Scissor Sisters - Night Work

Scissor Sisters
Night Work
UNIVERSAL

The Robert Mapplethorpe photograph emblazoned on the cover of Night Work is a brazen mission statement: the Scissor Sisters are back as lurid as ever. This time around production maestro Stuart Price adds polish to the songwriting, embossing the Sisters’ sound with a synth pop sensibility. Fire With Fire has all the hallmarks of a classic Killers song right down to Jake Shears’ ‘Brandon Flowersesque’ vocal, while Invisible Light is dark disco replete with a spoken word interlude from Sir Ian McKellen that rivals Vincent Price in Thriller – except Sir Ian discusses “painted whores and sexual gladiators”.

Pet Shop Boys influences are apparent on songs such as Sex and Violence and Night Life, which features an opening evocative of West End Girls and a guitar outro redolent of The Cure circa Disintegration. In between Night Life is more akin to something off the Footloose’soundtrack, and it is this plundering of influences that encapsulates the undeniable charm of the Scissor Sisters; they treat their reference points with irresistible irreverence in creating their own brand of infectious pop.

Track listing: Scissor Sisters - Night Work
1. Night Work
2. Whole New Way
3. Fire With Fire
4. Any Which Way
5. Harder You Get
6. Running Out
7. Something Like This
8. Skin This Cat
9. Skin Tight
10. Sex and Violence
11. Night Life
12. Invisible light

Chris Honnery