Sometimes, it pays to be in the right place at the right time. Just ask Fischerspooner, who debuted their proto-electroclash just as the genre was becoming popular, and not only helped the scene along, but got themselves a fair bit of cred in the process. Their new album, "Odyssey" is according to their press-releases "more organic, and more rock", which is marketing speak for "the band have taken a few chances". Luckily, the band have enough skill to pull off these changes without moving away from their strengths.

The main change that distinguishes this album from its predecessor is that, while it doesn't necessarily sound like a rock album, it is certainly built like one. Pop songs are interwoven with more ambitious numbers, and there are a number of easily picked singles strewn throughout the first half of the album. The prog-rock and warm organics that were rumoured to permeate the album certainly don't show up; this is still a cold synthpop album right down to the core, but the rock album construction does go some way to making the album sound more inviting.

Opening track Just Let Go sounds and feels a lot like Emerge, probably their biggest hit from days gone by. Raw guitars, crackling with energy, pulse relentlessly forward, underlying flat, deadpanned vocal lines. It's probably the most familiar and unambitious track here, but it still manages to work well. The first major departure of the album comes with A Kick In The Teeth. It's built along the usual artificial-sounding beats and structure, but it comes with enough pop in it to blast a manhole into orbit. We Need A War, on the other hand, bypasses the usual simplistic dance-floor feel that the album has, and has a real sense of menace, the icy tones and aggressive beats shifting effortlessly to sound ominous, rather than bright.

"Odyssey", despite the fact that it's a great synthpop/electroclash album is still quite limited, and Fischerspooner can't seem to escape the stylistic straightjacket that dogs bands like this. With that said, if you enjoyed their previous album, you'll probably get a kick out of this one too, and if you're interested in hearing something a little bit different from the usual rock or dance fare, this might be what you're looking for.