Scissor Sisters Album: “Scissor Sisters [PA]”

Quietly in 2004 springs a funky and over-the-top group called the Scissor Sisters out of New York. Not intending to keep their flamboyance under wraps, these guys (actually 4 guys and a gal) have burst onto the scene with their ecletic fusion of electro-glam disco music that pays tribute to artists from the 60's to early 90's, such as the Bee Gees, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Elton John and more.

Their cabaret-styled music such as the Pink Floyd cover Comfortably Numbed makes lead singer a dead ringer for Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees with his excellent falsetto rendition. Elsewhere he repeats his falsetto vocals to great amusing effect (such as on Laura, Lovers In The Backseat and Music Is The Victim), as if you were right stuck in the 70's. Fret not though, for great production values add to this listening pleasures cos most songs are tinged with electronic effects. On current single, Take Your Mama Out, the group delivers new wave rock on a song about coming out to your mama in a g*y bar. There's also the irrelevant T*ts On The Radio which may spot silly lyrics but is really talking about conservatism on radio these days.

Finally, the anthemic It Can't Come So Quickly packs Nick Kershaw and Pet Shop Boys into one delicious package with a solemn and emotive delivery besides the other ballad Mary. Oh ya, catch those visually captivating videos of theirs on MTV, it'll sure make your day!

If you are looking for great music to cheer up, you'll never fail with the Scissor Sisters' self-titled debut. They are the rage in UK now, and hopefully they'll catch on in Stateside when they tour.

One of 2004's greatest success stories, especially in Britain, is the rise and rise of New York camp-glam band the Scissor Sisters. With their flamboyant style and traditional gay disco-flare, they have dominated the charts with their self-titled debut album which has been No.1 for weeks and has gone multi-platinum in months. This is mainly due to the singles released from the album and their unique style, along with a lot of hype from some of the top critics. The band comprises of five members, all about except two are gay and living life and loving it, which this debut album definitely shows!

The members are Paddy Boom, Babydaddy, Ana Matronic, Del Marquis and the excellent lead singer Jake Shears. Ana Matronic is the only female in the band and believes she is half-gay because her dad was, or something like that! I'm not sure what she's talking about, because she's a bit crazy like the rest of the band - but this is exactly what makes them so brilliant! I didn't initially like the Scissor Sisters, and I went through a phase of disliking them a lot, and then I heard their third single and instantly loved them!

The album opens with that third single which is "Laura." I first heard this song on a music channel and the video blew me away. It was new and exciting and original, and I loved it. The song has a dramatic piano intro and some awesome lyrics. Jake's vocals are very dramatic and work well with the song. This is the most popular song from the album to date and is one of 2004's best songs! "Take Your Mama" was the second single to be taken from the album. It's a mid-tempo number and a bit more chilled than the last song and has a catchy guitar all the way through. The vocals are high-pitched all the way through the song, especially in the verses. The video is incredibly gay and compliments the song's topic of taking your mama out all night, and getting her drunk on some cheap champagne! "Comfortably Numb" was the first single to be released from the album in late 2003 and instantly became a Top 10 UK smash hit. It's a cover of the Pink Floyd classic, but the dance beat is brilliant - it's both catchy, spooky and ambiguous.

"Mary" is up next and in my opinion should be the fourth single, because it really is a beautiful and breathtaking ballad. It has an old, traditional style to it with a sad piano. Jake's vocals are reduced from a high-pitched wail to a melancholy tone that is surprising to say the least. The sigh after each chorus is the highlight. "Lovers In The Backseat" has perhaps the best intro of all the songs on the album because it's so weird. You can't really describe it, but it's bouncy and shiny and just gets the song into swing. Jake's vocals are great and very dramatic and the lyrics are really sexy. "T**s On The Radio" was one of my favourites when I first bought this album, but it isn't so much anymore. It's still a great song, however, with an awesome chorus that just swings along. Ana Matronic has a big part in this song, too. "Filthy/Gorgeous" opens with a wicked computerised voice (I think it's Ana's) that just screams, "Oh yes! Filthy!...Gorgeous!" This is an up-tempo electronica song which has Jake's high-pitched vocals and a rocky chorus which echoes the song's title over and over in the background. "Music Is The Victim" is an average song, but it's not really one of my favourites on the album. It's a bit too rocky for my liking and doesn't really stand out amongst the other songs. However, it's still a good song with a catchy beat.

"Better Luck" picks up the album's pace and is similar to Laura, the album's first song, with its beat. The lyrics are funny and the song has a generally light-hearted humour that is typical of the band. "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" is without a doubt the best song on the album. This song was seen by the critics as the album's masterpiece, and it certainly is - it's an epic ride of superb melancholy sadness. It kind of reminds me of a Queen song but it has a rather catchy electronic beat that's muffled in the background. The lyrics are brilliant and the chorus is superb - very catchy yet sad with it at the same time. "Return To Oz" is an extremely sad song with some beautiful lyrics and really shocked me when I first heard it because it's so sad. It shocked me because one minute the Scissor Sisters are singing about merrily taking their mama out, or about lovers in a backseat, and then the next they can bring down your happiness and totally make you think and feel.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

After this song, there's a funny track in which Ana Matronic says, "Meow. This is Ana Matronic..." and tells us that there's special UK bonus tracks coming up and will start when we hear a certain sound - it's some people screaming in carnage and mayhem! The two songs that follow are "The Skins" and "Get It Get It." Both songs are good, but not quite up to the standard of the rest of the album - so you can see why they were bonus tracks! All in all, this is a very superb and vivid debut from one of 2004's most interesting and exciting bands. I urge anyone to check them out because they're going places and it'll be interesting to see what their second album holds in store for us!

Ever wondered what it might sound like if the Bee Gees covered Comfortably Numb? Well, all you have to do to find out is pick up this cd. This album pulls from a wide net of influences, but to my ears definitely a lot of Elton John and George Michael, but updated for today. Its a very different cd, and not really what I was expecting... the music press have been all over these guys for a while, which is why I figured I would give this album a chance. I'm not sure its something I'm going to be listening to in a year, as there is something of, I dunno, a novelty aspect, but I don't mean that in a bad way. Sort of like Tenacious D and the Darkness, its honest nostalgia that can sound funny in its earnest lifting of earlier music, but these guys do it so well that you can't laugh off the quality of the album.

I think my favorite song is Lovers in the Backseat, followed closely by Take your Mama and Mary. I definitely like the ones that skew a little towards disco/funk, similar I guess to the two or three songs I like on every Jamiroquai cd.

I'd recommend this album just so you can experience something new, especially everyone who complains about the sameness of today's bands.

The Scissor Sisters are the best thing to happen to the music industry in a long time. They're unapologetic, brave and have an authenticity that most pop/rock acts severely lack. Those of us who are increasingly disgusted with the state of the music industry in America--namely the Britneys, Justins, and 8,000 other artists that have been cloned after them--may have found our saviors. The music of the Scissor Sisters is a breath of fresh air that perfectly balances taste and substance with fun and frivolity. 5 Stars!

Just when you thought the only good-time music you'd ever hear again was in Disney cartoons, and just when you were wondering if a male lead singer who wasn't named Timberlake could actually dance his butt off without lip-syncing, and just when you were thinking, "when IS someone gonna do a dance version of that old Pink Floyd classic," along came the brilliant, flamboyant, uber-entertaining Scissor Sisters!

Here in Seattle, lead singer Jake Shears' home town, we've known about the Sisters for a while, and everyone I know loves the heck outta these faboo folks. They just played a sold-out show at one of the local clubs here last week and blew the lid off the place. Simply phenomenal. If you get a chance to see these incredible individuals perform live, do NOT pass it up!

Everyone I know who hears SS is instantly hooked. What we can't figure out is what to call their music - is it pop? Is it alternative? Is it dance? Is it electronic? Is it disco? Is it retro feel-good rock from the 70's? Is it showtunes? I guess the answer is an emphatic "all of the above!"

From the blatant gay disco of "Filthy/Gorgeous" to the quirky 80's-flavored "Lovers in the Backseat" to the Elton John styled "Take Your Mama" and "Music is the Victim" to the ponderous "Can't Come Quickly Enough" to the hypnotically campy "Comfortably Numb" to the cabaret nuances of "Laura," the Sisters take you on a funky, sassy, bawdy, everyone-on-board, feel-good trip through recent musical history that'll have you dancing, blushing, laughing, grooving, and singing the irresistable hooks over and over in your head for the rest of the day.

No, seriously, it's impossible to stop singing the chorus of "Take Your Mama" once youve heard it once or twice...

Buy this darn CD now - you'll be soooooo glad you did!