Reviews (page 5 of 8)
One of the gayest sounding albums I've ever heard. Happy Pride Month this app said lmfao. I actually like a good portion of it. It is very fun.
it was fun!
This was fun
Andskoti hresst. 2004 var ekki ár með mörgum banger plötum og auðvitað verður að taka mið af því. Nu-Disco allskonartónlist.
Big nostalgia hit. Driving to pick up Elliott from daycare
De kan alltså
Glam rock with one foot in the 70s and one in the 2000s Horrible cover of Comfortably Numb.
This one came out of nowhere for me....never heard of them, or thought I hadn't. Great album. "Best Gay Album of all time" in 2006....I can see it.
Not bad, good
extremely funny to get this album the day i put my cds in storage n lost access to my cd player (temporarily) (i got a used copy of this + never listened). sounds like everything that came out from 1974-78 all smushed together. which is interesting because i go "well this is derivative!" but like, it doesn't really rip off anything and has a unique sound. i'll bat for the Comfortably Numb cover but not much stuck with me. deserves to be one of the 1001? maybe
Joyous
Stupid
Britney Spears/Max Martin, George Michael, Survivor (Eye of the Tiger), Queen... Est-ce que cet album se veut un hommage aux hits de la pop, qu'il revisite? Je n'ai pas trouvé l'info, mais c'était clair pour moi. J'ai dû me familiariser avec l'univers, mais une fois que j'ai cessé de m'arrêter aux similitudes avec d'autres artistes, j'ai bien aimé l'influence glam rock assumée et le petit côté pas propre
Laura // Take Your Mama // Filthy / Gorgeous //
OMG this is so much fun. Total glam-disco chaos in the best way. I was grinning the whole time.
Very nice album.
Absolute fucking 2000s pop drivel. This album has about as much permanence as a shit circling the drain.
Better than expected! Quite fun, danceable and easy listening. Track 2 and 4 even remind me of Elton John. Their cover of Comfortably Numb is atrocious, but I respect them for doing their own thing. Not something that will overflow my playlists, but it’s decent entertainment for a night
Fun in 2004 and still fun today. What a wild range: pop, disco, glam rock, prog...
Open the album on Spotify, and there's already a song in my liked songs (Take Your Mama). I look at my liked songs playlist, and I have 3 Scissor Sisters songs on it. I don't remember adding them, but I did recall Take Your Mama when I heard it. Loved the album, will listen again.
dancy and fun
Nah not really for me. Man, that Comfortably Numb cover almost made it a 2 star for me. But when it comes to covers, I usually appreciate the ones that try to make something new out of it rather than a straight cover. So while I appreciate the boldness of changing up the song, I really didn't care for it.
It’s fine
Much better than I thought it would be. Fun listen. Kind of feels a little like Queen.
It's like the transition phase between rock and modern pop. We had no idea what to create and where we were going so we created this shit
A cím jó volt
I remember Len booking us tickets to see Scissor Sisters in Benidorm in 2017. We turned up and were quite shocked that he’d booked tickets to a very different pair of Scissor Sisters than we expected. He swears he booked the wrong show. He did make us watch the whole thing though. 2.8
Was excited for this, because if you don’t think Take Your Mama is a flat out timeless banger you literally have no ears. But somehow the album just didn’t quite live up. Maybe not as fun and energetic as I expected.
While I still prefer the original version, I appreciate that they made their cover of Comfortably Numb their own. 3.5 Stars.
O.k. but besides the well known "Take Your Mama" nothing really remarkable on. Weak three stars. 2,5
Never actually heard before although I knew a lot of the songs. Really enjoyable.
I was really looking forward to this album. "I love the scissor sisters" I thought. "This album has some cracking songs". And then I played it. Hit, hit, hit...until it got slow. And a little dull. Don't get me wrong, still a good band, but maybe there's a reason only some of the songs are still regularly played today and some are forgotten. Or maybe I'm just being super critical and it's a fine album and I have the memory of a sieve. Who knows.
This is a great pop disco album, the second half drops off a bit, but it's still enjoyable... However that comfortably numb cover is abysmal. It sounds like a 12 year old kid made it on fruity loops. I hate it so much. I can't find a redeeming feature in it, it's like they made it too fast, too emotionless, too computerised, too shit. I've had the conversation loads of times and everyone else seems to love it which is probably why I have a healthy distrust for society as a whole. The idiots.
6/10 kind of basic but not too bad to have on in the background 5-01-2025
Really fun vibes
I saw Scissor Sisters twice in about the space of a year. In the first instance, they were in the Limelight, supported by the Vichy Government. In the second, I accompanied my mother to see them in the King's Hall, supported by... I don't remember. However, the transition wasn't as extreme as it appears on paper. In the Limelight, they were obviously being pushed as an up-and-coming cool group that might break big and draw in exactly the crowd that made up the King's Hall audience: mothers, awkward teens, Radio 1 listeners. Putting them together with the Vichy Government was predicated on a very tenuous grasp of what it meant back then to provoke audiences, to challenge gender norms, to side with pop over rock. And, thus, the Scissor Sisters went on to huge venues and record sales and the Vichy Government did not. There is nothing more to the music of Scissor Sisters than a few Elton John records when he was closeted, all without the tension provided by that thinly-veiled secret. The band's queer openness is coy to anyone who has heard Pansy Division or Jobriath or Phranc or Jayne County or Coil or a million other artist, so safe and pliant that it verges on minstrelsy. It is middle-aged Graham Norton. It is, to borrow an epithet from John Lennon, "granny shit." Those were the people, my beloved mother among them, who danced to it and for whom it was designed all along. I've previously criticised Red Hot Chilli Peppers for their jerky, funkless funk. Well, Scissor Sisters and their sexless dance music is worse. Although the record is toploaded with singles, a bad sign itself, this listener is given a quick primer to how unfunky and unpopping this plodding dance-pop record is: the flat-footed sixteenth notes of Laura; the player piano syncopation of Take Your Mama; and always bouncing octaves on the bass instead of licks, riffs, or grooves. It's all rigid, easy for the mamas who have been taken out to dance to between the fold-down seats on the slanted banks of the arena, but that rigidity gives away how mechanical - nay animatronic - it all is. Reading back before posting, I realise that the Lennon quote and what it engenders reeks of agism and misogyny. I won't spare my blushes by taking it out, but will reiterate what I think he meant when he used to call out McCartney's pop writing: parodic, fourth-quadrant, commercial, unchallenging, integrationist stuff that touches everyone, but offers nothing. That's this record, which is fine now and again, but, even as a part record, it falls apart pretty quickly. Go to the B-52s first record to see how it should be done. 1.5 I shuddered when I saw this album come up. I listen to a local commercial radio station for most of my working day and ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’ is a daily horror. It isn’t on this album I know, but it is the song of theirs I hear the most (Filthy/Gorgeous also makes a regular appearance) and I hate it very much. So when I think ‘Scissor Sisters’ that horrible blabbering chorus pops into my head and I wince. To be honest though I quite enjoyed listening to some of their debut album today. The singles aren’t brilliant songs but they are stupidly charming and I credit their songwriting for effort at the very least. These songs, albeit superficially, recall the work of some great songwriters; Stevie Wonder and the Bee Gees among others and there is nothing wrong with taking your cues from up there. Elton John is also referenced. Of course the arse completely falls out of this album after Filthy/Gorgeous but that too is forgivable - they were trying to keep the party going as long as possible. 2/5
And just like that, I'm back in college. I love everything on this album
I hate this.
I had a friend once called Dan. We met in Yaroslavl', he was on a semester abroad from Nottingham Uni, and I was there from Sheffield. He was unintentionally hilarious. He had an iPod, and on his iPod was a playlist called 'Dan's Playlist', and all it had on it was 'I Don't Feel Like Dancing' twice. This album doesn't have 'I Don't Feel Like Dancing' on it, and isn't fantastic, musically speaking, but it brought back some fun memories.
I thought this was going to be super gay ngl, was surprisingly enjoyable.
Funny name, not a fan otherwise
Better than I remember it to be fair... Laura, Mary, Take Your Mama are all fantastic songs... The Comfortably Numb travesty is still one of the worst things I've ever heard in my life though. So it loses an extra star.
Started off really strong and I thought their Pink Floyd cover was a Bee Gees version but then the tracks just started getting stale.
Safe to say I did not stay for the UK only tracks Ms. Matronic because this was shit. Genuinely had to listen to this in 3 go’s and had to listen to the actual Comfortably Numb after potentially the worst ever cover I’ve heard. They sounded like if Jamiroquai and the Bee Gees decided they would try and create the worlds worst album they could.
i love the vibe but defo not my fav scissor sisters album, return to oz alone was worth a star i loved that song, other than that i was quite bored maybe because i’m tired, but love you anyway scissor sisters (i’m not gay)
Just weird. Not my thing . Can appreciate it. But just no. Comfortably numb please kill me #bringbackpinkfloyd
genuinely pleasantly surprised, favourite was definitely "mary". first time a song from one of these album has actually been put on my playlist, yippeeeee!!!
I found this more entertaining than I expected, in a "dance for me, clown" kind of way. I would probably never willingly listen to this, but its fine.
Definition of mid
Fun to listen to. It's like bee gees without any effort to be serious, I liked it, might listen again when I'm in the right mood.
B+ Laura 5 Take Your Mama 5 Comfortably Numb 3 Mary 5 Lovers In The Backseat 3 T**s On The Radio 4 Filthy/Gorgeous 3 Music Is The Victim 3 Better Luck Next Time 3 It Can't Come Quickly Enough 4 Return to Oz 5 This album holds a special place in my heart. Mary is my favorite.
No
For some reason I really disliked the piano in this album-- the choice to make some of the songs so piano-forward (at the expense of the bass and electronics which were more interesting) seemed inexplicable to me. On the other hand, I really liked the "Comfortably Numb" cover, felt like a unique, interesting take on the song. And the more bass-forward "Tits on the Radio" was fun.
did not finish, but idk about their sound. it felt like they were aiming for some era of pop that i didnt like...
I really tried to find something nice to say about this album, but came up empty. Lock them up for that Pink Floyd cover.
https://youtu.be/3sIYe74sczE?si=-JtVMusL965Gl8ho My disappointment is immeasurable
Electronica disco beats that brings back flashbacks of the Bee Gees in the late 70's, isn't in my usual musical wheelhouse and this doesn't help to change my mind. It's enjoyable enough to listen to, it's upbeat and fun, but has little substance to really pull me in to be a fan. It is what it is, it's not something I would listen to often, but I wouldn't turn it off either.
Love that one too!
Wtf was that comfortably numb cover
It’s a fun romp of an album. Put it on on a sunny day and it’s hard to beat.
Hell yes. This is an awesome and subversive album, reviving glam rock for a moment in the 00s. Loved it when it came out and still listen to it today. And the disco cover of Comfortably Numb? Chef’s kiss.
Day464 - the comfortably numb remake was fun and different
Fav: Mary Least Fav: Comfortably Numb Whilst I didn’t love that cover of Comfortably Numb, I respect that they transformed it into a campy disco vibe, like with the rest of the album
Ok well that was much more enjoyable than expected
Not unfun
I feel like Scissor Sisters was revolutionary in "gay pop" of the early 2000s, but it just feels dated to me now. I think it's fine, but I don't need to come back to the whole album. Best Songs: Laura, Mary, Return to Oz Worst Songs: Comfortably Numb, Filthy/Gorgeous
Didn't expect to like it as much as I did!
This was a fun album. I was leaning towards giving it a 4, but the disco-esque cover of Comfortably Numb annoyed me.
You know, I’m not sure I had to listen to this before keeling over, however it’s campy fun, upbeat and joyful, and what is not to love about that? I don’t even dislike the Comfortably Numb cover, it’s so different it works
2004 vuosi ylistetty
Kept my attention, even if I didn’t particularly like it. Each song is very different but familiar.
Not in my edition of the book! 2004. 4 stars. Quality camp rock, with some brilliantly catchy songs and sharp lyrics. The opening four song sequence is brilliant. Point deducted for filler.
The disco cover of "Comfortably Numb" reinforces the way this feels like a gimmicky album of '70s knockoff novelty pop. "Take Your Mama" slaps, though.
I liked this album. It started with piano hammering on the first song, but morphed into intricate songwriting and unique style through the rest of the album. I would listen to this again. Didn't have any songs that reached out and grabbed me. I think my buddy Stephen would really enjoy this album.
I mean, this album just rips, this is known. (And yes, Ana, this is me giving my blessing to use the t-slur that once, but we're watching you)
I prefer Magic Hour, but this is still a great album.
This is one of those albums that, when it came out, I listened to SO MUCH - and haven't actually touched for years and years since... So thank you for making me put this on again, this is still brilliant. I'm not one for pop or disco usually, but Scissor Sisters bring the party atmosphere and it's hard not to be swept up in it all. I had also forgotten pretty much every song after Filthy/Gorgeous on here, and while they aren't the radio-friendly songs of the first half I think they're possibly better? Honestly a great listen through and through, and I don't think there's any weak tracks among them. Easy five stars!
The premier "gay" album of all-time. Take Your Mama Out is a great song. I wouldn't recognize Comfortably Numb as the Pink Floyd song and, even though I'm not a big Pink Floyd fan, I know this is much worse. This album is the alternate soundtrack for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Lovers In the Backseat sounds like a reimagining of She Blinded Me With Science. You can't see tits on the radio should have been my Senior quote. You hope for more from the song based on the title. Filthy/Gorgeous was the second single....that's a pretty big drop from Take Your Mama Out, still the second best song on the album so far. Everything after Filthy/Gorgeous is too much of a change from the feeling of the album up to that point. Old glam rock is better than new glam rock.
Pop music that swaggers and smiles.
I was thinking this album wasn’t too bad starting off, but then the cover of Comfortably Numb played and it’s absolutely horrendous. All downhill from there.
Kinda fun flare but not something I would groove to. They have a one hit on this album
Kind of a fun album, but it's really messy overall, and the flamboyance feels a bit too over the top sometimes which I think really dates this album a lot. Just with how much the LGBTQ community has evolved in the last 20 years, this hasn't really aged all that well.
lovely!!
Nothing I would otherwise listen to. Also the cover of Comfortably Numb is dogshit
Yeah, it's energic and danceable but I didn't feel that there was much more to it. Sometimes it sounded like an updated, more disco, version of Elton John.
Comfortably Numb, Bee Gees edition. For crying out loud, what was that??
Music is the victim, indeed.
sassy and fun. 4 stars, partially for being queer.
I don't know what I was expecting. I had never heard the Scissor Sisters before, so everything here is new to me. Upon first listen, it kinda reminds me of Midnight Vultures-era Beck. There's a nu-disco reimagining of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" which as interesting. Overall their vision is consistent, and while I didn't love it, I didn't dislike it either.
Disco pop mix. Music not that interesting and lyrics weak.
Lovely, flamboyant and fun - the disco tracks are killer - the ballads tasteful and they actually managed to make me like their version of comfortably numb - probably one of the top songs I dislike. Enjoyed this one.
Definitely an album for a specific time and place in history. Broadly referential to disco and Elton Johnlike boogey piano.
Iconic, loved it
Would have gotten 5 stars if it wasn't for that horrendous Pink Floyd cover. The world didn't and doesn't need a disco version of Comfortably Numb.
Good but a little annoying if you know what I mean. As in, the fuck were they talking about? Tits on the radio, I suppose. God bless! 3/5
me and who
Super gay
Not bad at all. Kind of glammy, kind of George Michaels -y.
Tiene cierto interes pero flojea
Solid
I kinda get why this album got so loved, even though it didn’t get much love in the US vs abroad. A lot of their choices don’t stack up musically to other examples in my opinion and for my own taste but I see why people would enjoy it. Their version of "Comfortably Numb" is so outrageous…. I can't tell whether it is brilliant or awful. As a big PF fan I was really caught off guard by this. I couldn’t help but wonder what David Gilmore would think
Oof did not enjoy this at all
meh
Glam-Disco-Pop. Light, fun, and a bit tongue in cheeky at points.
High energy. And it was a good, bubbly energy. I had a good time.
Blind album and artist, but apparently I liked Take your Mama at some point? Was the best track on the album. Didn't particularly enjoy this whole album too much and in fact comfortably numb made me uncomfortable
Fun!
If my band had made this album, I'd be proud. Controversially I super enjoyed some parts of the comfortably numb cover, but the bad parts far eclipsed the good. (the BeeGees style Ha Ha Ha Ha inserted in different places, puke.) Overall, not a bad dancy album, but like... again my complaint for everything on this list is that there's so much better out there to represent the genres and styles they chose! for dancy synth pop, Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia is literally unstoppable. And Mag Bay's Mercurial World. I know nothing about music but I know this for sure
*Like it
Interesting listen, didn’t know they were from 2003
挺不错的
funny
Somebody was having a lot of fun making this album. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Their version of "Comfortably Numb" is so outrageously campy that I can't tell whether it is brilliant or awful.
OK, it's pretty good. There's no way I could listen to it all the time, but it's pretty cool how it melds genres. I'm not a big glam guy, and that's really what this is at its heart, but it weaves in aspects of rock, pop, and electronica to great effect. I have to say, though, that Comfortably Numb is comfortably the worst song on the album. Covers are always tricky, because people who love the original will obviously compare the two versions, so if you try to sound *exactly* like the original band, you're probably going to fail, and if you try to put your own spin on it you'll be accused of butchering it. Scissor Sisters took the latter approach and, well, they butchered it. Frankly, even if you don't compare it to the original, it's just kind of a shit song. On the other hand, Filthy/Gorgeous might be the best song. Overall, this album is fun as hell. It'll have you tapping your toes and nodding your head and bopping around the office and, really, isn't that what music's all about?
Music is indeed the victim.
This is pretty good
A neon-lit cabaret act that takes itself just seriously enough to sell it. It’s dramatic, indulgent, and unafraid to go full Broadway when the moment calls for it. The hooks are undeniable, the energy is relentless, and the whole thing feels like it should be played in a club where the drinks are overpriced but the vibes are immaculate. Not an everyday listen, but when it hits, it hits. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Laura - Take Your Mama - Filthy/Gorgeous
erm so this album is too gay even for a pansexual person. and the cover of my favourite pink floyd song makes me uncomfortable. and i wasn't numb during the runtime. i was painful. but hey, at least it is danceable. 3/5
3+
Disco pop, this was very popular at the time. No idea why
Jive-y but not my style. Return to Oz was cool.
Why was that class. Knocked a star off for touching comfortably numb though, that’s kinda sacrilegious
Enjoyed it mostly but the pink Floyd cover was terrible
Fun, funky and humming with a vibrant sexual energy. The style feels equal parts Bee Gees, Bowie and George Michael. I could totally see myself spending more time with this one. The cover of “Comfortably Numb” is incredible. I can’t remember the last time I heard a cover so completely transform a song. They turned it into a Bee Gees song! And it works!
Fun and flamboyant indie pop. Scissor Sisters have been a fun band to put on for me to jam to at random times in my life and you can usually count on them to hold a beat that keeps you moving. However, this is also a downside to their music for me, as I find that their songs never really go above and beyond and tend to hold too closely to one groove. There's many songs that sound good, and have good moments, but don't have those big explosions into the next level. I'm often looking for something more; for a hook to be more infectious, for a chorus to burst into a huge climactic moment. It just doesn't ever come to fruition, and this is ultimately a point that keeps me from rating this album higher. It's a high 2, like a 2.8. Enough to round up to a 3.
Definitely a wild and interesting one. Dancey poppy glam, more or less. I'll give it the 4 since I certainly wasn't bored lol
What is this? It's pulling a lot from the 80's, both glam and disco. I don't know how to feel about it. I hated the Comfortably Numb cover, it sounds like bad dance from the dead zone of music, when the 80's got stale, but grunge, rap, and britpop hadn't yet become dominant. That cover is about 15 years out of date. Otherwise, this album just grooves. I'm not going to call it smart or pioneering or anything like that, but it's just good in a way that I can groove to.
Not awful
In a nutshell: one trick pony. Raise your hand if you had a heated debate with someone about whether "covering Pink Floyd should be illegal" It's outlandish and disposable music. Top 40 radio fodder. The falsetto gets boring early. In retrospect I think some listeners see this as an album with guilty pleasure singles on it. And in some countries, you can say "tits" on the radio. Overall: 2/10
Rather liked this.
The start of the first song made me think I was about to hear Dolly Parton sing "9 to 5". The second song made me think I was listening to George Michaels's "Freedom". The third song is a tragic version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb", I hated it. This one isn't starting out well. There are some moments in this album but nothing I'd ever want to hear again.
Several bangers mixed in with some Bee Gees vibing tunes. Overall it’s fantastic. Excellent production, the energy is outrageous.
16/02/2025
Some good moments!
Really good. Better than expected. Reminds me of Justin Timberlake.
It's kinda fun and weirdly I was very familiar with this group when I was really young - though I did kinda mix them up with Junior Senior - but I dunno. Not too big of a fan sadly
I kinda like this but I also kinda find it annoying. Used to play a lot at my place of work
you know when something is just immediately so offputting and pisses u tf off right when you put it on
1st time I learned of the Scissor Sisters I was aghast at their idea of a discofied "Comfortably Numb" 2nd time was when their song "I Can't Decide" was used to great effect in Doctor Who. 3rd time was when I found out they were on this list! (*Were*- they were expunged from later editions) Sorry younger me, "Comfortably Numb" goes hard, & we still have the original. Although hearing the 'ahh-ha-ha' Bee Gees pastiche makes the lack of disco Bee Gees on this list (Saturday Night Fever/Spirits Having Flown) even more beguiling That bassline in "Filthy/Gorgeous" sounds like the sewers in Super Mario Bros. IN A GOOD WAY The last two songs make for a surprisingly morose ending. HL: the Pink Floyd cover, "Mary", "Filthy/Gorgeous", "It Can't Come Quickly Enough" February 11, 2025
I'm sure it was probably pretty cool to have some openly gay musicians in the mainstream in the early 2000s, but the music is pretty terrible. When it's not blatantly ripping off better music (which is not often) it's woefully uninspired and the production is extremely bland, with nowhere near the level of cover or detail the cover suggests.
This album genuinely did nothing for me. I could not tell if it was older or more contemporary with the intention of sounding a bit older and had no intention of wasting the energy to look it up. I was bored more and more with each track and most I had to skip ahead after a little over a minute. I would never listen to this again willingly.
Who allowed these annoying dipshits to make a shitty disco cover of Pink Floyd? Who is responsible? What a boring album. Can’t utterly hate it but it’s just so boooooring.
what if we made a song about fucking your mom and then followed it up with a cover of comfortably numb
More like 3.5
Rubbish
It's a very joyous, and fun glam/disco album and it gets a 4 from me because of it. I recognised some of the hits songs from it. The early 2000s wasn't a great period in music, so albums like this stand out from the others.
It's alright
Funky. Good.
A bit odd for my tastes. The vocals are okay, but I didn't really like the album much
💩💩💩💩💩
I didn’t know this existed and it was pretty fun. I call that a win
Sjovt opbrud, helt fair den er med på listen selvom det er endnu et britisk band. Jeg er gammel nok nu til at indrømme, at deres cover af Comfortably Numb er helt fint
Var helt klar til at give den en højere score, de første par sange var en fornøjelse (inkl det sindssyge cover af Comfortably Numb) men viste sig at være ret frontloaded. Synes anden halvdel var ret kedelig.
Take Your Mama is such a banger!
Only knew Take Your Mama so this album was a welcome surprise! Will be back.
Wish there were half stars for this because thus is a 3.5
Was a 3 until that pink floyd cover.
I was wondering how this might stand up. At the time it was a really fun record with some really inescapable big singles. Bee Gees, Elton, euro disco all mixed up on the dancefloor of a nightclub you'll remember forever but forget where the hell it was. Listening today I was surprised how powerful the finish of the album was. it Can't Come Quickly enough is stunning. Actually played it twice in a row. Return To Oz too. What seemed like a mashup homage/pastiche at the time revealed itself to be a bit of a classic
Point off for Comfortably Numb. Travesty.
Take Your Mama has always been a favorite. This whole album just wants to have fun.
Album is all over the place. I’ll hear something nice and then something unlistenable comes on
Couldn't get into it. 1/5
Kinda dig it. Witty, clever, good songs. Not great, but I'd listen again and to there other stuff as well.
A new to me band that I will be adding into rotation
5/10 meh
Fun album Standout songs: Lovers in the backseat Music is the victim
Surprised by how much I did not like this album since I do enjoy a couple of their songs a lot.
So entertainingly weird! Not my first exposure to the Scissor Sisters, but my first full album. First listen I thought the ‘Comfortably Numb’ cover was awful but second listen seemed a bit better. 3.5/5
Not too bad. The album starts strong but falters a little as it goes on The cover of "Comfortably numb" is a capital crime! All in all, quite a pleasant surprise
прикольно, кавер узнал только по названию, и еще одну песню уже слышал
I’d assumed they were a novelty act, but this has some, snappy numbers, especially in the first half when they drop in a touch of Elton John amongst the then-de rigueur post punk and disco arrangements. Doesn’t hold together terrifically well, but I had more fun than I expected.
Another one that captured the zeitgeist for my old countrymen shortly after I departed their fair land, and one that I expected to hate. Initially I was surprised! Quite a few bangers, even "Comfortably Numb" was so odd as not to be terrible. Shortly afterwards the quality dropped precipitously, the remaining half being low-energy vaguely disco-ish warblings (i.e., New Order, anyone?). A high 2*
Nah not my thing at all.
I remember the two singles from this album and loved their disco vibes so I'm excited to see how this goes. Upon further reflection, the other Scissor Sisters song I know, was off of a different album. It's funny I've listened to "Take Your Mama" probably a thousand times, and I never noticed before how similar it is to George Michael's "Faith" which I have also listened to a thousand times. Somehow the cover of "Comfortably Numb" actually made me dizzy. "Tits on the Radio" would slap way more if it had different lyrics although the idea of there not being tits on the radio does crack me up a little bit. "Filthy/Gorgeous" is great, I picture it blasting in a gay nightclub with everybody dancing. That being said, I don't know that I will listen to it again. "Music is a Victim" is the highlight of the album so far for me and it will go on my playlist. The last few songs are sort of not memorable. I enjoyed this, but mostly because of genre, as opposed to liking it because it's very good?
Great overall. Take Your Mama is the hit I remember.
That comfortably numb cover is genuinely disgusting
Un álbum que parece requerir un cierto tiempo para desplegarse. Un par de temas exquisitos y un par de relleno. Nota: 4.0
Re-introduction to a solid Glam rock experience.
Every other song is a banger. Every other song is skipable. I don't really know what to do with this album; I love half of it, and half of it is a snooze fest. By the end, I think the great songs make up for the bland ones.
So so
Glam Rock feeling between comfortably numb and art on acid. Okay as background music.
I had never heard of this band and had no idea what to expect. The album was entertaining--large swaths of a more edgy mid- to late-70s The Eagles and Little River Band sound, homages to Disco, and early 80s funk. A pleasant surprise and satisfying listen.
Don't like glam rock. I'm starting to become a rock hater because I have not loved any of the rock albums yet.
Laura er en fed åbner. Skæv og anderledes. Meget dragende. George Michael vipes over take your mama. Også noget Robie Williams her. - Jeg hyggede mig over hvor anderledes det her er i forhold til alt andet. Jeg er dog også klar til at glemme albummet igen. 😁
De kloge siger at når man laver en coverversion af en sang, så er det vigtigt at man gør det til sin egen. Det må man sige Scissor Sisters gør med Pink Floyds klassikker. Desværre lyder det som om Roger Waters er druknet i et orgie med Bee Gees, Right Said Fred og Frankie Goes To Hollywod. Det meste af albummet balancere mellem nogle fine melodier og noget sjovt musik som fanger og giver mig lyst til at ryste røven. Desværre virker de sidste par sange ret ligegyldige og giver en følelse af at albummet flader ud i stedet for at lukke med et brag. Det kunne være blevet til tre stjerner, men maltrakteringen af et af de få PF sange jeg virkelig har kært er så voldsomt at det trækker ned. Lige der var musikken et offer, og det var jeg også.
Some solid dance/pop tracks, also very gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that)
Still fun and uplifting.
I only knew this band by their 2 radio hits (Take Your Mama and I Don't Feel Like Dancin) going in, so this album really subverted my expectations. There's a wide array of styles and genres on display. Doing a dance/disco cover of Comfortably Numb seemed an odd choice, until you get to the end with Return To Oz which has a distinct Pink Floyd vibe, which puts it into perspective. Subsequent listens were spent searching for what else I missed the first time. I was expecting this to be a fun but fluff album, but it turned into an enjoyable and interesting listen. I also really like the album cover. It's a great concept even if the photoshop work could have been better.
Fun listen. Inessential.
Interesting. I loved the cover of ‘Comfortably Numb’ when this album came out. Probably the main reason I got it, along with ‘Tits on the Radio’. (The title of the latter alone appealed to my puerile post-adolescent sense of humour. Now it leaves me vaguely nauseous. It hasn’t changed. I have. I can’t with any confidence say that I’ve changed for the better, though…
7/10 Very good album that didn’t blow me away. Glam pop with heavy disco and Elton John influences Really fun, nicely put together. Great vibes. Who would have thought that taking the guitar solos out of Comfortably Numb would make it much more palatable (me) Best: Filthy/Gorgeous
I enjoyed that album, some really strong tracks but not enough to get a 4 for me. 3.5, but let's round to 4!
Couple of good pop songs, the rest is very forgettable
Return to Oz is the only one i like
Worst version of comfortably numb ever!
I genuinely hate everything about this album and am shocked to discover this band is still pulling millions of listeners. I would have thought this would be another miss by the author, taking a gamble on a current artist that would otherwise be forgotten to time. 1/5
This is just the poor man’s Of Montreal. Do yourself a favor, ignore this album and listen to The Sunlandic Twins instead.
The right amount of glam I suppose.
when this came out i downloaded an mp3 of Take Your Mama from Kazaa that was just the first verse looped for four minutes and i listened to it a lot and it broke my brain
So gay
I had never heard of this group before but found this album to be a pure delight, so much so that I had to listen to it again as I was swept up into the infectious grooves. Who would have thought of "Comfortably Numb" performed in the spirit of "Staying Alive". Awesome...
There are a couple of songs that caught my attention: Take Your Mama, Mary, It Can't Come Quickly Enough, and Return To Oz. Their rendition of Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb' was OK, but I still prefer the original. All-in-all, this was pretty straightforward and kind of what you'd expect the early 2000s to sound like. Nothing to really rave about, but not completely unworthy either.
Muy buen disco. Un 80s distinto, no tan robótico, más limpio.
Laura is such a good pop song. That ending with the sax and the backing vocals is so good Take Your Mama is great too. Filthy Gorgeous sucks so much Comfortably Numb isn't as good as the original, but its still good and I like what they did with it Four of the singles are excellent, so it's up to the album tracks to hold up their end. Tits on the Radio, despite the name, is a good tune with a decent chorus Better luck next time - decent It's a 4
Kind of fun, funky. The 'Comfortably Numb' cover is pretty sick. I knew Take Your Mama from before. I liked Filthy/Gorgeous and Music is the Victim. Both pretty boppy!
I thought I’d like it more based on some of the reviews. It’s good but their clear influences are generally better
The beat and quality of the music are good, the lyrics can fall flat often. Overall it is fresh and interesting but ultimately a time piece without lasting values
Better than expected but still not for me. 2.5/5
Some of it wasn’t bad.
Scissor Sisters is the debut studio album by Scissor Sisters, originally released in 2004. This was a really interesting listen. I expected it to be more on the punk side, but it was not that at all. This reminded me a little bit of MGMT? But less good. However, some of the songs are pretty damn catchy. The production is pretty unique as well. Overall this was a pretty fun album.
This album is incredibly fun. Alongside Electric Six's debut album, it combined disco, dance, and rock during a time when much of the music was depressingly bad. Now this album is no 5* album by any account, there's just too many songs on here that don't hold up at all, and didn't even do on my first listen back in 2004. But Laura, Take Your Mama Out Tonight, Tits On The Radio and Filthy/Gorgeous are still songs I play when I'm DJ'ing somewhere and will still fill any dancefloor, regardless of age groups.
HOT STEAMING ASS… I don’t think I’ve ever listened fo worse music in my lifetime. I somehow was able to add two song to my playlist that will likely eventually get removed. I cannot believe how annoying each of these songs sound and the singers voices are nails to a chalkboard. Never recommend me shit like this again album generator or we’re gonna have issues. 0/5 rating If I could give it that. :(
The music is tight, zippy, funky, cocksure and enjoyable. Loved it.
Lots of fun songs! Sounds like they were heavily influenced by Elton John and Boy George.
What an odd, eclectic album. Feels like they tried a different genre for each song. Folk, rock, pop, it’s all here. Even a disco cover of Comfortably Numb. Not bad for sure, all the music was good, but I definitely need to give this one a relisten.
Couldn't make it through this one. Nope. Nope. Nope.
Was gonna give this three stars but that Pink Floyd cover was diabolical.
Bringing back disco is cool and all but not much stuck with me. The Comfortably Numb cover is a bold choice but I did not care for it. It sounded like Stayin Alive at times.
What a bizarre cover of comfortably numb.
7/10 - Ok I thought for sure this would have a female singer was not expecting a man. I was very wrong it seems. A lot of these songs were quite strange. A lot of songs had parts I really enjoyed but also a lot of parts I did not enjoy. I think I have heard comfortably numb before. I liked parts of Filthy/Gorgeous a lot but then other parts I very much did not enjoy. I think if I listened to this album more I would like it more. I might give it a relisten as I think the parts I do not like could grow on me. I liked Get it Get it a lot the whole way through.
It was fine. There was some enjoyable stuff. I’d just never listen to this over any older disco, didn’t really do anything for me
I’ve loved Take Your Mama for many years but had never listened to this full album. Really enjoyed the whole thing, especially Mary and Music is the Victim.
This was great. I’d forgotten they had as many good tracks as the first half of the album did. Plus, a cool Pink Floyd cover. Not quite a 5 because the last few tracks drop off of quality.
I didn’t really know what to expect and liked this more than I anticipated. “Glam rock” conjures some bands that aren’t my favorite. But maybe now this band is my favorite glam rock band?
This was some refreshingly fun disco music. Especially their cover of Comfortably Numb was incredible. Stand-out: Take Your Mama
shame backwoods discotheque didn't make this album
So fucking fruity 💅
shameless 5, i freak with this
Pre-listening thoughts: YAYYYYYY YAYY I LOVE SCISSOR SISTERS THIS IS SO EXCITING!! Also can I just say this album cover is beautiful. Post/during listening thoughts: I’ve heard a few songs from this album before but never sat down to listen to the whole thing. This is so for me. As soon as music becomes pop or disco, the reviews hate it. And that’s when I know I’ll love it. The Comfortably Numb cover you just kind of have to treat as a totally different song and then you might be able to enjoy it. But everything else is wonderfully joyful and fun and makes you want to dance around your room even though getting out from under the covers is hard because it’s so cold. It’s sort of Elton John reminiscent but definitely more modernized. Love this so much!! 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: hmmm…! Fav tracks: this is a no skip album BUT my personal favs were Laura, Take Your Mama, Filthy/Gorgeous, Music is the Victim, and Return to Oz Least fav tracks: none
Love this band and the first few songs, but this album gets sleepy.
I have never really understood the appeal of this album. A friend gave me this album on CD because she loved it, but I've always been pretty indifferent. There are a ton of songs that start off great, with a good beat or fun disco vibes, but then the vocals start and just don't match the energy. The Music is the Victim is the exception for me -- fun from start to finish. I don't require all music to be fun, but the disconnect between the minor melodies and lame vocals with the more energetic rhythms of the backing track lead to a disjointed and displeasing experience.
The Scissor Sisters, much like The Killers, are an American band that just feel British for some reason. Despite their accents, they still feel British to me. Anyway, this album was absolutely huge on release here in the UK, and I found myself recognising a lot on here. If I remember rightly, there seemed to be a surge of new disco records at this time and Scissor Sisters fit right in with this, giving us very catchy melodies and memorable lyrics all around. I really enjoyed this album.
Jag hatar det här. Den där pink Floyd covern suger
Sometimes Scissor Sisters sound like those cheesy pop bands from the 70s. And the band should have dropped the cover of "Comfortably Numb". But some tracks I enjoyed.
Клевый альбом, неожиданно очень понравился
3.5 - very 2004
holds up soooo well
I didn't like it back then and I don't like it now. I don't hate it neither but I'll never get the appeal. Also 50 minutes long? nah man
Ensimmäinen soittokierros oli hauska. Toisella loopilla alkoi jo puutumaan, joten ainakin tovin jaksaa viihdyytää boogiella.
Ihan meneviä biisejä, mut falsettia liikaa mun makuun.
Wait, Scissor Sisters was released in the 2000s. I was convinced this was some ridiculous album from the 1970s. It’s a hypersexual, bizarre album that’s all over the place. 4.6/10
3.5
Another blast from my college past. Take Your Mama is still my favorite from this one. I don't find myself returning to their music a lot, but they definitely have some really good, super fun songs.
This album is pretty much everything I hate about music. However, I can imagine other people genuinely like it. So not bad enough for 1 star. Favorite song: return to oz.
The singles are cracking and the Pink Floyd cover is fun but this is not really particularly essential (nothing wrong with it either)
This was a weird. It’s started out alright and then they transformed one of the greatest Pink Floyd songs (Comfortably Numb) into some kind of Bee Gee’s ripoff. I don’t know what to think anymore.
Whoever suggested that they cover Pink Floyd should be smacked in the face with a raw fish. Otherwise this album was odd but fine.
Really fun, if contrived.
Whenever I get a band I've never heard of before, I feel like this project serves up one of two possibilities: an eye-opening sample of a band or person that may not appeal to me, but seems very worthy of inclusion; or some incredibly bland or derivative or otherwise uninteresting 30-60 minutes. Today the book served up the former, for which I'm grateful. I'm not sure I'd necessarily listen to more of their music, but I really enjoyed Scissor Sisters' sound and attitude and music selection on their debut album. I'll admit I had very high hopes for their version of "Comfortably Numb", and wasn't exactly rewarded by my hopes, but I have to say it's easily the best disco version of Pink Floyd I'll probably ever hear. And I really enjoyed the energy throughout the album, with a lot of Elton John vibes at times (especially in "Laura" and "Mary"); the video for "Take your mama" is kind of dated-looking in a way but still has a fun energy to it (Jake Shears is quite a dancer). I particularly liked "Tits on the radio" and "Music is the Victim" (and also the somewhat jarringly downer "Return to Oz"). I also just liked how strangely eclectic this album is, and how they somehow managed to avoid seeming like a novelty act yet are clearly having fun hamming it up. I'm not sure it quite deserves 4 stars, but they get a bonus for just being unexpected.
Great album which I'm embarrassed to say was new to me, though I'd heard of this band before. Comfortably Numb was esp terrific--the first 6 songs are all especially good. Didn't like the sort of fuzzy quality to the recording--I switched headphones to make sure it wasn't me--but this is great pop.
2004. Take Your Mama
There was nothing about this album that would make me think it belongs on this list. It was very normal. Nothing exceptional about it at all.
Funky and up beat.
fun enough album. not anything bad on here, but not anything super stellar either. the highlight for me was 'take your mama' which is a fun elton john style romp. the rest of it was alright, but did not elevate to the level of a favorite.
This album stinks. Was that the chipmunks singing comfortably numb?
This was pretty fun actually! I liked it very much. It was different than anything released in the 2000s, and it sounded pretty new for those times.
#83 - Good music of a very particular niche. Not necessarily my 🍵
This is one of my favourite albums of all time! What a fantastic exploration of gay life. From friendship to family and NYC nightlife, this band packs a variety of themes into excellent songs with hooks aplenty and enviable skill on every instrument. 10/10, absolutely deserves to be here. No wonder it was 2004’s best-selling album here.
Was all the energy snip snipped away from this recording? The first track was encouraging but from there out there were songs that I could envision being into but there was something just so flat and uninspiring about the delivery of them. Lovers in the Backseat for example, I really do think there is a great pop song there but there’s no excitement in the delivery. I don’t know if this a production problem, lead singer problem but it felt like there was a wet blanket thrown over this one in the studio. Go listen to of Montreal if you want a true disco resurgence project with some inspiration and energy. 2 stars
Light hearted pop that is fun and perfect for the dance floor
The noughties were filled with many great bands coming off the back of Brit-pop and grunge scenes. Bands such as The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Thrice, Finch, Emery, Linkin Park, Audioslave, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, August Burns Red, Trivium, the list goes on and on. But then we also got Scissor Sisters by Scissor Sisters, a campy disco record trying to drag us kicking and screaming back into the seventies. The fact that the first four tracks of the album were released as singles shouts that these were what the band/producers/record label thought were the best songs. "If we put all the good songs first on the record then people might forget to turn it off and end up listening to it all!". Although how they were permitted to record that awful cover of Comfortably Numb is beyond me, and makes a mockery of the whole music industry.
Fairly energetic disco pop, can't hate but doesn't quite hit tge spot.
Lots of fun at the time but apart from the big hitters there's not a lot to see here. And Comfortably Numb still grates.
I enjoyed this massively. It's camp and silly pop.
Just another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex At the time of release, this album was on my regular rotation. It might not be perfect but I enjoyed it a lot, good catchy fun.
Listened Before? N This album was hot and cold for me. Lots of disco grooves which is kind of a nice thing, and Take Your Mama is a scorcher, but on the other end we have the disco version of Comfortably Numb... they should be ashamed of this version. Awful. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Take Your Mama
I've always likes Take Your Mama, but I wasn't expecting the Scissor Sisters' debut to be so diverse, catchy, and fun! That Comfortably Numb cover is wild. 3.5/5
There was a certain level of cheesiness to this album that kept me from really enjoying it. There were some catchy hooks and a couple of standout songs, but I would skip over most of this if I were to revisit. Return to Oz is worth adding to my list.
Album reminds me of Disco and George Michael. Not really my thing. British bias comes out on this list once again, because few in the US cared about this album when it came out.
The coolest thing on this album was its electro-pop cover of Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb' which works oddly well. I was pretty mild on most of the music here, especially when it was going in that white-washed funk direction. A hand-full of highlights though, like the song 'Mary' was pretty good, and I'd be lying if I said that the bass tone and line on 'Tits On The Radio' didn't kick ass - this entire song might be my favorite here, it's so fun. I think that's the saving grace of this album, it's pretty fun to listen to. But also insanely tacky at times, like how the auto-tune and moaning on 'Filthy/Gorgeous' destroy an otherwise perfectly fine contemporary funk-electro song. I didn't hate it though, and it certainly grew on me as I continued listening to it. Also, it does (sort of) feel like the type of album that would grow on me over time - it feels incredibly unique in its genre fusions.
Fun listen!
This takes me back. The first four songs where on so many mixtapes I made back in the early 2000s. I really enjoyed hearing Filthy/Gorgeous, I've not heard that in almost 2 decades. The first time I heard Comfortably Numb was on this album, so I was very surprised to hear it was actually a cover song.
Spoke to the innate cheesy 70sness of the UK
This is really enjoyable even past the hit singles.
Wow. Not sure why I expected this to be better but it’s really not better than anything. Pretty pretty… pretty bad.
It’s pretty much wall-to-wall 70s tropes (funk, disco beats, falsetto), including the worst Pink Floyd cover I’ve heard. Was going to be a 2* but the album made a positive turn with the excellent synthpop track “It Can’t Come Quickly Enough” and the following “Return to Oz.” Unfortunately, the trend dies with “Get It Get It.”
Great fun album
The cover of Comfortably Numb is both the most odd thing on this record and also the most compelling. The vocals are reminiscent of the Bee Gees which is truly bizarre. That said, this record strikes me as nothing revolutionary or evolutionary. It's fun in places, but that's about it. Note that this is yet another record that is in some editions of 1001 and dropped in later ones, which is usually a signal that the record isn't really all that essential. (Especially true for UK bands.)
I had a lot of fun with this! Shiny, campy, unapologetic disco pop—although I don’t get the hype over the Comfortably Numb cover.
Drags a bit at the end but full of great songs. The cover of Comfortably Numb is Uncomfortably Good!
Okay early 2000s pop/rock.
This is probably the single ugliest album cover of any album I’ve ever listened to myself. It’s almost so ugly looking it’s actually profoundly beautiful. Like a piece of collage art on acid. I’m also disappointed that this band is called Scissor Sisters and it’s mostly men playing. Seems pretty counterproductive considering the name. Everything about this group is confusing, if I’m being honest. I saw an interesting comment from another reviewer that said “I'm sure that there are people reading these reviews who simply don't know how awful music was in the early 2000s.” I’m not necessarily disagreeing with that statement, but I don’t know if this is exactly the best album to use for your argument. This did really well when it came out, to my upmost surprise, and has been named “the top gay album of all time”. Pretty accurate if you ask me. I can’t remember the last time I heard something that draws so heavily on the biggest and most influential LGBTQ music stars of the generations before it. I hear so much Elton John in the song Mary, and it kind of kicks ass. But I don’t know, maybe it’s because I wasn’t alive and conscious enough early on in the 2000s to witness the music scene and understand why this is important. It’s a pop glam rock album with electronic elements that fully embraces the gay life of New York City. And some of these songs actually pull moves that pique my interest and make me think it’s heading the right direction. But others are maybe just a little too schlocky for me. Like, I’m sorry, but there is absolutely no way their cover of Comfortably Numb is worth a Grammy nomination. Pink Floyd is a pretentious person kind of band, and I try not to be too pretentious myself about them. But all that their cover made me want to do is listen to the original, because it was so genuinely unenjoyable. This album left me feeling disoriented and potentially confused as to who I really was. That, combined with the music itself not being amazing, doesn’t make me want to revisit this ever. Rating: 5/10
This is a fun album from a really shitty period for rock music. Glam rock seems to always deliver on this list 4/5
I was enjoying the album until that cover of Comfortably Numb. That was God awful.
One of the very few albums I bought years ago on CD but don’t still have as I’m certain someone who came to work in my flat stole it! I did love it at the time though and was nostalgic listening back to it 20 years on. Comfortably Numb still a great cover and while it’s not all as good, you can hear the Elton John influence all over it
Mary is an all time song
Finally, some good fucking gay ass music. I loved it.
One good banger
Honestly enjoyed this. Very high 3 I think it’s almost a 4.
I bought this at the time, having heard Take Your Mama and Laura. The rest of the album is of equally high standard. There is one track that is very controversial though. Comfortably Numb, should they have been allowed to do that to a Pink Floyd classic? It still stirs up conflict within me, and I can't help but be glad that it does. And I know that I'm weird but my favourite track is the last one, there is just something about Return To Oz that I love. It's brilliant.yeah, I think I'll have to give it a maximum. 5
There’s nowhere else to start with this review than the criminal assassination of ‘Comfortably Numb’. Has there ever been a more heinous cover version? There are some fun tracks on here that might have doubled my rating, like ‘Take Your Mama’ for example.
When this came out, one just couldn't dislike the catchy songs. It was a right blast giving this a spin again 20 years later. I enjoyed it so much I stuck Ta Dah on after it. I do think the weakest track is their cover of 'Comfortably Numb'. Due to not listening to it regularly enough, it's a 4.
Very nice.
Based on the group name, I felt duped when I heard a dude start singing lol. Besides that, I honestly thought this was a fun album for the most part. I think the first half of the album is by far superior to the second half. It’s got a good mix of some disco, pop, and rock. I wish the female co-lead singer had more presence than the guy, but it is what it is. A solid 3.5
I really, really, REALLY enjoy this album. There are 1 or 2 songs I don't love or don't love parts of, but the rest of the album is an absolute BOP. I don't care if this sounds like some alt shit from the 80s. I LOVE alt shit from the 80s: 5/5.
It was ok.
When this popped up today I couldn't really be bothered to listen but I persevered and it was decent. Fun (and often quite funny) camp disco pop.
Au début des années 2000, le rock avait décidé de redevenir sérieux. On se la jouait ténébreux en slim noir à New York avec The Strokes ou Interpol, on ressuscitait un post-punk cérébral et anguleux. La pop, quant à elle, était soit une affaire de boys bands fabriqués en usine, soit de R'n'B ultra-produit. C'était bien, c'était pro, c'était propre. Mais bordel, où était passé le fun ? La décadence ? La folie pure et l'envie de se rouler dans des paillettes sans se poser de question ? On avait besoin d'un antidote, d'une bonne grosse dose de couleur et d'irrévérence pour nous sortir de cette torpeur un peu trop chic. Et puis ils sont arrivés, débarqués d'on ne sait où (enfin si, de New York, mais d'un New York qui semblait tout droit sorti d'un fantasme 70's), les Scissor Sisters ont balancé leur premier album éponyme comme un pavé dans la mare. Et quel pavé ! Un pavé recouvert de strass, de plumes et de sueur. Dès les premières secondes de "Laura", avec son piano bastringue à la Elton John et ses choeurs de folles, le message était clair : la récréation est terminée, maintenant, on va s'amuser sérieusement. Pour un vieux con comme moi, dont la discothèque penche plus du côté de la grisaille de Manchester que des clubs disco de Manhattan, l'arrivée de ce disque a été un choc. Sur le papier, j'aurais dû détester. Des falsettos à la Bee Gees ? Des guitares funky à la Chic ? Une exubérance qui lorgnait sans aucune honte vers Queen et le Bowie de la période glam ? C'était tout mon contraire. Et pourtant, impossible de résister. C'est ça, la marque d'un disque qui frôle le génie : il vous prend par le col, vous force à ranger vos préjugés au vestiaire et vous pousse sur le dancefloor. Car Scissor Sisters est avant tout une formidable machine à danser. Une machine intelligente, qui a parfaitement digéré ses influences pour en recracher une version moderne, mutante et terriblement attachante. On n'est pas dans la simple copie ou le clin d'oeil nostalgique. On est dans la célébration pure. On sent que ces types ont passé des heures à user les vinyles de leurs parents et qu'ils en ont gardé le meilleur : l'écriture pop imparable, le sens de la mélodie qui tue, et surtout, ce sentiment de liberté totale. L'album est bourré de tubes en puissance. "Take Your Mama" est l'hymne feel-good ultime, une invitation à la tolérance sur un rythme de bastringue irrésistible. "Mary" est une ballade poignante qui prouve qu'ils savent aussi calmer le jeu. "Filthy/Gorgeous" est un brûlot électro-clash aussi sale que son titre le suggère. Et puis, il y a le coup de maître, le sacrilège absolu : leur reprise de "Comfortably Numb" de Pink Floyd. Prendre un des monuments du rock progressif, un totem intouchable pour des générations de chevelus, et le transformer en une montée disco en falsetto... Il fallait oser. Le résultat est tout simplement magnifique, un des plus grands "fuck you" musicaux de la décennie. C'est à la fois un hommage et une profanation, et c'est absolument génial. Mais au-delà de la musique, ce qui rend cet album si important, c'est son identité. C'est une machine "ouvertement gay, exubérante et flamboyante". Et le mot "ouvertement" est crucial. À une époque où la culture gay était soit édulcorée pour passer à la télé, soit confinée à des ghettos, les Scissor Sisters ont tout mis sur la table, avec une joie et une fierté communicatives. Leur musique est une fête où tout le monde est invité, un espace de liberté et d'extravagance. Ce n'est pas un disque militant au sens austère du terme, c'est un disque politique par sa simple existence, par son refus de la norme et sa célébration de la différence. C'est pour toutes ces raisons que je lui accorde un "gros 4 sur 5". Il n'a peut-être pas la profondeur angoissée d'un disque de Joy Division ou la complexité d'un album de Radiohead, mais dans sa catégorie, celle de la pop music pure, intelligente et jubilatoire, il est quasi-parfait. Il a remis de la folie, de la couleur et une bonne dose de cul dans un paysage musical qui en manquait cruellement. C'est un de ces rares premiers albums qui sonnent comme l'aboutissement d'une carrière, un classique instantané qui vous file une pêche d'enfer à chaque écoute. Et presque vingt ans après, croyez-moi, ça fonctionne toujours aussi bien.
Groovy disco beats set in a more contemporary tone. Lots of falsetto.
ive heard worse, but a pink floyd cover is wild. almost respectably insane, but the actual album is too disco for my taste. didn't find much to come back to or save here.