Charles Spearin — The Happiness Project

Charles Spearin definitely scores points for originality with this debut solo disc.

It evolved from a series of interviews on the subject of happiness that the Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene stalwart held with his neighbours. He took those recorded discussions, examined the speakers' voices and then crafted music that mimicked the individuals' speech patterns. Spearin later mixed the spoken-word material with the music in a style reminiscent of The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld.

The result is predominantly relaxed, jazzy, freestyle pop. It's the sort of stuff you wouldn't be surprised to hear on the periphery of a Do Make Say Think song, but it's difficult to imagine whom Spearin might have been targeting as an audience for this disc. Broken Social Scene completists? Spearin enthusiasts? It's probably well-suited to Laura Barrett admirers for its eccentricity alone.

If nothing else, The Happiness Project is an intriguing experiment that's guaranteed a spot as a footnote in the history of new music.

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