Scissor Sisters - Swerlk (f. MNDR)

Jake, Ana, and special guest MNDR on vocals bring this amazing brand new Scissor Sister's track to life. It's been 5 years since we've had new music from the Sisters and in the same week, we get a brand new solo project from Jake and a new single from the band. This week has been glorious.

"Swerlk" is the new track and it's great. It's very reminiscent of "Let's Have a KiKi" and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's very catchy and it's super fun. All you have to do is Swirl It, Twirl It, Twerk It, Swerve, and Work It. Do all that and you've got the newest sensation from the Sisters. Proceeds from the track are going to the Contigo Fund which was set up after the Pulse Massacre in Orlando. I think it has the potential to be as big as KiKi and I can't wait to see if this is a door opening for more material from both groups, Scissor Sisters and MNDR. I adore both groups and this is a fantastic collaboration between them.  Go to www.swerlk.com to donate to the Contigo fund and get a free download of the song. It's a damn worthy cause and having new music makes everything better!

Top 5...

Love Songs (with a Twist)

Sometimes love isn't pretty. It's not neat and it's not text book. Sometimes, it's downright dirty and a bit creepy. That being said, here are my Top 5 Love Songs (with a Twist).


5.  Sarah Mclachlan - Possession
What could be more dangerous than stalking?  This song was actually based off letters Sarah received from a deranged stalker who sued her for intellectual copyright infringement and then committed suicide.


4.  The Pet Shop Boys - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
So many relationships are built on this type of jilted logic.  It's just so easy to get wrapped up in this type of thing.


3.  Nick Cave and  Kylie Minogue - Where The Wild Roses Grow
Two of the most incredible voices/performers ever and they are together.  Love is deadly in this not so typical love song.


2.  The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma
I don't feel there's a need to justify the magnificence that is Morrissey.


1.  Scissor Sisters - She's My Man
I dare you to find another song that represents a codependent/crazy in love/totally not good for you love song.

Top 5 Songs...

That Should Have Been Recorded By The Scissor Sisters

With Magic Hour fresh out of the box, my friend Bibs thought it would be interesting to see my take on 5 songs that should have been recorded by the Scissor Sisters. It was a pretty fun little challenge and here's what I came up with.


5. Warm Leatherette - The Normal



4. Don't You Want Me - Human League


3. Sex Dwarf - Soft Cell 


2.  All I Wanna Do - Heart


1.  Why'd You Come In Here (Looking Like That) - Dolly Parton 

Honorable Mention

The Boy is Mine - Brandy & Monica 

Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour (Track by Track)

So many bloggers have been complaining that this album isn't Night Work.  It's not Night Work nor does it pretend to be.  I think as divergent as this album is from their previous releases, it is far strong enough to stand on it's own as the next logical step in the evolution of the band.  As I said in my other review, this album shows growth.  The Sisters aren't in their 20s anymore and I think it's important that their material has some age on it.  I think that's one of the problems I have with Madonna's new album... it still seems like she's mugging like a 20 year old when she should be showing her age in a mature manner.

So here's my track by track breakdown of the new album.  What are your opinions?  Are they different than mine?

Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour

Let me start this off by saying if you are expecting Magic Hour to sound like any previous release by the Sisters, you are going to be mistaken.  This album is them all grown up.  They've been stepped on and pushed around by love and life and have a few battle scars to show.  They've had their fair share of experiences and it's those experiences that give them what they need to deliver the material in this album flawlessly.  Previous albums have all had raucous moments of excitement and glamour ("Night Work", "Skin This Cat", "Sex and Violence", "Paul McCartney", "She's My Man", "Kiss You Off", "Tits on the Radio", "Music is the Victim", "Filthy/Gorgeous") and there is no shortage of them on Magic Hour but what is different about this album may be the content.  The lyrical composition is more sincere and in a way, lovelorn.  Even though it was produced by Calvin Harris, Diplo and other huge producers what's underneath is still nothing but pure magic by the Sisters.

There are actually songs on this album that strike very close to home to me and I have a much stronger reaction to them then I do to others.  "Baby Come Home" and "Best In Me" need to be on the soundtrack to my life because they are my songs.  I've lived them both and I think there are a lot of people out there that have done the same.  There seems to be more music on this that has a very personal connection.  I think "Only The Horses" is an amazingly romantic song. The thought that you can just get so lost in someone that modern means cannot be used to bring you back.  The tone is so somber on the tracks without them trying to force it.

There have been other reviews that don't give them credit for the ballads on this album and want it to be an all out party like other albums have been but I appreciate what they've done because it shows range and depth.  It's no secret that I am very biased.  They are my favorite band and it's hard for me to find any bad in their work.  There are a few tracks that are a bit slower than others and there are a few that may take a little getting used too but all in all they all have a place and you just have to figure out where they belong in your soundtrack.

Get the album because it's worth it.  Get the album because they deserve it.

Scissor Sisters - Baby Come Home (Live on Graham Norton)

On May 25, the Sisters were in attendance with Mr. Graham Norton and they performed their next single, "Baby Come Home". I really dig this song and it's just another in the long line of tracks that are fantastic. It's kind of romantic and it's kind of demanding and it's completely awesome.  The performance is incredible.  Jake and Ana sound amazing being backed up by a choir.  The camera man loves him some BabyDaddy and I don't mind that in the least bit.

The anticipation for this album is so strong that I don't know if I am going to make it until Tuesday.  I am glad that I have clips like this surfacing on the web to curb my appetite.

Scissor Sisters - Only The Horses

In the second video off Magic Hour, we find our Sisters trapped in an ancient pyramid probably in the Valley of the Scissor Sisters.  The video flashes between 4 saddled horses building up strength to pull the 4 plugs to release the Sisters and scenes of paint being sucked off the bodies of the band members.  This isn't the treatment that I imagine when I hear the song but I can get behind the video because it fits into what they have shown in the past.  I think there is an absolute romantic appeal to this song that pulls it through a poor video treatment.  The song is a natural progression from what we've heard from the previous three albums and I don't necessarily think Calvin Harris as a producer is a bad thing.  I think it shows they have grown into a group that can attract large producers.  2012 has been a huge year for music and it keeps getting bigger and bigger and May 28th is going to be a huge day in the lives of all the fans of the Scissor Sisters.

Scissor Sisters - Only The Horses (Official Lyric Video)

There are only a few things that make me squee like a total fanboy and at that top of the list is a new track by Scissor Sisters. This track is no exception so let me get this out of the way, "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"!! 

OMG I am so in love with this song. It's so romantic and it's so vibrant and I would kill to be able to feel this feeling again. To be with someone that you just want to run with and not come back. Jakes vocals are top notch, the production is brilliant and it makes me not only love love but this track. With maybe one exception, there are no tracks by the Sisters that I am not absolutely in love with and this is going to be no different. I can't wait until this album comes out because I need it in my life. If you are a Sister like I am, then you need to get on this. Please bring them back to America with me for an actual tour. Show them they are loved in their home country and we do want them here. So Jake, Ana, BabyDaddy and Del... I am sending the horses out for you.

Scissor Sisters - Shady Love

Defiant, unexpected, reinvention. All words that are absolutely appropriate when describing the first single off the 4th album by the Scissor Sisters. Shady Love, produced by Boys Noize, seems to be a departure from the norm that has been the Sisters bread and butter but I think it's a progression of the sound. With dueling raps by Jake and guest rapper Krystal Pepsy (ne Azealia Banks), this track is an all out party from the get go. There are so many influences from electroclash to latin inspired lyrical content and style and it all seemlessly mashes up into a fusion that is totally Scissor Sisters. The track was released today on Radio One with no real defined American release date...thank the gods for a global music community thanks to the internet.  Take a listen and keep an open mind.  On my 3rd listen through I totally got where I needed to be with the song and I can't wait for the new album!

Video is here!
 

Invisible Light - Scissor Sisters

Possibly one of my most favorite songs by the Sisters. This video captures everything the song embodies with such elegance and grace it's hard to see it any other way. I want to see the whole movie these clips were taken from because the story is sure to blow you away. The creativity and innovation in this video are so amazing I can't say enough good about it. As a bonus, I'll throw in this video from a live Google Session they did of the song Lights.

Scissor Sisters - Any Which Way

"You know baby,
When I was taking my pantyhose out of their egg this evening
I thought: I'm going to find that man that is the right shade of bottle tan
A man that smells like cocoa butter and cash
Take me anyway you like it
In front of the fireplace
In front of your yacht
In front of my parents
I don't give a damn baby, just take me......any which way you can!"

My sisters are back with the video to the second single off Night Work, Any Which Way. They released the video for the single on their website at noon on August 11, 2010. You may have seen the performance of this from Glastonbury that featured Kylie Minogue on guest vocals but this is the album cut. There is a ton I love about this video from the colors to Jake's obvious gym inspired body to Del's crazy ass helmet, Babydaddy's Sushi Gun and Ana wielding a sword. I am so proud to be a fan and videos like this are just plain fun.

I give this a solid 4.75/5.00

Top 10 Songs ...

that are blowing up my eardrums!

10. 3Oh!3 - My First Kiss (Video)
9. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Paris (Ooh La La) (Video)
8. The Like - He's Not a Boy
7. Dragonette - Pick up the Phone (Video)
6. Scissor Sisters - Running Out
5. MNDR - I Go Away
4. Mark Ronson and Business Intl. - Bang Bang Bang
3. The Dirty Disco - Sista!
2. Janelle Monae - Cold War
1. Alphabeat - Heatwave

Introducing Wonky Pop

Take Depeche Mode, Squeeze, Human League, Animotion and throw them all into a blender and let a new batch of artists sample the delicious shake created by the mix and what you will get is a new crop of Pop Artists creating amazing music heavily influenced by the greats of the 1980s.

You may be familiar with Lady Gaga, Blake Lewis, the Scissor Sister, or The Ting Tings so I won't waste your time reintroducing you to them. This post is to show you some new artists you may not be familiar with.

Alphabeat - A Danish duo made up of Stine Bramsen and Anders SG,that have released two albums; This is Alphabeat and The Beat is.... They have an extremely similar sound to Animotion and are on the much poppier end of the spectrum. Here's their video for the single DJ (I'd rather be dancing)



http://www.thisisalphabeat.com/

Victoria Christina Hesketh or Little Boots as she's known on stage has released one major studio release and is starting to work on her second major outing. A multi-talented artist, Little Boots sings and plays the piano, keyboards, synthesizer, Stylophone and a Japanese electronic instrument called Tenori-on. Check out her album Hands for a Flock of Seagulls vibe that won't disappoint. Here she is showing off her many talents on the Jools Holland show.



http://www.littlebootsmusic.co.uk/

With their debut single, Better than Love, Manchester based Hurts brings a solid Pet Shop Boys vibe to the table that leaves you wanting more. Since they are a pretty new group that is really only releasing in the UK, it's hard to get solid information on them in the States. Here is Better Than Love



http://www.informationhurts.com

Last but not least is Empire of the Sun, an Australian electronic music duo which formed in 2006. Comprised of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore both of other bands that came together to form something larger than the two parts. This is their first video Walking on a Dream



http://www.walkingonadream.com.au/

Night Work

If the new album, Night Work, by the Scissor Sisters was the soundtrack to a movie, in my imagining, this is how things would play out.

1. Night Work – Movie opens to a young gay in the last part of his day at the office. You see it’s a warm summer Friday in New York City. As the track plays, the movie breaks into a series of montages showing our hero as he is praying for the work day to end and his Friday night to begin. Flashes of mundane work, tapping his pen anxiously against his coffee cup, mindlessly wandering around the office as he very impatiently waits for 5 PM. 5 bells toll as our hero races out of the office and onto the waiting street below.

2. Whole New Way – With our hero now on his way to a night of absolute debauchery, he steps onto the train and starts to think about…him. He is always there at the bar, standing just out of reach. He’s absolutely beautiful and fills our heroes head with more than one thought of an impure nature. He’s the illusive 11 to our hero’s solid 6. He is the man that will make everything right. He is the man to take home to the parents. He is beautiful and is what everything good is for in this world. One day, maybe one day, our hero will introduce himself.

Making it uptown to his apartment, our hero has time to make a plan and make things ready for the night. He goes through his closet to find the clothes that are going to fit just right and accentuate every positive he has. He is going to need every tool in the tool belt tonight because it is going to be one for the record books. He lays his clothes out and goes about his business until it’s time to get ready.

3. Fire With Fire – Stepping out of the shower feeling triumphant and more than ready to take on the world, our hero dresses in his best club cloths. Checks himself out in the mirror and feels his 6 steadily raising to an 8. There’s nothing in this world he can’t do and with epic fabulousness, he is going to have a night like never before. He takes the train to the bar and walks inside with a strut to match no other.



Once in the club, our hero begins to make his rounds where he is met by the most unusual cast of characters one would ever to meet in a public place. Even though the majority of these people are merely set dressing, they still make up the colorful world of excess our hero is about to enter.

4. Any Which Way – Meet Andy. Andy has just turned 21 and is from somewhere in the Midwest. Not only is he fresh to New York, he is also fresh to being gay. That being said, not only does his flame burn brighter than anyone whose flame has ever burned before but he falls head over heels in love with each and every one night stand he meets. Dancing like no one’s business people watch as he spins madly out of control, as he is making the same decisions as a million young gays before him.

Keeping his distance from Andy, our hero makes his way through the crowd to the bar where is greeted by:

5. Harder You Get – Klaus Von Bussem, in his best leather drag (ass-less chaps, chain harness, leather jockstrap, jack boots and captains hat.) steps into view as he slaps his gloved fist with a riding crop and our hero is confronted with all of this…well…this business. Klaus puts on a show in the public eye that paints him out to be the most dominant top on the face of the planet but get him back to his loft in Soho and you have to be careful as his legs pop into the air otherwise your jaw might become dislocated.

Not interested in the least bit in a night of sweat, poppers and New Car Smell, our hero makes his way to the bar where our next couple are stationed.

6. Running Out – Justin and Jamison DeMarco. Aging club kids that partied at CBGB in the early 80s and 54 before that. Andy Warhol has sniffed coke off Jamison’s ass and Truman Capote came on Justin shoe in the basement of 54. That is the closest as either of these two queens have come to instant stardom but the residual stories they’ve been able to tell based off the experiences have given them cred for years. Now 51 and 53 respectively, these aging homosexuals are trying everything they can to stay relevant in a world that has no time or place for them anymore.

Wanting nothing to do with a history lesson, our hero flags down the bartender to order a drink when his vision is blocked by a pair of combat boots stomping and swaying to the rhythmic pulse of the music. Looking up, he sees:

7. Something Like This – Tommy Sunshine, or Thomas Lloyd – to his family, is the IT go-go boy of the minute. Everyone wants to be him, be in him or just be with him. Unfortunately, his brain is so muddled with the copious amounts of Tina he’s been putting up his nose, he doesn’t know which way is the right way up. His short term memory is blown as is his sphincter from spending too many unconscious hours in a sling in the back room.

With drink in hand, our hero moves away from the bar to see if he can find “him”. Snaking his way through the crowd he is pleasantly surprised to see our next patron. One of the few people he is actually happy to see, our hero quickly delivers two Eurpean kisses to each cheek of:

8. Skin This Cat – Anastasia Dumorne, the most fabulous drag queen to ever grace the stage. Not only do all the straight boys love her but the women and the gay boys. She has a quality that makes her desirable to everyone. Not only is she a beautiful woman, but she is one of the most rare of all drag queens. When the makeup comes off he is a gorgeous man as well. She is dressed in a tight red pleather catsuit and dances around our hero not working for tips or drinks, just being.

After spending a moment in the luxurious glow of our favorite tranny, Hero continues his adventure through the crowd. He knows “he” is here. It’s a Friday night. Everyone, as you may well have noticed is here. Walking back to the bar to have his beverage replenished, he is practically smashed into the man in the corner by a throng of partiers. He turns to apologize to the man in the corner when he feels a spark of recognition. He thinks for a minute and realizes:

9. Skin Tight – You’d never see him unless you were looking for him but there he is, in the corner of the bar, one drink away from crying into his High Ball. You’ve seen him there before but you never paid attention to him. You don’t even know his name but you’d know if he wasn’t there like you would miss a piece of furniture you’ve seen every week. On the surface he seems to be a pretty non assuming middle aged guy but you scratch the surface and you unleash a world of codependence. He’s moved into your tiny apartment before you’ve both finished your drinks. He has the holidays planned out and he knows where you are spending your vacations.

Upon getting his refill he steps back into the flood of sweat and sex perfuming the air and locks eyes with a man so beautiful it is painful to look too long. Deciding not to glare for too long, Hero looks one more time and is met with deadly eyes that seem a bit too cold but he decides to take it all in quickly and realizes:

10. Sex and Violence – Simply put, the devil in the latest from Armani or Gucci. Money is never an object as he has been successful not only in business but also the market. He is a man of distinction and taste - Only the best for him, expensive single malt scotch or aged burbon. Neat. He is beautiful, powerful and dangerous. You want to approach him but you can see a darkness surrounding him so you move on. Others may not be so lucky and the missing persons reports will start to turn up in the next few days.

11. Night Life – Tired of being assaulted by all the wrong people, our hero decides to throw caution to the wind and dance. Dance like he’s never danced before. There is no one else around and he is the only one in the world on the dance floor at this very moment. Until he feels something brushing up against him ever so gently. He opens his eyes as he spins around. It’s him. The one. The man that dreams are made of and he is keeping time with our hero. When did this happen. When did Mr. Perfect even see him. How did he know he existed. Shocked and taken aback, our hero slows for a moment before picking the pace back up. Dancing in unison, our lovers start to become one. The world falls away as the night sweeps them into the world.

12. Invisible Light – Running toward the train, our lovers depart into the subterranean world of tunnels and speeding metal. Taking the train uptown to our hero’s apartment is the best answer as the heat of lust and passion fill the still air of the subway platform. Remembering the cavalcade of characters that made this night eventful, our hero’s head is filled with so much he can’t believe what’s happening. Throwing the door open to his 5th story walk up, our lovers barely make it through the door with their clothes on. The rest of the night is filled with exploration and pleasure as they intertwine over and over. What our lovers don’t know is this is only the beginning of what will become many, many years of love.