Alex Calder's debut EP,
Time, was recorded in his Montreal living room, with
Calder playing all the instruments himself. He sticks to mostly the classic guitar-bass-drums setup with the occasional keyboard sneaking in, as he knocks out seven very catchy pop songs in 20 short minutes. Inspired by melodic pop of the '60s and the gentle weirdness of British psych, while sounding quite similar to fellow Captured Tracks artists like
Beach Fossils and ex-bandmate
Mac DeMarco, the album leads off with the best song, the sweetly hooky "Suki and Me," and keeps the level of craft quite high. The title track is the kind of politely anthemic track
Robert Pollard has spent the last few years chasing, and the rest of the songs have stronger hooks than many by artists traveling the same weirdo pop road. Special notice must be given to the album's overall processed sound, which is low on fidelity and gets a little clammy in spots, but fits the songs and
Calder's thin voice perfectly.
Time is a promising debut from a guy who understands that pop is sometimes better when it gets a little weird. ~ Tim Sendra