New Album Reviews - 5/29/2012 - Scissor Sisters and Regina Spektor

Scissor Sisters Magic Hour

The Grammy nominated, glam-skewing electropop music makers return with their fourth studio album.

This time around they stick close to the catchy electropop style we have embraced since their debut album while incorporating a throwback feel with Bee Gees and Elton John inspired disco flourishes peppered throughout the album.

The album opens with several buoyant and toe-tapping tracks including "Baby Come Home" and the first single off the album, "Only The Horses," whose playful melodies and catchy hooks lay the path for an enticing beginning to the disc.

Unfortunately the album does lose itself for two tracks in the middle of the album with the weird electroclash and house music track "Let's Have a Kiki" and the feedback heavy "Shady Love" with its discordant chorus that throws off the flow of the album substantially.


The last half of the album has a somewhat slower tempo and more somber feel overall, although that's not to say the songs are any less engaging.  In fact, the track I found most enchanting of the album fits this bill with the tender homage "San Luis Obispo" with it tropical drumming and sweet guitar melody.

The entrancing "The Secret Life of Letters" has a more temperate chamber pop feel with its ethereal "ooh's" and its chamber pop instrumentation.  While "Somewhere" is an ideal closing song that is both soothing enough where you don't mind letting the album end and engaging enough where you'll to listen to the album again. 

Magic Hour ends up being a fantastic disc from the dance music creators where they exhibit more diverse musical tastes with some successful slower tempo tracks as well as some that have a heavier house and industrial electronica feel.

This album may not be their best release overall but its much more successful on many different levels including being less homogeneous than their last release, Night Work and easily stands shoulder to shoulder with their first two albums.

Score: 9/10 
Song(s) to Sample: "Only The Horses" [sample it below], "San Luis Obispo" and "Self Control"