Strange Dreams - Alex Calder

After being in the two-man group Makeout Videotape with fellow Canadian weirdo, Mac Demarco and releasing his first solo album, Time.  Edmonton native Alex Calder is back and he's released his second solo album, Strange Dreams for Captured Tracks.

 Strange Dreams is as the album title suggests; strange and dreamy. Its odd chord progressions, squealing guitars, and shaky vocals give off a bad-trip feeling to it. The album kicks off with the wobbly guitar driven track, "Retract". The following track and single "Strange Dreams" shows that Calder has an excellent ear for pop music. Sounding like a 60's pop song, Calder uses a melodic guitar line to accompany his vocals. The track then turns into weird guitar feedback soaked solo before returning back to the next verse.

"Memory Resolve" is a slow-paced jam with a psychedelic vibe to it. The looping guitar lines and dragged out vocals gives a dreamy feeling to its listeners. The next song "The Morning" sounds like a weird lullaby with its high-pitched synths and vocals that sound like they're just floating around.

Calder uses a synth and a wavy guitar reminiscent of his days in Makeout Videotape on "No Device", that'll make his listeners feel like they're in a ball room dance in the middle of winter. Calder teams up with Caitlin Lonely on "Life Purpose" and has her sing the whole song while he plays the instruments. Strange Dreams ends on the sleepy ballad "Someone", featuring skeletal guitars, smooth vocal delivery, and lyrics longing for someone to join Calder. "Someone" is the perfect ending for this long and strange dream.

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