Rating: 7 / Format: CD / Label: Lo Recordings

After their Ministry-signed flop of a debut, no one expected Fischerspooner’s sophomore effort, Odyssey, to be any cop, but as all but the most grudging critics will concede, it was actually pretty fucking good. Here’s the thing – Fischerspooner are actually a great band, but their infamous theatrical impulse, even here, on album three, threatens to smother the music when it should be buoying it.

While Odyssey was dark, heartfelt and serious, Entertainment, as its title suggest, is obsessed with its own artificiality. Sombre black shirts and minimalist make-up are out; ludicrous headware that makes vocalist Casey Spooner look like a gay patio heater is very much in. Musically, ‘We Are Electric’ is the immediate stand-out – confident digi-glam that reminds me a little bit of Babylon Zoo, but not enough for it to be an issue. The main problem with the album, which actually hits real moments of grandeur over its short duration, is that it feels like its maker are trying way, way too hard. I mean, isn’t all this stuff supposed to be fun?

Trilby Foxx

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