Since I first heard “Tits on the Radio” all those gay years ago I have had a deep love for Scissor Sisters. I can confidently say I have most every song they’ve recorded, officially-released or otherwise (thank you, illegal downloading). I frequently butcher my way (enthusiastically!) through, “Take Your Mama” at karaoke. I was at Borders on the day Ta-Dah! was released to buy the delux hard copy and I loved that album. I still love that album. It’s eccentric, fun, moody, diverse and funky. I even downloaded some of Del Marquis’s solo music! (Actually not bad at all. He has a very sexy, unexpectedly deep voice. But that’s another post).
When I got wind of another Scissor Sisters album in the works I was deliciously twitterpated. When I finally heard a sample of “Invisible Light” I was… discouraged. It was bland! It was uninteresting! It was generic! Whither Jake’s clever lyrics and interesting melodies? But wait. I cautioned myself. Remember the first time you heard “Bad Romance”?
I remembered the time well. I was at The Elite playing pool. Someone played “Bad Romance” on the jukebox. I thought, this is the new Lady Gaga? And I shrugged and moved on with my day. I shrugged ladies and gentlemen. I shrugged over “Bad Romance”, possible the catchiest song EVER with the best music video in the history of people recording videos for music! Until “Telephone”. Also the video for “Alejandro” which is ridiculous and amazing. The moral of the story is that a first impression is not always to be trusted. “The Fame Monster” ended up being a brilliant album and has spawned much joy and lots of enthusiastic dancing (both at home and at The Cuff). So I put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and I said, “there’s still hope. Give it time.” And I did. And despite all of the trials I had been through, at midnight on June 29th I was on iTunes ready to download the whole album. No picking through the thirty-second samples to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake. Not this time. That kind of behavior might be okay for Katy Perry or Christina Aguilera but the Scissor Sisters and I have history. That has to count for something.
You see, Scissor Sisters? This is my faith. This is my devotion. Don’t let me down.
I downloaded and I went to bed. In the morning, I thought, in the morning we’ll see. So now it’s been two days and I haven’t listened to anything else. That doesn’t necessarily imply enthusiasm; I’m doing research. I felt the need to thoroughly investigate this album. I need to feel its strengths and analyze its weaknesses. My general conclusion has been that it’s good but it’s not awesome. It lacks some of the depth that Ta-Dah! boasted. Ta-Dah! had several themes including falling in love, death and revenge. These things make for an interesting album, to be sure. The themes on Night Work seem to be mostly sex. Not entirely (”Fire with Fire” and “Night Work” are notable exceptions), but mostly.
The songs are catchy. The lyrics over-all aren’t thrilling but Jake delivers vocals that are up to his considerable par. His voice has a pleasant versatility that allows him to sing capably in his head voice or in his lower register and when he sings in that almost-nasally was of his (think the chorus of, “Laura”) it comes off as interesting rather than grating. Ana Matronic does her thing on a few of the songs. Most notable is her, “Filthy/Gorgeous” inspired interlude on, “Any Which Way” wherein she purrs, I need a man who smells like cocoa-butter and cash. I feel you, girl. As usual there is but one song that with Ana-driven vocals. Last album it was, “Kiss You Off” and this time around it’s, “Skin This Cat” which is a rather unsubtle reference to pussy.
One song that has stood out so far as having some of the more clever wordplay that I appreciate the Scissor Sisters for is “Whole New Way” (so when everyone got home I got your tail between my legs, we can talk about relationships but there’s better things to fill your head with) and other stand-outs are “Running Out”, “Skin Tight”, “Fire With Fire” (the official first single), and the title-track.
As a whole I’d say it’s a good album. It’s fun to listen to, parts of it are interesting and when the dance mixes start hitting the clubs they’ll make for some good grooves. Personally I prefer a more diverse range of subject matter, tempo and content like what was found on Ta-Dah! but I’m not disappointed in Scissor Sister’s third effort (or fourth or fifth, depending on if you count The Demo Album and the first version of Night Work which was scrapped in its entirety before release). I give it a strong B+.
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