Energy and Irony: A Review of the Scissor Sisters' Ta-Dah
by Robin Lyon

3 Beatles* 

The Scissor Sisters recently released second album, Ta-Dah, starts off with the infectiously danceable “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing,” and the energy and irony don’t quit.

The quintet, comprising the stage-named Jake Shears, Babydaddy, Ana Matronic, Del Marquis, and Paddy Boom, arrived on the scene in 2004 with their self-titled debut, introducing the world to their bizarre blend of clever, silly, and irreverent lyrics, and a brand-new take on dance rock and disco. As quirky and wide-ranging as ever, Ta-Dah is just what one would hope for and expect from the band that brought the world “Tits on the Radio,” and an upbeat dance cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”

The new album continues where their debut left off, delivering the silly, flamboyant energy of Elton John, the melodic darkness of Pink Floyd, the disco falsetto of The Bee Gees, and the lyrics only they can provide. And this time, Elton John has signed on to play along, co-writing and playing piano on “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” and contributing to “Intermission”.

Ta-Dah delivers the same range and quality as Scissor Sisters, with a little more dance and variety, and a little less disco. There are a few ballads (“Land of a Thousand Words,” and the goofy, but undeniably pretty love song “Might Tell You Tonight”) in the vein of “Mary,” a twinge of old-timey country with songs like “I Can’t Decide” (a humorous, saloon-style song in which the singer contemplates homicide), and the new wave sound of “Kiss You Off” (which includes the fabulous line, “Kiss you off my lips, I don’t need another tube of that dime-store lipstick, when I think I’m gonna buy me a brand new shade of man”).

Ta-Dah will make Scissor Sisters fans happy, and no doubt bring them more notoriety, both in the U.S., where they’re still below mainstream radar, and in the U.K., where they’ve already enjoyed a number one hit. The band’s sound has stayed consistent, the new album plays perfectly alongside the old, and they’ve managed to deliver some new styles and great new songs. Ta-Dah delivers more silly, irreverent, well-written, catchy-as-hell, upbeat, dance music. It’s a near-perfect follow up—just as danceable, energetic, and strange as their debut, and solidly enjoyable throughout.

*Editors Note: To score albums or concert performances, LostWriters has adopted the Beatle System. The number of “Beatles” an artist receives correlates to the number of Beatles that would show up at a party hosted by the artist in question. The ratings are as follows:

1 Beatle: Ringo will come to your party because, hell, Ringo will go anywhere he’s actually invited. If an artist gets the dreaded “Half-Beatle,” Ringo will still show up to the party, but he’ll have sex with the lead singer’s spouse and possibly his or her children.
2 Beatles: Ringo will persuade Paul to join him at the band’s party by reminding Paul of the incriminating photos he still has from Paul's “I just want to dress like a wee girl phase.” If an artist receives 1.5 beatles, Paul will not be able to attend, but he will send a lovely fruit basket and several photos of himself. (Additional fees required for autographed photos.)
3 Beatles: Not only will Ringo and Paul come, but George Harrison will use his mystical powers to reincarnate himself from the dead just to attend this artist’s fete. If an artist receives 2.5 Beatles, George won’t be able to make it, but he’ll telepathically contact Ravi Shanker and ask him to go in his stead. For an extra fee, Ravi can teach the entire band how to play the sitar.
4 Beatles: You get the full quartet. This rating is reserved for works of true artistic genius, because it means Yoko has to let John out of that attic she’s been keeping him in all these years, and he’s going to be pretty surprised to find out there wasn’t a nuclear holocaust. If an artist receives 3.5 Beatles, Yoko will send Sean Lennon and two kilos of blow instead.   
 
October 26, 2006