Scissor Sisters - Night Work

• Nicola Meighan
• 16 June 2010

(Polydor)

The Scissor Sisters’ tireless (and tiresome) hyper-camp pantomime has often threatened to overbear their insatiable way with a pop song. Thankfully, the New York provocateurs’ command of disco, electro and slick MOR prevails on this third outing, the aptly entitled Night Work.

Forgoing a measure of their characteristic 70s references (Elton John, The Bee Gees) in favour of towering 80s soundtracks (Top Gun, Flashdance, Miami Vice, Thriller) works well for them – not least on the self-explanatory ‘Skintight’ and ‘Nightlife’– as does invoking the Pet Shop Boys and Laura Branigan (on ‘Invisible Light’). All this, and Sir Ian McKellen saying ‘painted whores’.