. Marchand, François (4 August 2010). "Victoria's Calder soars in solo". Vancouver Sun . Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2010.