Album- Magic Hour
Artist- Scissor
Sisters
Formed in 2001, the Scissor Sisters have become a prominent
group in the music industry, with a glamorous persona that incorporates a vast
array of musical styles but always sounds fun at heart. Towards the end of 2012
the band announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus, a declaration
bound to leave many of their loyal fan base extremely upset. But does their
latest record Magic Hour suggest they shouldn’t be going on this hiatus? Or is
this a group who needs a bit of separation from one another musically and
rejuvenation?
Track 1- Baby Come
Home
Recalling a bit of classic Scissor Sisters, the opening
track and third single from the album is a funky pop number that is extremely
catchy and quite sweet. The song finds lead male singer of the group Jake
Shears telling his beau that he is alright with him going out and doing his
thing, but at the end of the day he loves him and just wants his baby to come
home to him. The song is lyrically very sweet and with the simplicity of the
chorus with the repetitive declaration of baby come home, the song has this
sincere quality. The vocal performance is light and feels fun but fragile, with
the final sections of the track using some great backing vocals to give the
song this almost gospel feel. And with bouncy piano instrumentation and funky
guitar, this is just an addictively catchy and light way to kick off the record
with.
Track 2- Keep Your
Shoes On
The funky groove of the previous track continues with this
song, but here the sound is given more of an electronic based tone and has a
slight hip hop groove. The song features the group lyrically talking about not
wanting to waste time and just get through things to the point where the person
should just keep their shoes on, with the song having very overtly sexual
tones. The song lyrically perhaps isn’t as catchy as the previous track in terms
of the lyrics, however the song is a bit more lively and interesting in terms
of the vocal performance, which varies throughout the track and features a
great use of Shears higher vocal range to give the track this vibrant and funky
edge. The production features a gritty bass and steady rhythm that you can
almost dance to whilst also equally be able to chill to, with the transitions
between the chorus and verses being particularly good points in the song with
the feistiness and grittiness of the dance beats.
3.5/5
Track 3- Inevitable
Co-produced and co-written by American singer songwriter and
current chart topper Pharrell Williams, this song slows down the groove a
little but doesn’t change to drastically, otherwise the track might be dull.
Here we find the group lyrically simply telling this person that the
relationship will get better as it is inevitable that their love will blossom
once again. The track has a poetic quality but also a lot of the time feels
rooted in reality and so is relatable. The song is appealing in the way the
chorus goes into a falsetto tone that makes the song both catchy and a little
euphoric. The tracks productions is nice with steady electro pop rhythms and a
disco driven bridge that feels like the tone of what a rainbow would sound
like.
3.5/5
Track 4- Only the
Horses
Co-produced by the current star DJ that is Calvin Harris,
Only the Horses was the lead single from this record. A fun dance pop tune with
a touch of house music, the songs synth and dance beat driven sound is light
and fluorescent, a sound that is just enjoyable and signature Harris. However
whilst the song runs the risk of sounding like any other pop song that is
released in today’s music world, in stands out through the carefree quality of
the vocals that are full of that vitality and slightly camp energy that the
band are known for, with the song once again being catchy in the way that the
vocals dip between different levels. The song is a bit weird lyrically as the
band tell this person who is in some way lost that only the horses can bring
them home, but whilst this is weird, the song still sounds lyrically catchy,
and the song is also fun in the way that you can find different meanings of
what they truly mean depending on your point of view. A fun number that serves
as a good lead single.
3.5/5
Track 5- Year of
Living Dangerously
Things take more of a 1980’s club feel with this track with
a flourish of house music, and find the singers in slightly more of a mid tempo
and chilled state. The song has this cool retro vibe and finds the group
singing about how this is their life and although they haven’t found that thing
that sets them free, they are just gonna search by living dangerously. The song
lyrics have a nice darkness about them but like the catchy tone of some of the
other track, and the vocal performance doesn’t have the same attention grabbing
quality and feels like Shears is just singing the song rather than being truly
invested in the song. However the production of the track is really cool, with
a nice blend of techno beats, stirring strings and a simple bass that just
gives the song this grand retro sheen that is really nice to listen to and
which is cool enough to keep you wanting to listen.
3/5
Track 6- Let’s Have a
Kiki
A song that is widely seen as truly popularizing the term
kiki, a word that is loosely defined as a gathering of friends for gossiping
and which is used primarily in gay culture, Let’s Have a Kiki is a fun electro
pop tune that has a summery vibe and is perfect music material for girls when
they are getting ready for a night out with their friends. The song features
female lead singer Ana Matronic taking centre vocally as she starts by simply
acting as if she is talking to her friend about this closed down party and how
he should prepare for her and others to come over and chat, whilst the rest of
the song simply centres on the group telling us to have a kiki and telling us
exactly what they mean. The song has a fun and light quality that is infectious
in its slight bitchy quality and silly nature. The track features simple vocal
performances that are structured tightly and just feel vibrant and infectious.
And the production is simple but equally infectious, with some 1980’s inspired
rhythms that just create this chilled but fun sound that is guaranteed to get
you having a kiki.
4/5
Track 7- Shady Love
(featuring Azealia Banks)
Originally the lead single from the record, Shady Love’s
release was ultimately cancelled for unknown reasons. The song finds the group
employing more of a hip hop sound where they basically tell us of how they are
going to get their shady love on and be a bit promiscuous. The song is a bit
weird and although vibrant is a bit too much of a change for the band, with the
rap style of Shears vocals in the verses sounding like he is trying too hard to
be a rapper, whilst the Banks vocals (which are actually uncredited) are nice
but don’t add anything to the song. The clunky hip hop rhythms of the track are
cool and a bit twisted, giving the song an almost euphoric quality in places,
but on the whole this is just a strange track that should have been left off
the record.
2.5/5
Track 8- San Luis
Obispo
Bringing things back to a more light and funky pop sound is
this track that is named after a Californian City. The song finds Shears being
left in this town but ultimately just going to be alright as he is going to use
his time and find himself in this city. The song has a nice almost summery vibe
that is just chilled, although the chorus doesn’t feel as catchy as it could
be. The vocal performance here is light and just has the same chilled tone of
the lyrics that makes the whole song a nice affair, although the lack of zest
within the track does make it a little bit of a let-down. The production
doesn’t have the same vitality that we expect from the group but is fun in the
way that it infuses more European musical sounds with the guitar strumming and
clunky beats, and so this is a nice track that I think would be good to listen
to whilst driving in the car in the summer.
3/5
Track 9- Self Control
With a funky and propulsive disco beat that gives the track
this 90’s house music/club feel, this track has this dark simmering energy that
feels vocal performances that are a little more breathy and in their own way
controlled. The song finds the group telling us too fight the feeling and get
this sense of self control. The message of the track is great in that different
listeners can get different things from it, but the simplicity of the track
just simply makes it catchy, whilst the smoothness of the vocals make the song
even better. But once again it is the songs production that really makes the
song powerful, featuring a great blend of this simple but almost urgent feeling
club beats with the steady techno rhythms and some stirring strings in places to
just give this track a modern but indebted to past, retro style that is
infectious in its own right with ought the vocals and lyrics.
3.5/5
Track 10- Best in Me
With a bouncy techno rhythm that gives the song a great
disco groove, this song feels a little bit more modern than the other tracks
but still has some old school influences in terms of the synths that feel a bit
1980’s, and so this track is sonically very good with a sort of euphoric
quality that is, but also still has strong beats and is something you can dance
to. The vocal performances features a nice use of the higher range of Shears
vocals and feels sweet, although the vocals are a little bit Auto Tuned and so
suffer a little bit. Lyrically the track finds Shears telling this person their
love them through the way he expresses how they bring the best out of their
character. A really sweet lyrical song that features a great techno sound and
is just really cute.
3.5/5
Track 11- The Secret
Life of Letters
Things take much more of a fragile tone for this track that
features a more acoustic setting for the band and a stepping into ballad
territory. The track finds Shears singing about expressing his feelings through
words and how this creates this almost secret life. The singer shows of more of
a delicate vocal that highlights his vocal tone well and shows that he is a
good singer. The production of the track is also emotionally powerful in terms
of the simple guitar strumming and deep piano melody being mixed with stirring
strings , creating this dramatic sound that builds intensity and provides the
record with a moment of purity.
3.5/5
Track 12- Somewhere
The album ends with a light and slightly funky pop number
that has a disco sound and all-round groovy feel. The song is lyrically all
about how somewhere there is a place of solitude to just lose yourself in, with
the lyrics having a simple but poetic quality that makes the song catchy. The
track features light vocals that are wistful and appealing, nicely never going
to overboard. And with the frenzied but light electro beats and snappy drum
beats and light synths, this is a fun pop number to end the album with.
3.5/5
Track 13- Ms.
Matronic’s Magic Message (bonus track)
The bonus track is a simple 30 second long track that is a
bit of an outro and a bit of an extension of the track Let’s Have a Kiki. The
song finds member Ana Matronic calling her friend Pickles and leaving him a
message of how she has been to a great kiki and is so happy he like the music,
and she has more to offer him. It’s a fun way to end the album and highlights
how this record just has an all-round awesome feel.
Final Review
Scissor Sister have given us a great record with their
fourth studio album where there is an electic sound that still melds together
for a cohesive record and which more often than not is infectiously fun and
vibrant. The vocal performance are always on point, the lyrics catchy, and the
production funky, glamorous and fun, and so this is definitely a great album
that make me feel sad to think it could be a while before we hear any new
music.
8.5/10
Best Track- Let’s
Have a Kiki
Worst Track- Shady
Love (featuring Azealia Banks)
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