Cool New Tunes

Scissor Sisters

The Killers

This weekend I heard two new bands that I really liked. Scissor Sisters were on SNL tonight and they had it all, incredible sound and style. They're like a 1970's glam rock dream. The drummer is a machine,and drives the rest of the band with his tireless wailing. I expected to see the drums explode at any minute. The bass player is a Maurice Gibb look alike, who wears his hat rakishly tipped over one eye - he's just the epitome of cool. The guitar player has an Amish beard, but wears high waisted palazzo pants like Gretta Garbo (or Prince in his Kiss video) and makes his guitar sing. There is female singer who is tall and statuesque with dual tone hair and has a retro hip style that gives her the air of a B-52 singer combined with a diva drag queen. She holds her own with the lead singer. Now the lead singer screams sex with every move he makes. His stage presence is a combo of Prince, Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison all rolled into one. He's energetic, androgynous, and he can pull off a wardrobe that includes halter tops, gold lamé pants and high heeled boots. I give it up to anyone who can sing AND dance in high heeled boots! Their first song, Take Your Mama, reminded me of Elton John when he was cool (early '70's for those too young to remember) and for their second song they did this amazingly weird version of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb in a Mick Jagger falsetto (a la Knight in Shining Armor). I was awestruck. GREAT band!

Last night I saw The Killers on MTV. I hardly ever watch MTV anymore. I grew up with MTV and it lost it's appeal for me sometime after Nirvana reigned supreme. I liked the first couple of seasons of Real World, but they lost me with Remote Control and the Beach Party stuff. BIech! Last night I just had to stop channel surfing when I heard The Killers. They sounded so 80's. At first I thought it was an 80's band retrospective, then I realized it was a new band that just sounded old. They carried me right back to high school - absolutely fabulous sound and so much energy on stage. LOVE this band.

It's a rare month in which I hear two bands that do it for me the way The Killers and Scissor Sisters do, so hearing both in one weekend is quite a coup.