Ta Dah - Scissor Sisters

It's difficult now to imagine the kind of "shock" that was created when you first heard the Scissor Sisters take on Comfortably Numb. The topic of conversation at my workplace the day after their debut Top Of The Pops performance was universally one of "what the hell was that?"

Fast forward to I Don't Feel Like Dancing and we have a bona fide number one stomper which seems to be universally loved. Well almost universally. Although some of the doubts I had about it when I first heard it have since been spirited away, I still don't think its one of their best. But who am I to argue with the record buying public?

Indeed, the success of the single has transformed into a huge success for the album, with it selling in Artic Monkey's proportions. And in a way this kills the bite of the Sisters. Where there was once the thrill of the unexpected there's the feeling that you've heard it before. And the main problems are that a) you have and b) it was more thrilling the first time around; and where first time around the band were foraging their own path it seems like this time around they're giving us the kind of album people think they should. Ie one made by camp disco queens.

To wit, despite the fact that, lyrically, the album is quite dark and angsty they've tried to hide this with the uptempo and "fun" music most people come to a Scissor Sisters album expecting.

Of course you'll be starting to think that I completely hate this album; well you'd be wrong. Yes nothing quite lives up to the pomp of Laura or Take Your Mama, but there are some cracking tracks on display.

She's My Man is a rollocking disco stomper, Ooh marries the somewhat guilt-ridden lyrics in an uptempo, erm, disco beat and Kiss You Off uses Ana Matronic on lead vocals to great effect, being something akin to Blondie whilst still developing a personality of it's own.

But what ultimately lets the album down is the fact that any comparisons to the debut will only leave you disappointed. Land Of A Thousand Words treads the same lyrical path that Mary did, but isn't as good as that; I Can't Decide apes Laura musically, but doesn't match up to the class of that song.

So all in all, its more of the same with only The Other Side and Transistor showing any signs of going anywhere different. There's enough good stuff on here to mean that anyone buying the album is unlikely to be too disappointed but I imagine in the years to come most will remember the debut with more fondness.

The exeuberance of the first album is lost here, replaced by a more world-weary outlook; but as Mike Skinner proved with A Grand Don't Come For Free the problems of fame don't always make for a compelling musical soundtrack.

But again, that may just be me. I suspect most people won't even notice and in that respect the album does it's job well enough.