Bursting into the scene in 2004, the Scissor Sisters have proven to be comfortable in their music scene, and just really fun. This is one of the best pop albums I've heard in a long while. Their music is a mixture of pop, disco, and even a bit of psychedelic, with influences from Elton John, to ABBA, to David Bowie, even to Kiss.
Unlike the name may lead you to believe, the band only has one female member. The members are Jason 'Jake Shears' Sellards on lead vocals, Ana 'Ana Matronic' Lynch on occasional vocals, Scott 'Babydaddy' Hoffman on keyboards and guitar, Patrick 'Paddy Boom' Seacor on drums, and Derek 'Del Marquis' Gruen on guitar and bass.
Seem a bit.. Flamboyant to you? There's a reason. Every member except the lone female, Ana, is gay. Some even met in a gay bar. Does this affect their music? No, thankfully. I'm not homophobic in the least, just when I hear a musician using the gimmick of "Look at me, I'm gay!" in their music, it annoys me just as much as another going "Look how manly and straight I am!". Jake and crew only make a few references to gay culture, at least that I've caught. Could be wrong though.You'd be surprised how many people disregard these guys just because they're gay. It's their loss, because this album is spectacular. This album even caused Bono of U2 to call them "the best pop group in the world".
These guys (and girl) are talented at what they do, there's no doubt about it. From Del Marquis' funky basslines to Jake Shears' vocals, there's nothing I'd really change about what they do.
Onto Jake Shears' vocals, he's pretty good. He can either sing normally, which sounds nice and is in mostly their slower songs, like his ode to his (now dead) best friend in the song 'Mary' about how he'll always stay by her side, no matter what guys put her through. And then he has his high voice which he uses in songs like 'Filthy Gorgeous' where he almost sounds like a female. It's hard to pick which vocal style he uses that I like more, because his normal singing fits the slower songs perfectly, and his high voice sounds so natural in the way that it never cracks or makes it sound like he's faking it.
And then there's Ana Matronic, who is also on vocals, but sadly only on one song, 'Tits on the Radio' which is one of the best songs on the album due to the awesome bassline, and her singing fitting it perfectly. Jake Shears even comes in to sing part of the chorus with his high voice.
This is truly a phenomenal record but I can see where people wouldn't like it. Some people may not like Jake's voice, no matter what vocal style he's using, because when he's singing normally, he sounds kind of sleazy, and some just might not appreciate the pitch of his higher singing voice, some might not like the subject matter of a few songs, and some might not even like their style of pop music.
I know something some people will object to is the cover of 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd on this album, which they've made more pop-like, you'll either like it or dislike it, if you're a fan of the original song,but you don't need to even know the original song to like it.As much as I do enjoy this album, I can't give it anything above an 7/10.
Recommended Track(s): Better Luck, Filthy/Gorgeous, Tits on the Radio
