If you've left a comment on a review and I've posted it but haven't replied, that's because I don't usually reply to any comments that aren't direct questions. This is because I feel like by posting a review I've already had my say - now it is your chance to have the last word. And now...on to the music!
Disc 361 is...Scissor Sisters (Self-Titled)
Artist: Scissor SistersYear of Release: 2004
What’s Up With The Cover?: A woman in white steps walks through a garden toward a portal that appears to lead to a downtown city street. With all that flowing red hair, she looks like Florence Welch from behind. If you look closely, you'll see the Scissor Sister logo at the top of the portal's arch: a pair of open scissors, where the blades are a set of high heeled legs. As band logos go, that's a good one, and captures their blend of sexiness and fun well.
How I Came To Know It: I think I saw a video for "Filthy/Gorgeous" and really liked it, so I took a chance and bought the album. I do that sometimes - it's how I've ended up with so many damned CDs.
How It Stacks Up: I have two Scissor Sister albums; 2006's, "Ta Dah" (reviewed way back at Disc 146) and this one. Of the two, I prefer this one.
Rating: 3 stars.
Just because everyone wanted disco to die back in the early eighties doesn't mean it did. Sure it stopped because so pervasive on pop radio, but the best parts of disco survived and morphed over the years, surfacing in the music of Beck or Jamiroquai. If those acts are at least one part disco, then Scissor Sisters are more like three parts disco.
Disco-driven as the groovy dance tracks on this record are, the band's love of late seventies music extends beyond the Bee Gees. In various places, this record also has its musical roots in Elton John, Queen, and even Pink Floyd. Not exceptionally innovative, the Scissor Sisters are still talented enough to update these sounds to a new generation of music listeners. They're a bit derivative, but only in a good way.
This album has a a gem of a remake, with a disco re-interpretation of "Comfortably Numb." Played up tempo, sung in falsetto and accompanied by a crazy bass-heavy backbeat, it is an inspired re-imagining of the original. At one point, they even sneak in a panting "Aah aah aah aah" that is strongly reminiscent of the Bee Gees "Stayin' Alive." This and the overall arrangement had me re-imagining the song as a cry for help from a drug-crazed club goer, rather than a disenchanted rock star.
Or maybe that's just my humanities education messing with me, as I try to find a deeper meaning. You would be just as well served by Scissor Sisters simply enjoying the disco beats they lay down, which is what this album is mostly about. There are a host of songs that are about very little more than having a good time, notably "Tits On The Radio" and "Filthy/Gorgeous." Sure you could read more into these songs, but ultimately the lyrics are secondary to just making you want to tap your feet and bob your head along.
I don't mean this as dismissive either. Scissor Sisters write excellent dance pop - as good as anything Lady Gaga has done, despite receiving far less recognition. The bass line on "Tits On The Radio" rivals "Another One Bits The Dust" in catchiness, and the synthesizers on "Filthy/Gorgeous" are like laser pistols shot at your feet to force you to dance. Even the band's occasional use of the squawk box is done tastefully, and that's not easy to do.
This is a fun album, and if you are really into dance music, could easily rate four stars. For me, it settled in at a high three, but that said I have little bad to say about this record.
Best tracks: Take Your Mama, Comfortably Numb, Tits On The Radio, Filthy/Gorgeous
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