We
all hear it everyday, and yet the labels seem intent to do everything
they can to repeatedly stab their customers in the eye and treat them
like morons rather than give them the choices they want. The Wonderland
Project neatly sidestep this issue with their album The History of
Science and How to Mend a Broken Heart by, erm, not really distributing
or charging for it. Sort of.
So whilst
it may be available in iTunes and on Amazon (which is good for you as it means you
might stand a better chance of hearing a copy) the 'primary' method of
distribution is the listener. Imagine peer-to-peer constrained to the
physical world: the idea is that there are a number of CD copies of the
album out in the wild right now, waiting to be found in places, each
accompanied with a note instructing the finder: You can listen to it
and stick it on your iPod but then you must leave it somewhere else for
someone to find and put the details on The Wonderland Project website
so they can track the album's movements.
It's
a captivating and magical idea and, frankly, the majors should be
kicking themselves for not thinking of using this as a method of
promotion for a major artist.
So how
does it actually sound? The History of Science and How to Mend a Broken
Heart is a blend of country-tinged electronic music that most closely
resembles Nowergian alt-acoustic musician Magnet. There are also hints of The Postal Service / Dntel in
the bleeps and clicks of the sparkly 'You Look Prettier When I'm Happy'
and Radiohead on some of the darker tracks like 'A Sense of Community'.
For
the most part it works: The History of Science... is an enchanting
record that sounds like it was made to drag you through a dreary Monday
morning and with such an innocent distribution model it's hard not to
be charmed. It attempts to capture the magic of those moment in life
that stay with you: helping a beautiful girl get fuel for her car,
meeting a stranger on the train; and, just occasionally, it captures it.
BP x
Album Review: The History of Science and How to Mend a Broken Heart - The Wonderland Project
in album review, review