#1 - Fischerspooner > Reviews > Fishing with spoons can be rather enjoyable!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it rate alongside the competition	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Funky, Electronic music for all
Disadvantages:	Some tracks don't quite live up to the best !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner, collectively known as Fischerspooner, released their debut album "#1" in early 2002. They had already gained worldwide recognition from around 1999 when they started writing, cool, edgy electronic music. "Emerge" was a huge track for them, and it broke into the UK Top 40, which was a rarity for serious electronic artists.

The Fischerspooner sound is reminiscent of some old Kraftwerk material, except it has an edgier, rockier feel to it. Fischerspooner are almost like an electronic music rock band. And you've gotta love them for it!!

The album #1's tracklist is as follows:

1. Sweetness
2. 15th
3. Emerge
4. L.A. Song
5. Tone Poem
6. Horizon
7. Invisible
8. Turn On
9. F*cker
10. Natural Disaster
11. Ersatz
12. Megacolon (Hidden Track)
13. Emerge (Junkie XL mix - Hidden Track)

I'll run through each song though, to give you an idea of what's on the album.

"Sweetness" is an uptempo snare led electronic track. It has minimal vocals and electroey samples running throughout. I think this track is a great first track for the Fischerspooner album as it really introduces you to their electro/rock type theme.

"15th" is the second track on the album. It's at a much slower tempo to the first track. It contains some electro-pop synths that really remind you of 80s music...except this is much better!!

"Emerge" is undoubtedly the biggest track on the album. The simple synth that runs all the way through it really captures you and takes you on a journey. It has a broken beat tempo, and for some reason the start of the track really reminds me of the old Clothes Show theme tune! Heh :)

For the first 2mins 30 seconds "L.A. Song" is a really minimal electro track. You start to wonder where it is going, as it feels a bit weak when compared to the rest of the album. Then it kicks in with a squelchy bassline and you suddenly feel reassured that at least part of the track is pretty good!

"Tone Poem" is probably one of my least favourite tracks on the album. It's a very melodic, slow tune. It has clearly been made to show the contrasts in Fischerspooner's style, but I feel that it lets the rest of the album down a bit. It's not a bad track, but it's just not as great as the other tracks. It kinda leaves you with a sad feeling, whereas most of the others make you feel happier or more upbeat.

"Horizon" is the sixth track on the album. This has a huge techno feel to it. It is quite an upbeat track, and it slowly builds up to a cool electro synth and bassline, with some soft sung vocals over the top. The first time I listened to the album, I wasn't overly impressed with this track, but it definately grows on you, the more you listen to it.

Had I not known that "Invisible" had been written by Fischerspooner, I would have guessed that it had been written by someone like Kraftwerk. It has all the feel of a Kraftwerk tune. Deep electroey bassline, electro bleeps, broken beat, and minimal vocals. I love this track, more music needs to be like this!

"Turn On" has an electro-pop feel to it. It's not cheesy, but you just feel like it has been made for the masses. Again a simple broken beat, and small bassline, has light vocals and synths laid over it. It's not a bad track at all!

"F*cker" is really minimal. It doesn't really go anywhere apart from slowly build up into a minimal housey track. I'm not a fan of it as it just doesn't excite the listener enough.

The tenth track on the album is "Natural Disaster". It's a slower paced track, with another simple squelchy bassline. More layered synths and vocals really make it shine with the Fischerspooner sound that we've come to love.

If you thought F*cker was a bit of a dull track, "Ersatz" is worse. I cannot stand this track. I wish I could scratch it off of the CD. It sounds like someone had a Fischer Price - My First Electronic Tune kit, and then they just sat and bashed all the buttons. It has a really irritating feel to it, a bit like listening to the old Super Mario theme tune constantly. I suppose this wouldn't be out of place in and old-style game. But it really doesn't make me jump for joy when I hear it.

"Megacolon" is a bonus track, which you'll only have if you have the special edition of the CD. I think it's a real shame that this track wasn't included on the standard edition of the CD as I think it's amazing! It has female vocals that sound a lot like "Peaches" (an artist that some electronic music fans will know). Another simple rolling bassline and some electro synths, and this track sounds immense!

The last track on the special edition album is a remix of "Emerge" by Junkie XL. This is an awesome remix. I actually own this on vinyl, and I still play it out in clubs to this day. Junkie XL has made a brilliant house mix of the track and managed to convert it so that it can be easily played on the modern dance floor.

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What more can I say? I love this album. It showcases everything that is good about electronic dance music producers who don't follow the crowd and who try to do something different. Many may try to achieve this sound, but only few actually get there. Fischerspooner certainly do a brilliant job. This is a great CD for listening to in the car - I think it flows nicely for driving :)

Hope you enjoyed the review, please leave me some feedback :)