This music tip came from Timmy himself, and it's a good one. The Scissor Sisters remind me of a !!! without the relentless beating yourself over the head quality. A total party record that will still leave you respecting yourself in the morning.

They're from New York, but unfortunately you can only get their album in the U.S. as a UK import, which means $$$.

For a cheaper thrill, listen to some of their tracks, including the excellent "Comfortably Numb" cover at Scissorsisters.com.

Damn..They're sweet..

Hell Yeah!!! They are playing Reading this year, and I am sure as hell am gonna check them out! We've had 2 singles allready (the third is coming out soon!) and an album! LAURA, WONT YOU GIVE ME YOUR LOVE!!! I love them!

Pitchfork Review follows. I disagree with the dude's opening comments about the inherent weakness, in his opinion, associated with mixing genres. A bit narrow-minded, if you ask me:

Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
[Polydor; 2004]
Rating: 8.3
There's something about the kitchen-sink approach to music that makes me suspicious. Excessive genre-hopping or wearing stylistic flexibility as a badge is often considered honorable or even proof of an artist's restless, boundless talent. Yet when this approach is put under a microscope, the choice to aim for a variety of different sounds often seems like a mask for artists unable to do any one thing particularly well.

A lot of the initial praise garnered by Scissor Sisters stemmed from their oscillation between what many consider to be disparate styles: To be reductive, those are rollicking early 70s Elton John-esque pop songs and buoyant disco. However, on their self-titled debut, Scissor Sisters not only do quite a few genres justice-- not least of which is witty, irreverent pop songs-- but both their idiosyncratic approach to music and their sensibilities seem to have common roots in glam-era rock or Philly soul.

On the face of it, that's an odd blend. Unless you're Ryan Adams, Homer Simpson, or those bearded fellows in Kings of Leon, you aren't likely of the mindset that rock achieved perfection in 1974. But the Sisters embrace the playfulness and panache of that era's artists-- from Sparks and Elton, to 10cc and Mott the Hoople, to The Spinners and, um, Pink Floyd-- and come out smelling like roses. Here, the Sisters skip smartly through glam's linear history, and stray far enough from the beaten path to discover a sound of their own, all while resisting the sacrifice of context for pantomime.

With one part arched eyebrows and droll wit, and one part melancholia and sharp social observation, the Sisters' debut is bursting with golden moments. To the disappointment of some, large portions of the Scissor Sisters' highly circulated and heavily dancefloor-leaning demo has been either re-recorded or exorcised from the final cut, but the retail version outstrips the demo by a mile. "Doctor (I'm Only Seeing Dark)", "Backwoods", and "Bicycling with the Devil" in particular are missed, but with their inclusion, the finished product would likely have been a far more schizophrenic affair.

Instead, the Sisters' debut hangs together well, despite sounding at times more like a career-spanning singles compilation than a cohesive work. (Although, in this MP3 era, where's the harm in that?) Debut single "Laura", with its overflow of rollicking piano and wah-wah guitar, is the hyper-jovial opener. Break-up song "Better Luck" and the falsetto-drenched disco cover of "Comfortably Numb" (what might have been had Pink Floyd followed their classic rock contemporaries into late 70s disco tourism) are the dancing-with-tears-in-your-eyes tracks. "Tits on the Radio" is New York's best protest dance song since !!!, and "Lovers in the Backseat" is a gold lamé-draped take on voyeurism. "Mary" and "It Can't Come Quickly Enough", meanwhile, are the 4 a.m. ballads, contenders for the night's penultimate spin before "Last Dance" soundtracks the queue at the coat check.

Best of all are "Take Your Mama" and "Return to Oz". The former is a clever Primal Scream-meets-"Freedom '90" suggestion to come out to your mother during a night on the town. The latter is a weary, hungover ballad lamenting the influence of crystal meth on the gay nightclub scene ("What once was Emerald City's/ Now a crystal town". In combination, those two tracks delightfully reveal that under Scissor Sisters' sheen of fabulousness and irresistible hooks beats a heart that breaks as easily as it bursts, and that's a sort of versatility that can't be easily concocted.

-Scott Plagenhoef, March 11th, 2004

Yea, the album was released here 2 weeks ago, and I bought it because i liked the single and you recommended it - but first I was shocked that I only liked one of the other songs?????????? (it was Tits On The Radio) but after listening to it several times, that whole thing got greater and greater, they have a really strange mixture of styles, now it's my album of the month! :D Thanks for the tip!

It took me a few listens, too. But it sticks in your craw. They have been living in Europe it seems for the past few months, and I hope they toss a Minneapolis date into their fall tour!

Tits on the Radio is also on of my faves right now...

Just bid on some SS wax on ebay...we'll see what happens...I'm curious

draconian, can't you give me some time....

there's about four bonus tracks out there too!

You gotta like a band with a track titled Tits On The Radio.

I've got both a pretty (so dubbed) rare LAURA 12" coming from the UK as well as the Take your Mama 12"...which sure enough, the day before I won it on ebay, I heard it at the local record mart...it's f'n cool...I listened to it for about 45 seconds and was so sold, but I thought I'd wait for my copy I suppose.
you can buy the album on ebay for 15 or get a cheaper promo without the bonuses. The comfortably numb 'club mix' was a lil' too clubby, but I gotta have the records spin a handful of times before I can sway any further...

ahh yess the power of persuasion and burning holes in the pocket bought me copies of the take your mama 12" and comfortably numb 12" today...both very nice...the kicker ...they are playing in DC may 21...so there...
ummmmum...I have now two copies of the take your mama 12" which is a ltd edition picture disc with 3 tracks...I have no Dj raps to speak of coming up and ...I hope i don't regret this, but will sell/ship a copy to an interested .netter for $13+simple shipping...if interested...worthwhile...

How much for simple shipping?

I think media mail as opposed to 3.85 priority is...1.42...it may take about 5 days for the one from the UK to arrive...I've been listening to that one about 3 times a day... backwoods discotheque ptII is pretty hot...and the take your mama versions sound like stuff that got cut out of midnight vultures...the guy Jake' hones Beck's 'Prince vocals almost better than he does ...it's awesome...

u2u me and we'll seal the deal...you'll love it...why hog two copies

the comfortably numb record remixed by Tiga and A touch of Class is excellent
too...each side has two mixes by both...that was $7...didn't care for the one
I saw and heard that had one single 'club mixx...a little too...yeah...

Scissor Sisters (& Ash) are playing at my Uni's "final fling" event this year which I have a ticket to... except I have now found out that I have 2 exams the next morning. Quite a situation!

Ahhhh!!! Oh well..So you're tired for your exams! It'll be worth it!! :D

mmm'hmmm...next friday in D.c. ...might have to take some mama out and see what the fuss is all about ...fo'shizzle dizzle :P

:saint:

They're playing w/B-52's @ HOuse of Blues in Anaheim 6-6-04. My bosses' brother is drummer for Rick Springfield playing there this Friday, and I just noticed the Scissor Sister thing on the marquee. Small world. So if Timmy recommended them, I'm definitely checking them out.

Oh man..I want to see them live..I love the stuff I've heard.. Let us know how it was!!!

Scissor sisters scare me, but I quite liked your mama! If thats what its called!

Take your Mama.. Great single.. Not so keen on the others though..

I agree with Dyler! :D

I like them all..Laura is pretty sweet..

Trev--the eagle has landed, if you know what I mean. Thanks.

cool...dig the artwork above and beyond the call of design quality... the two picture discs that i've gotten ...that Take yr mama and the Laura 12" both raise the bar in design and the music grows on you...