Fischerspooner - 'The Other Side: New York' (Resist) Released 24/04/06

As anyone who’s ever seen a Fischerspooner live set will tell you, it’s one darn impressive, theatrical spectacle that invigorates even their lacklustre tunes. ‘The Other Side: New York’ showcases the other side of the band’s art – their eclectic, and often down-right dirty DJ sets. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also thrown in a DVD, which features the band’s personal favourite bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels and illicit hides in their native city. Occasionally featuring Casey Spooner showing us around some of his favourite haunts it all makes you wonder whether the album is being funded by the NY tourist board? Really, it would only be useful if you were planning a trip to the Big Apple. Right, we’d better stick to the music… 

Just for the indie kids the mix kicks off with the Sheriff Whitey mix of Bloc Party’s ‘Helicopter’, a decent opening, but with a few bleeps and electronic noises pasted over the original it’s hardly a mind-bending sonic foray is it? After The Fiery Furnaces’ ubiquitous ‘Single Again’, we’re treated to the first bit of electronica courtesy of David Caretta’s ‘Vicious Game’ only to then be confronted with the punk sounds of Big Boys’ ‘Prison.’ Yet, it’s only later with the fan-fookin-tastic ‘Ferris’ by Thomas Schumacher that the mix first excels – a catchy, hyperactive electro number utilising that bleepy sound that Alter Ego do so well. Clearly desperately trying to be as musically diverse as possible, the mid segue of the mix takes in sultry pop (The Au Pairs’ ‘Repetition), vocodered cover versions (Lassigue Bendthaus’ take on ‘Jealous Guy’) and the celestial (Broadcast’s ‘Pendulum’). All very nice yes, but so far it feels like a dip into the band’s MP3 player rather than a cohesive, well thought out mix album.

Fortunately, it comes into its own coming into the home straight. Hitting us with unadulterated, tech-tinged gems, importantly it’s music you can dance to, beginning with the naughty ‘Time Space’ by Model 500. Later, the Hackers’s uncompromising take on Fischerspooner’s own classic ‘Emerge’ ups the ante, while Plastique de Reve’s ‘Rodeo Mechanique’ is just weird - in a good way of course. After the cuteness of Martin Rev’s ‘Mari’ (sounding like the music you’d get after you’d completed an early nineties computer game) it all ends with the sprawling zaniness of ‘O Superman’ by Laurie Anderson. A fine but far from spectacular mix, then… we just won’t mention the DVD.