Fischerspooner - #1

I have an itching suspicion I'm missing something here. Explain to me again why Fischerspooner is so great? Is it because I've never been much of a theatre buff? Is Fischerspooner something only to be embraced when coupled with a visual performance? Can someone help me out here? I just don't get it. To me, Fischerspooner come off like a project that Daft Punk or Ladytron would undertake, but then decide to never release because it's just not up to snuff. The sound is littered with 80's pop influences, electro-clash and the glitch aesthetic of IDM, except that they throw in this whole bizarre sexual, dramatic flair. Moreover, #1 is pretty normal collection of tracks, given the hype behind this dynamic duo. The soothing synth-pop of "The 15th" is nice, but the mediocre single, "Emerge", follows it. "L.A. Song" picks up in the later half, with a more driving beat and a female chorus to back it up. But, after that point, the only two highlights are the quirky, heavy-handed pop of "Invisible" and the closer "Ersatz," which morphs from mellow tone-arpeggios to a cut-up keyboard demo. On the quality scale, Fischerspooner is just all over the place. There's something disheartening about a group that has to print press quotes on their CD tray. It's like they're afraid that if they don't keep telling you they are "the best thing to happen to music since electricity," you might realize that Fischerspooner are just okay. [www.fischerspooner]