The iconic group Fischerspooner return with their first album in almost a decade, Sir, released February 16, on Ultra Records. Produced by Michael Stipe, it also features additional production by BOOTS (Beyonce, Run The Jewels) and mixing by Stuart White (Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’) and Andy LeMaster. Long known for their spectacular live performances, they returned to the stage and played their first show in almost a decade on October 27 at Brooklyn Steel. Check out the latest single titled Togetherness featuring Caroline Polacheck, below!
The highly personal album chronicles a tumultuous and emotionally fraught period of Casey Spooner’s life. It’s a collection of erotically charged, yet profound songs that Casey and Michael crafted at Michael’s home in Athens, GA, alongside Michael’s longtime collaborator Andy LeMaster. Together they delved into the emotional and sexual turbulence that had defined Casey’s life for the past few years, resulting in intensely explicit and honest songs of not only the physical aspects of sex, as Casey made his re-entry into the sexual playground now defined by technology, but also the muddled ways that feelings and self-image are present in that experience.
‘Michael Stipe encouraged me to be more emotionally connected and to trust my voice’ says Casey. ‘He also fought for a more raw vocal in the final production. He taught me new ways of creating melody and lyric. He was more than a producer. He was a mentor and a great friend who guided me through troubled times and captured my experience. He lifted me up at my lowest. This album is a document of that experience.’
After the songwriting was finished, Warren Fischer meticulously created a sonic landscape that perfectly supported Casey’s raw, intimate work. In the process, Warren established his own creative partnership with rising producer BOOTS, who has crafted innovative records for Beyonce and Run The Jewels among others, which led to the birth of the single Have Fun Tonight. The album was also aided by the contributions of Fischerspooner’s longtime collaborator Le Chev, as well as Thomas Haskett and guest vocalists Caroline Polachek, Johnny Magee, Andy LeMaster and Holly Miranda. Warren’s sonic work on this album further cements his undeniable role in shaping the sound of modern pop.
Fischerspooner started as a DIY art project with their very first performance at a Manhattan Starbucks, which ultimately transformed into a spectacle that ushered in the electroclash pop revolution. They pushed the boundaries of music and art in unparalleled ways that laid the foundations for many of today’s biggest artists.