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Fresh from signing a reported $2 million, one album
record deal with Ministry Of
Sound, Fischerspooner are sure to be everywhere this
summer, which is why it makes sense
that this, their debut album, has been re-released.
No. 1 first appeared as an import-only album on DJ
Hell's influential and very much
in-vogue electropop imprint, International Deejay
Gigolos. Now re-mastered, it sounds just as
exciting and important as it did when it was first
released, despite now appearing in the
middle of a never-ending line of 'electroclash'
copyists and wannabes.
This is the original sound of 'synthcore': a short
burst of synthetic techno beats,
simple bass-lines and poignant vocals. Fischerspooner
write punk music from an electronic
music perspective. This album sounds like it cost next
to nothing to make, but you find
yourself thinking they deserve every penny they're
getting.
Invisible comes in as a mission statement for the
whole electropop scene, all
digitally harmonised vocals and syncopated bass.
Fischerspooner have a reputation for being
'arty', but it is not evident here. This is a
traditional album, a collection of songs. The 15th,
a
cover version, is the simplest and catchiest song
here, exhibits the fragile side of Casey
Spooner's vocals, complimenting Warren Fischer's basic
melodies.
Emerge was the electropop anthem of last summer
and, due to the re-release of this
album, its success looks set to be repeated this year.
This is the song which kick-started a
whole scene, and made many artists realise that a
four-note bass line plus sleazy lyrics plus boy/girl
vocals equals storming club/chart hit. This is perfect pop
for trendy clubbers.
The highlight is the ballad, Tone Poem. Taking
lyrics from an old school notebook,
this is at once dark, delicate and emotional, taking
simple harmonies which allow Spooner to
weave a haunting melody around them.
The band have their lighter moments too as on
Ersatz and Fucker; great slabs of
electro machine-funk with playful melodies, the former
sounding not too dissimilar to some
tracks from Aphex Twin's Ambient Works vol.1.
Fischerspooner are going to be known as a camp,
intense and exciting electropop
act, making throwaway pop music with computers. But
this album shows that unlike so many
of their contemporaries, they have a darker, more
sensitive and precious side. Something
which will see them outlast all the others when the
'electroclash' scene comes to an end and
the pretenders are catching up with the next trend.
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