Time Out New York, May 2-9 2002

SCISSOR SISTERS

The Cutting Edge Newcomer electro band Scissor Sisters
woos and wows the gay crowd

by Sean Kennedy

You gotta pump your body-ooh, you wanna be a hootie" goes the chorus to "Electrobix," the debut single from the Scissor Sisters, an intoxicating new band on New York's burgeoning electro scene.
The catchy tune features 1980s electronic stylings (complete with organ flourishes worthy of vintage Madonna dance hits), falsetto vocals and clever lyrics that disect the roots and effects of gay male body fascism."I 'm obsessed with the gym," confesses lead singer Jake Shears, who has the Adonis-like physique to prove it. The three-member group, all of whom are in their twenties was formed last fall by Shears and his longtime scenester friend who goes by the moniker Babydaddy. They had often talked of forming a group, but it wasn't until they recruited glamourous, multifaceted performer Ana Matronic, host of the Knock Off party at the Slippper Room, that they got down to business. With Shears and Matronic providing vocals, and Babydaddy on keyboards and guitar, the trio has been playing local clubs while readying an upcoming album.
With a second single, a West Coast tour and a video in the works, the group seems poised to accelerate their hot-newcomer status into a serious career.

Although the group incorporates electro elements(such as New Order-style sonics and kitschy beats), the Scissor Sisters don't want to be thought of as just another act inspired by the new wave '80s. They cite such Me Decade standard-bearers as the Talking Heads, the B-52s and Afrika Bambaataa as influences along with the disparate genres of grunge, jazz, and according to Shears, "hippie trucker music." On "Electrobix" and their other songs, many of those sounds can be heard, unified by one key idea: to get people grooving."I think what people care about when it comes to that '80s sound is that it was really the grass roots of dance music," says Babydaddy."That's what we connect to."
The Scissor Sisters also connect, quite unabashedly, to the gay scene and have recently played concerts at Luxx, Barracuda, the Cock and Knitting Factory.
"We're pretty much a gay disco band," says Babydaddy, who is gay, as is Shears. (Although Matronic isn't, she cut her teeth as a performer at San Francisco's experimental drag club, Trannyshack, making her game for anything). But there's more to the band then just their fun party sound. Indeed many of their lyrics evoke images of queer life that are decidedly different from those offered by the culture at large."The Will an Grace side of being gay is a little bit disconcerting to me," explains Babydaddy.
"There's more to gay life than being flamboyant, flaming queen or the really straight-acting gay man."It certainly is difficult to imagine Will, or even his less-inhibited pal Jack, running through the city from a trick, high on acid, as happens to the young gay man in the Sisters' song "Filthy/Gorgeous."
Aside from their mutual affinities for queer life and electro music, the group also shares a distaste for contemporary pop music.
"There hasn't been any exciting since grunge," says Shears, who clearly remains unaffected by the constant barrage of Britney Spears, Incubus and other of their cookie-cutter ilk."The problem with pop music is that everybody's trying to be as inoffensive as possible so they can sell as many record as possible, adds Matronic, who, along with her Scissor cohorts, hopes to achieve success without having to compromise their unique sensibility. "Our whole idea is that we just want to be ourselves,"she continues."We just want to party-and be smart about it."

Not so long ago in New York City, you would only hear electro music at house parties, gallery openings or at home. Now, about 5 years after Europe's electro revival started ( as evidenced by the born date on Ms. Kittin's first singles), electro is moving into the mainstream ( I hear they are selling electro-themed gadgets at Urban Outfitters). Still, the cool thing about electro is that it can never be "too" tacky! In fact it's charm is in its tackiness, and anyone who would deny it this attribute should get off the dance floor. New York label A Touch of Class will survive the electro backlash, even after putting out a song about electro aerobics! And why the hell not ? I enjoy the idea of channeling all those melodramatic vocodered ghosts of yore. The Scissor Sisters are picking up their synths and rocking out! Take this terribly tacky song of theirs, "Electrobix". Its sounds so sincere it puts the A in AHA, takes the kinetics of "Maniac" (a la Flashdance soundtrack), harmonies of "Staying Alive", and grinds everything home with crisp beats and snares. Even the lyrics don't bother me: "electrobix, your moves they make me sick, electrobix now, your legs they look like sticks, electrobix now." So what? It's silly, it's fun to sing and easy to rock out to on the dancefloor, which is precisely where it's intended.

Repellentzine No2 by g. rizo