Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour

Scissor Sisters are back this week with their new album Magic Hour, and it's a fan-pleasing 'more of the same' effort that's likely to fill a few dancefloors around the country.

Is it groundbreaking? Not really. But that's kinda OK. Instead, you've got a dozen tracks that will fit just fine alongside your existing Scissor Sisters collection - no need for separate iPod playlists here. There's also a fistful of bonus tracks just when you think it's all over, and those genuinely do add a bit more variety to the offering.

As I said up top, fans are likely to be more than satisfied, while critics (are there any??) will find little here to change their minds. Either way, it's a fine collection of up-tempo music that's well timed for the first proper days of summer sun, so get out there in your denim hotpants and shake that ass (boys, I'm talking to you...).

High Points

Only The Horses is a grower, for sure. At first listen, it seemed a bit generic, like any dancefloor filler, but it's actually much more than that - strong, near-anthemic vocals, plenty of noise, and a nice verse-and-chorus kind of structure. It's a little bit paint-by-numbers, but it works well, and would sound great in the right venue at 2am.

A special mention goes to the bonus tracks, too - Fuck Yeah, and remixes of Let's Have a Kiki and Fuck Yeah. I'm not the world's biggest fan of remixes (unless you include the six-minute remix of Together in Electric Dreams), but these work well in the context of Magic Hour as a whole, and it's nice to see B-side content surviving in the age of music downloads.

The Verdict

I like Scissor Sisters - even though they're hugely successful, I still think they're vastly underrated. Their music is just... right, somehow. Created with care, and without frivolity, it's 21st-century disco at its best. Magic Hour won't raise many eyebrows, but it's distinctly Scissor Sisters, and that's definitely a good thing.


Objectively, I have to knock a few points off because Magic Hour doesn't really break new ground - much of this music would fit in easily on earlier Scissor Sisters albums - and because Keep Your Shoes On sounds a bit too much like Black Eyed Peas for my liking.

That makes for a deceptively low final score, but for once, don't pay attention to the numbers - Scissor Sisters are all about how they make you feel, and you can't put a percentage rating on that. Just have a listen to the tracks, and party the night away. You're only young once.

Final Score: 70%