Scissor Sisters go darker with 'Work'

Glam-pop superstars the Scissor Sisters have been gaining popularity in the nine years they have been together. With their third album, "Night Work," the Scissor Sisters take a bold turn. Some may say it works, but it may turn some casual listeners off.
Just looking at the cover, you will immediately be able to tell this is a pretty gay album, but that is the Scissor Sister's shtick. They have been able to turn homosexual stories into danceable, disco pop songs. And while their first two albums perfected it, this album gets a little more '80s and a little darker. It gets more serious with more obvious gay themes. Where the first two albums, a self-titled debut and sophomore effort "Ta-Dah," had a more fun, carefree approach with upbeat, danceable songs, "Night Work" seems to move away from that a little. There are still club-thumping dance songs, but they're not as memorable as some of their previous songs. The album lacks a "Take Your Mama" or "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'."
Scissor Sisters consist of Jake Shears, Ana Matronic, Babydaddy, and Del Marquis. They have been together since 2001. While having limited success in the U.S., the band has become huge in Europe and Australia. 
While the theme has an '80s feel to it throughout the album, which differs from their last two albums that focused more on the '70s disco era, the sound is still club-friendly. But the sing-a-long, clap-a-long songs are pretty vacant. This has more synth with a less pop vibe to it. It's a bold move for the Scissor Sisters. When they made disco, upbeat, glam-pop songs, the masses fell in love with them. With this album, there isn't the same feel of carelessness and free love. It has that '80s music feel that we try to ignore today.
The album starts with tracks that probably could have placed well in "Ta-Dah." The opener, "Night Work," sounds like it came straight from an '80s movie montage. It has that perfect montage beat to it. I was a fan, but only because I was picturing a young Kevin Bacon dancing around a street light and jumping off park benches on his way to his night job. Not sure why that came to mind, but it did and it worked. 
"Whole New Way" definitely has an earlier Scissor Sisters feel to it. It's upbeat, and it has the acoustic guitar that was so frequent in their previous work. "Fire With Fire" has a big sound that they really have not messed with previously. "Any Which Way" starts the transition into some darker-themed songs. While the beat is still up-tempo, the message is more desperate and sexual. "Harder You Get" has a Judas Priest/dirty disco vibe to it. The lyrics once again get a lot more sexual. 
"Running Out" sounds like it belongs on a David Bowie album. It's fun and catchy and one of my favorite tracks on the album. Upon first hearing "Something Like This," I was not a fan of it. But after a couple of spins, it grew on me. The album as a whole grew on me, but especially "Something Like This."
The '80s feel really comes to fruition with "Skin This Cat." The synth-heavy melody along with the almost-whispered singing of Ana Matronic gives the song a true synth-pop feel. "Skin Tight" returns to the big sound that "Fire With Fire" has. It's a song about dealing with a condom and intimacy, and it's a catchy song that can easily get stuck in your head.
The album's last three tracks continue the theme of darker music, and the lyrics get more desperate. The album's closer, "Invisible Light," is a six-minute opus that might be their longest song ever. Sir Ian McKellan makes an appearance in a monologue like Vincent Price on "Thriller." It's a sound we haven't heard from the Scissor Sisters to date, which also raises the question of what this album represents. Is this the new Scissor Sisters sound? Should we expect this album again in a couple years? Or is this an album Shears felt he needed to get out and he will soon return to the happy-go-lucky disco of their first two albums? I personally hope for the latter.
aaronvlasnik
@dailynebraskan.com