Scissors For Lefty

Underhanded Romance

(Eenie Meenie)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

A possibly underrated challenge of a life in music is finding a band name (or, if you’re flying solo, deciding whether to write your own name on flyers or go for an Iron & Wine sort of thing).  There are a finite number of real words in the English language.  When they chose their name, Scissor Sisters probably assumed that, at the very least, they’d forever be the best band on the dance-hipster-dance circuit with “Scissors” in their title.  But even that throne is not secure.

There are some passing similarities between the Scissors bands, mostly in their embrace of theatricality and their affection for smart retro; in the case of Scissors For Lefty, they take cues from the likes of Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker and, turning to more recent retro, the guitar-driven pop that launched the careers of Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, et al.

Reduced to formula, Underhanded Romance sticks to the sort of chemistry that’s already been proven.  But they pull off the sound exquisitely, particularly on dance-pop gems like “Next to Argyle,” in which Bryan Garza sings in an affected clip that inspires mirth instead of antipathy (again, proving that SFL are better in practice than on paper).  At the three-minute mark, right when most songs of its sort run out of ideas, there’s an atypically reflective riff that changes the overall dynamic of the song - and then of course a reinvigorated reprise to close things out.

The good-times vibe maintains throughout most of Underhanded, layered with the requisite amounts of coolness.  Other highlights come early, like “Nickels and Dimes” and “Ghetto Ways” - both contagious, ready-to-spin singles that make it easy to understand why the Bay Area has anointed them as one of their most-hyped exports.  Going forward, their toughest task seems to be to expand their repertoire; although they’re also writing some gentle indie-ballads (the whispered “Come here” on “Wandering Arms” is practically a Cocker homage), their talents are clearly lopsided, making for a slightly uneven listen.  Keep the party going!