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Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah
Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah
18 September 2006
There's nothing low-key about the Scissor Sisters, and naming the traditionally difficult second album 'Ta-Dah' suggests that they are about to pull off another feat as magical as 2004's self-titled debut. Certainly the early evidence was promising, with the debut single I Don't Feel Like Dancing going straight to the top of the charts, and showing that they had lost none of their high-energy glam-disco appeal.
Nevertheless, digging a little deeper proves somewhat tricky, as their follow-up release rarely matches the heights of its predecessor. They've lost none of their spunk, but two years traveling the globe to promote their brand seems to have had a knock-on effect on the quality of the songwriting. Sure, the production is glossy - arguably too glossy - but repeated listening yields few killer hooks that made the likes of Take Your Mama or Filthy/Gorgeous instant modern classics. Instead, it largely sounds like Barry Manilow meeting 10CC at an Earth, Wind and Fire concert and then pulling an all-nighter in the studio.
The band's colourful vaudeville heritage is reflected in tracks such as I Can't Decide and Intermission, while She's My Man presents a sub-Shaft-style riff. Similarly, while Ooh has the potential to be a floor-filler, even it suffers from being derivative. Only the final track - Transistor - reflects something of a departure, with its mid-70s Bowie feel.
No doubt the millions who bought their first album will go out in droves and send Ta-Dah to the top of the charts. But they might just find that when they have listened to it, their strongest urge will be to stick the first album back on again. The old lesson of be careful what you wish for might also be pertinent here: the band certainly doesn't want to become as musically irrelevant as Elton John has been in the last ten years. If anyone's looking for clues as to who their next mentor might be, then Track 9 is a paean to Paul McCartney. A disco version of The Frog Chorus anyone?
