Scissor Sisters

Want to categorize the Scissor Sisters? Good luck!

Think grass-roots psychedelica infused with explosive disco arena anthems, accordions swaying over tight hip-hop loops, falsetto loveliness clashing with dirty post-punk fuzz bass, and corn-poke country rave-ups running riot over traditional four-to-the-floor dance club thrust. All of this unified by meticulous songcraft, meaty hooks, lyrical irreverence and innovation combined with unbridled honesty and a strong dose of unabashed, hands-in-the air fun. A London promoter tagged them as “Wham-meets-Ween,” which suits them just fine.

Their already-legendary shows have converted the jaded New York and London scenesters into sweaty masses with their jaws firmly planted on the floor. Prog-rock fantasy and Lower East Side grit fuel their high-energy live performances and keep a steady fan base coming back for each new installment in their saga.

Scissor Sisters were formed by three downtown celebutards: Ana Matronic, a digital Ishtar and chameleonic mistress of disguise, lures with sex-kitten charm and classic glamour, all the while attacking her audience with an unbridled ferociousness. Babydaddy's electronic compositions feature a down-low funkiness topped with sugary hooks that color the Scissor Sisters’ soundscape. Front man Jake Shears aligns vocal dexterity with a natural kinetic energy and charisma, expelling twisted tales that range from hallucinating fashion industry prostitutes to adulterous rock 'n roll hairdressers. Their most recent addition, the mysterious Derek G, has been sprinkling luscious guitar flavors on their already tasty tracks.

Babydaddy and Shears originally met while prowling the back woods of Kentucky, and collided with Ana Matronic while waiting in the lobby for a screening of Captain EO at Disneyland. "I really thought she was a freak," says Shears, "but when I started singing [Jackson's] Just Another Part of Me she showed me the best moonwalk I’ve ever seen." It was on the Teacup ride that the three realized they shared influences ranging from early nineties Cologne acid-house to The Muppet Show; their mutual fate was sealed in the Haunted Mansion with a pair of rusted scissors and bound index fingers. The trio thumbed a ride in the parking lot and headed to Manhattan, where they have been turning it out ever since.

"We just want to party," Ms. Matronic says. "Our music and shows are as much for hormonal teenagers and housewives with a dancing bug as it is for the downtown party scene." It’s also for many a discerning DJ, as Felix da Housecat, Tiga, Pete Tong and many more have been pounding their debut release, Comfortably Numb, on dance floors the world over. The track has been honored as Tong’s “Essential New Tune” on Britain’s Radio 1, Single of the Month in Jockey Slut and Dazed and Confused, has been playlisted on Italy’s biggest national radio stations, and continues to move the masses in clubs and house parties from Brooklyn to Bologna. A recently completed remix of T Roks Money just launched straight up the Buzz and Cool Cuts chart in the UK as well. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as the Sisters are currently ensconced in their Brooklyn lair finishing up their debut album. Housewives beware!