FISCHERSPOONER - Odyssey

By Dan - Rocks In Your Head - 04/05/2005

Okay, admittedly this is not a full, encompassing review. I have neither the time nor the urge to do a full review. So instead, I'll hit you kids up with a two-part review, splitting this new Fischerspooner CD in half. Here goes part 1:

(Get your mofo booty on the dance floor, people!)

That should be the entire review, but I'll flesh it out a little for your reading pleasure.

Call it electronic/electro-clash/dance/whatever...this shit is pretty cool. I'd heard of the band's first release (#1, May 6th 2002) that supposedly contained a sweet track called “Emerge”, but didn't follow up too quickly. Word had it that the album was lacklustre apart from a couple of tunes. This new album, however, is pretty sweet stuff.

The album kicks off with “Just Let Go”, a synth-heavy anthem with a hint of noisy guitars. Clubbers will get the most out of this one if only for its delicately layered simplicity. “Cloud” has an opening bass line that carries the tune and never lets up, and has what I might call a post-shoegaze feel to it. Like if Slowdive had kept their dancier remixes going and Christian Savill had re-joined and contributed some of the mood that Monster Movie does so well. “Never Win” has a hook reminiscent of Pink Floyd meets Front 242, polished and packaged for the dance floor.

Things start slowing down at this point, but the steady flow of “Kick in the Teeth” and its uptempo chorus keeps the album flowing nicely. The song could easily become a raver's anthem considering its lyrical content: a subtle hommage to Ecstasy and the many gratifying pleasures derived therein. “Everything to Gain” is a darker tune than most of the album's tracks, and “We Need a War” has some sweet harmonizing to cap off the first half of the album.

There is a retro feel across this album, but there's none of that 80’s cheese that we've come to hate. Solid recording all around, though some will accuse Fischerspooner of over-polishing some of the tunes. The bottom line: this is better than most material destined for the dancefloor and it WILL sound really good and potent if the club's system is up to par.

If you're a DJ looking to get down with Fischerspooner, I recommend throwing in some Front 242 or New Order just to prime your listeners beforehand. Then when something like “Never Win” hits people's eardrums, they'll be sufficiently primed and pumped for more.

Part 2 of the review coming soon.

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