Scissor Sisters followed
Night Work's dancefloor triumphs with
Magic Hour, a set of songs that seem more comfortable when they don't feel like dancing. Not that the group doesn't try to keep
Night Work's momentum going:
Jake Shears,
Ana Matronic, and company recruited
Pharrell Williams and
Calvin Harris to co-produce a couple of tracks, and invited
Azealia Banks to rap on "Shady Love." It's just that, much like on Ta-Dah!, this time
Scissor Sisters' skill at writing more introspective pop songs is that much sharper, and more prominent.
Magic Hour shows its hand right away with the great opening track "Baby Come Home," possibly the band's most appealing single since "Don't Feel Like Dancin'" and definitely a showcase for the band's AM pop songwriting mastery -- they're still the best among the many acts who dig through '70s and early-'80s pop for inspiration, such as Mika,
Chromeo, and
Electric Guest.
Pharrell helps the band attain breezy
Bee Gees nirvana on "Inevitable," and
Shears shines on "San Luis Obispo"'s sunny, strummy pop and "Best in Me," which puts a melody that would easily fit on one of
Scissor Sisters' more retro tracks to a briskly contemporary arrangement. When the band picks up the pace, sometimes they work their kinetic magic, as on the aerodynamic "Keep Your Shoes On" and the
Matronic showcase "Let's Have a Kiki," an anthem about low-rent fabulosity and justified cattiness.
Magic Hour may not be as satisfying to fans who just wanna dance as albums like
Night Work and
Scissor Sisters were, but it should please those who enjoy the band's formidable songwriting skills as much as cutting a rug -- and at the very least, it reaffirms that
Scissor Sisters still have more depth than some people give them credit for. [This version of
Magic Hour features several bonus tracks that balance the album's reflective feel, including a pounding remix of "Let's Have a Kiki" by
DJ Nita and the hyperactive "F*** Yeah."] ~ Heather Phares