JUKEBOX
JosephRyan-Hicks gets to the point on the Scissor Sisters’ debut album of the same name
The genre-hopping, popper-sniffing debut of New York glam rockers Scissors Sisters is something of a bible for post-millennium queer pop. Forged from the ashes of polished 70s disco, merged with the DIY sensibilities of 00s garage rock, the five-piece’s selftitled debut is regarded as one of the best pop records of all time. The eclectic fivesome, fronted by lead vocalists Jake Shears and Ana Matronic (real name Ana Lynch), cut through a wave of landfill indie rock flooding the charts to create a monster hit. Album opener ‘Laura’ is a punchy, piano-led bop, setting the sonic template for the LP, which was: anything goes, as long as it’s catchy. Next single, ‘Take Your Mama’, inspired by Shears’ coming-out experience, dials up the camp as he takes his mother on a big gay night out. “We’ll get her jacked up on some cheap champagne / We’ll let the good times all roll out.” Still a staple of gay clubs and Christmas parties, the song was the band’s first big international hit. ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, a kinky, high-energy stomper, took the band further up the charts, peaking at no. 5 in the UK.