Fischerspooner: "Entertainment"

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By Greg Bernardi

Nothing brings on a headache quite like really bad electronica. So it came as no surprise that I needed an extra dose of Tylenol after listening to Fischerspooner’s new release, "Entertainment," due out May 5. Although the album lacks true direction, the band does exhibit some imaginative thinking.

The album kicks off with "The Best Revenge," a song that should be accompanied by a visual montage of footage from the moon landing (this will become important later). It sounds like a song one would expect to find in a Nip/Tuck episode. Whiny vocals during the chorus get caught up with the intense rhythm and the song is left sounding cluttered.

"We Are Electric" begins with an electronic drum riff. The melody then breaks into a pulsing electric brass melody that comes close to breaking into the theme song from Beverly Hills Cop. Sounds of metallic brass are pleasing only to people who can’t hear them. Midway through the song, the guitar evokes the sound of nails on a chalkboard. Sadly, I’ve never heard that noise, but Fischerspooner brings it alive for all to vicariously experience.

Now here’s when the reference to the moon landing becomes relevant. "Money Can’t Dance" begins with an excerpt from a speech given by Gene Kranz, the former NASA flight director known for his role in saving the lives of the crew of Apollo 13. The content of the speech refers to his shock and awe at space travel, a pretty creative addition by the band. I can only surmise from the inclusion of this element that the band wants the listener to realize they are on a journey to another style of music, one perhaps yet uncharted or undiscovered. The next track, "In a Modern World," carries this theme too, with the lyrics "In a modern world it’s hard to be heard." The band members want recognition for their innovation and creativity and seem to think modern music fans do not appreciate them.

"Supply and Demand" picks up the space theme, this time with a conversation between an astronaut and mission control. All heckling aside, these audio clips are probably the best things to come out of the album. The music is not very good, but the band does flex its artistic muscle with the space theme in all of the songs.

"Amuse Bouche" overdoes the crash cymbal just a bit. It left me feeling a bit concussed after first listening to it and made me forget my name for a few minutes afterward. The chorus of the song, "Don’t look back," is an unfortunate reminder that there are only a couple songs to go until the album is over. It does have some truth, however, because once the song is over, you will likely never listen to it again.

"Danse En France," while continuing the use of spoken words to begin songs, departs from the original lunar theme. Since I am happily unilingual, I understand just about nothing this song has to say because most of the lyrics are in French. Its artistic mission was lost with me, as well as anyone who doesn’t speak the language of love.

While at times flashing inventive musical techniques, Fischerspooner missed the ball with "Entertainment." If electronica is your thing, you might want to give it an extra long listen. But anybody who likes, well - actual music - should just keep browsing when they come across this album.