When Moist frontman and lead scribe David Usher first decided to venture off into temporary solitude to try his hand at the ever-dubious solo album, the result was 1998’s aptly-dubbed Little Songs.

Full of stripped down, acousticized compositions, it was intended to be something of a discreet outing for the erstwhile star, nothing more than a compact, no-frills vehicle for another gush of Usher’s seemingly endless wealth of songs … That was the plan, anyways.

Alas, a lot can happen in three years. Doubly so if you’re as creatively charged as Usher seems to be. After Little Songs exceeded expectations (and spawned a few modest radio successes in the process), Usher promptly retreated back into the studio with his bandmates to pen Moist’s third album, 1999’s Mercedes Five And Dime. After the rigours of the ensuing tour subsided, Usher again found himself with some spare time. But, rather than doing the natural thing (ie. bumming off to some tropical island for a prolonged rest), Usher did the unspeakable. He called up a few of his friends (a veritable who’s who of major players from the Canadian music industry) and charged back into the studio to commence work on his second solo album.

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