(RockAndMetal.com) (03/14/05)

Edited By Michael Bennett

NEW YORK, NY, USA - "Odyssey," the long-awaited follow-up to NYC Art Pop/Rock duo FISCHERSPOONER's groundbreaking debut, "#1," will be released on April 5th by Capitol Records.

"#1" was a shot heard around the world, an end-of-the millennium musical statement of pure digital and visual style, written in part to accompany Fischerspooner's Epic Pop/Rock performances.

Rolling Stone called it "an alternate galaxy hit" and NME called it "the best thing to happen to music since electricity."

A daunting act to follow, but Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner would something even bigger up their sleeves for "Odyssey," which is a vast musical leap forward -- its realization taking over two years -- stretching the duo to their physical and creative breaking point.

For their second album, Fischerspooner had a new agenda - to create a cohesive album of songs that were more expressive and emotional than their predecessors, aiming for a rich, warm sound in contrast to the crisp surfaces and digital conceptualism of "#1."

Inspired musically by Classic and Psychedelic Rock, the familiar Fischerspooner sound is now suffused with analog sounds, live instruments and a lush new ambience.

Like the albums that inspired it, "Odyssey" is a bona fide "headphones" album, layered with hidden sounds and ideas that reward the close listener.

"I was thinking of songs I remembered hearing on the radio as a kid," says Fischer. "That warm seventies FM sound coming off the radio from bands like The Beatles or Pink Floyd."

To that end, Fischerspooner created a "virtual band," bringing session musicians into studios in Brooklyn where Fischer worked with long-time engineer and collaborator Nicholas Vernhes (Fiery Furnaces, Black Dice).

In a similar departure from the previous album, Spooner began to reveal more emotion and personal perspective in his lyrics and vocals, thematically pulling from classical and romantic ideas from all eras.

The pair also decided to creatively step outside of their inner circle for the first time with a wish list of likeminded collaborators.

While Fischer traveled to Los Angeles to work with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air) at the legendary Sunset Sound Studios, Spooner reached out to the unlikely pairing of hit songwriter Linda Perry and pre-eminent intellectual Susan Sontag in a bid to reflect the twin pillars of their inspiration - high art and Pop culture.

"When I approached Susan, it was September of 2003" says Casey.

"I went to her house and had this fantasy that we would pick something to work on together from my notebook of ideas." Instead, after a brief discussion, she disappeared into her library and returned fifteen minutes later with a printed sheet of lyrics titled 'We Need A War.'

"I read them and said 'I don't think I can say the word ''war.' I'm not comfortable saying it."

Sontag responded, "You need to get comfortable saying it. Your president approved eighty billion dollars for a war in Iraq yesterday."

But as the emotional and physical toll of many months in the studio began to take hold, tensions over creative balance began to swell. Where "#1" was created sporadically, the "Odyssey" sessions found the two working together intensely in the studio for long stretches, constantly pushing each other further.

"We both went a little crazy making the album," says Spooner. "We really had to grow and change as artists, and change is never easy."

In the album's finishing stages the two looked to French producer Mirwais (Madonna, etc.) to help with the final touches.

Also adding to the final inspiration was a weekly, private Salon.com series hosted throughout the Summer of 2004 to preview new music, visual ideas and choreography from the Williamsburg art scene that originally spawned the project.

"Odyssey," so named for the unexpected emotional and artistic journey it took to make, is a sonic jump forward for the band -- sounding like nothing before it, yet still unmistakably Fischerspooner.

"Odyssey" Tracklisting:

1. Just Let Go
2. Cloud
3. Never Win
4. A Kick In The Teeth
5. Everything To Gain
6. We Need A War
7. Wednesday
8. Happy
9. Ritz 107
10. All We Are
11. O

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