Fischerspooner - Odyssey
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Free Music Notes for Odyssey
Free Music Review: This album makes me "Happy"!
Hit: 5 Stars
Fischerspooner's "#1" was one hell of an album. That is, from a musically groundbreaking standpoint. It was eerie, bizarre, and gave the middle finger to song structure. However, a little of that goes a long way and Fischerspooner were smart to realize that the album felt like it had no soul or statement. It felt more like an experiment. So they hit the studio and, after countless fights over 3 years of labor, "Odyssey" was born and so was Fischerspooner as a musical act. No longer were they tied to title of "entertainment experiment".
"Just Let Go" opens the album in style. Driving LIVE drums, a groovy baseline and familiar "#1"-esque vocals. The song slowly builds up as the first chorus starts and then, out of nowhere, guitars! And that's just the start.
Tracks like "Cloud", "Never Win", "A Kick in the Teeth", "Everything to Gain", the piano driven "All We Are", and uber-awesome "Happy" are incredible. There's also a little nod back to the days of "#1" with the simplistic yet epic "Down Up" (only on the limited edition disc, which I highly recommend you purchase).The rest of the tracks, although great, just don't reach that level of musical genius that the others do. Those brilliant tracks really show these guys really wanted to keep that "Fischerspooner sound" while progressing as artists and musicians. They took risks like adding live instruments, verse-chorus-verse structures and having songs that made at least SOME sense. It's strange, yet familiar. It's catchier, yet original. Their music now has a soul. A statement. A purpose.
Even though "#1" was more groundbreaking, "Odyssey" just flat-out tops it's predecessor in every other way. Yes, it's poppy, but, what was the last GOOD pop album you heard? "Thriller" probably. This is my vote for best album of 2005, hands-down. Buy it now and be glad you did.
Free Music Review: The New Wave is finally making a comeback!
Hit: 5 Stars
I really, really love New Wave. Everything about the 80's (Except for the whole 1986-1987 Powerhouse rock, which never really appealed to me) was a joy for me to listen to. There were artsy bands, like Arcadia. There were metal bands, like Guns And Roses. There were electronic bands, like Howard Jones. And it seems like they are making comebacks.
The Killers is one great band that's style is truly 80's. Another one of those bands is Fischerspooner. Hearing "Emerge" on SSX3 wanted me to buy #1. I didn't. Now, Odyssey is out, and at first I was skeptical. Luckily, Mp3.com had a full stream of the album. Just for fun, I took a listen. By the second track, I was mezmerized.
They've done everything right. "Just Let Go" sounds like a hyper Human League after sucking on too many pixie sticks. This of course, results in a happy, fast song filled with nostalgia. "Cloud" is a nice song that will definitely leave your head in the clouds. I love this song so much because the vocals are just perfect. Casey Spooner's voice is fantastic, and Warren Fischer's beats and synths are great. "Never Win" really reminds me of 'Da Funk' by Daft Punk. The beat and vocals just makes my mind picture the dog-boy. "A Kick In The Teeth" started off with just a synth, so I wasn't sure what to expect of it. Thankfully, I kept listening. It was great, complete with a cheesy drum machine. Another great song is "We Need A War".
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this CD and I'll let you know it will stay in my basic CD rotation for quite a while. Warren and Casey are musical geniuses, and I hope that their third album doesn't pull a 'Pop Trash'. Great job, guys!
Free Music Review: If I were not me, I would hate them, too... just like you do
Hit: 5 Stars
I was never a fan of electroclash - too old, too jaded, alternately too indebted and too disgusted by early '80s synthpop.
I didn't care for #1 all that much - I bought it out of curiosity (as a Wire fan who wanted to hear "The 15th") after its 3rd (??) release, sometime in 2003, when the fad had just hit American shores but hipsters were already long done with the record.
I got this right away back in the spring of 2005 because I thought it might justify the fact that I bought the first one. I'd watched the video for "Just Let Go" on iTunes a few times and found it... okay.
Somewhere along the line, though, this album BLEW MY MIND. All those people who are saying this one grows on you are the real deal. Odyssey doesn't simply prove that Fischerspooner are more than a fad, it proves that they are simply brilliant. Brilliant at what they do, and brilliant at navigating pop culture.
Start with "Never Win." A great pop song and a great dance song with deceptively simplistic lyrics and a layered coda that will knock you flat on the floor. Move on to "Get Confused" (which sounds almost alien, like Mirwais's first work with Madonna) and the stunning percussion in "Everything to Gain." By the time you realize the awesome thematic connection and musical congruity of "All We Are" and the trippy Boredoms cover at the end of the record, you will be questioning what was so great about "Emerge" in the first place.
Fischerspooner - so hip, so memorable, and so ultimately necessary. This is the closest thing the U.S. has to the ironic, intelligent, world-conquering Pet Shop Boys.
Free Music Review: Electropop at its best!
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is a nice surprise in the world of electropop. It's fresh and inventive, and damn addictive!! I haven't stopped listening to it yet. From the beginning, you feel compelled to keep listening because you just want to hear what range of electronic resonance comes next.
Production-wise, it's markedly different from the previous album, #1. It's much friendlier to the ears, but doesn't lose the magic that #1 had. There's even a song or two that kinda sounds like "Emerge", but then becomes something radically different. The beats are crisper and sharper than the last outing, thanks in large part to producer Mirwais (most famous for producing Madonna's albums Music and American Life, and who is now currently producing her next one too). He only appears in 3 or 4 tracks but his influence is heard throughout the entire record, which is reminiscent of his solo album Production. It also is reminiscent of Depeche Mode from the Vince Clarke era (Speak and Spell album).
"Just Let Go" is good as a first single, but the real winner I think is "Never Win". It's groovy and utterly catchy. "Ritz 107" is a good softer track I like and "All We Are" is the perfect closing song before the quasi-instrumental sound explosion that is "Boredoms" (also called "O"). Fischerspooner is definitely looking to be a big name in music, just like The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk and Air before them. Odyssey is a spectacular example of that. Check this one out!
Free Music Review: Definite contender for Album of the Year
Hit: 5 Stars
I loved the first album when it first came out... But then the whole electroclash thing got pretty stale pretty fast. I credit Fischerspooner for being one of the forerunners of the genre, but I was very relieved when I heard this album would be a pretty big departure. I was even happier when I bought the album and listened to it straight through. Though many signature Fischerspooner sounds remain, these guys have definitely moved out of the electroCLASH genre and into the electroPOP arena. Most of the tracks have semi-standard structures and there are guitars aplenty. There are some obvious comparisons to be made here: "Just Let Go" to The Faint, "Never Win" to Pink Floyd, "A Kick In the Teeth" to The Postal Service, "Ritz 107" to AIR, and "All We Are" to Alan Parsons (and is that the bassline of Duran Duran's "Girls On Film" I hear in "We Need a War"?). There are a few tracks that are inferior to the others ("Everything To Gain," "Wednesday," "Ritz 107," and the final track), but overall this is an incredible album. It's tough to pick favorites at this point, but right now "Cloud," "Never Win," "A Kick In the Teeth," "We Need a War," and "Happy" are topping my list. Highly recommended to every fan of electropop and/or The Postal Service.