Live Review: Scissor Sisters

Live Review: Scissor Sisters

Scissor Sisters could stand to sharpen edges: Aidin Vaziri | Like Benny Hill and bad teeth, the Scissor Sisters are a distinctly British phenomenon. While largely ignored in the States outside big cities, the New York group's self-titled debut album sold more than 1.5 million copies in the United Kingdom, becoming that country's most popular CD in 2004. Its latest release, "Ta-Dah," easily repeated the trick last month by debuting on top of the charts over there as the itchy-scratchy disco single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin' " knocked Justin Timberlake off the singles roost. Despite a surreal live appearance last week on the ABC hit show "Dancing With The Stars," it's hard to tell if the new album has any better chance on the group's home turf. Most of the disc is cloned from the same glitter-ball DNA as the debut -- the songs are a mix 'n' match sampling of the tackier end of the 1970s, with liberal nods to the Bee Gees, Elton John, K.C. & the Sunshine Band, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" soundtrack and, most of all, the "Muppet Show" house band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. It would actually do the Scissor Sisters' music a great service if they hired some cartoon characters to sing it. The San Francisco audience didn't need much persuasion. Matronic and lead singer Jake Shears moved in a blur of sequins, hand claps and wonky aerobics, splashing out ear-piercing falsettos on familiar favorites like "Take Your Mama Out" and "Laura" while working everyone into a riotously pointless fervor. But like the oddly muted title, "Ta-Dah," there's something missing from the new material. "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'," saved for the encore, is an irresistibly cheesy disco anthem that was co-written by Elton John. The rest of the songs, however, veer toward cheerless Fleetwood Mac-style light rock and empty technobluster.