Magic Hour
Studio album by
Scissor Sisters
ReleasedMay 25, 2012 (2012-05-25)
Genre
Length43:46
LabelPolydor
Producer
Scissor Sisters chronology
iTunes Festival: London 2010
(2010)		 Magic Hour
(2012)
Singles from Magic Hour
  1. "Only the Horses"
    Released: May 13, 2012
  2. "Baby Come Home"
    Released: July 22, 2012[1]
  3. "Let's Have a Kiki"
    Released: September 11, 2012[2]

Magic Hour is the fourth and final studio album by American band Scissor Sisters, released on May 25, 2012, by Polydor Records. The first single from the album was initially "Shady Love" but was later replaced by "Only the Horses", co-produced by recording artist and DJ Calvin Harris, which entered and peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

Lead singer Jake Shears tweeted on October 31, 2011, that the album was almost finished. A song from the new album titled "Shady Love" debuted on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show on January 2, 2012, which features guest vocals from Azealia Banks and Jake Shears under his pseudonym Krystal Pepsy.

Shears said the new record is "a sweet joyful mélange of beat-driven future-pop. It style-hops all over the place unabashedly."[3] For the record, the band worked with a diverse list of collaborators, including Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, Diplo, Alex Ridha and Azealia Banks.

The album was recorded over the previous year in both New York and London. On March 13, 2012, Scissor Sisters announced the title of their fourth album and announced that the album would be released on May 28, 2012, in the UK and May 29, 2012, in the US. The first single, "Only the Horses", was officially released on May 13, 2012.[3]

Shears revealed in the bonus DVD that the song "The Secret Life of Letters" is the only song that was not newly written for the album. In some countries, "Fuck Yeah" is included as a bonus track together with two other remixes of the album tracks.

The Scissor Sisters are also credited with popularising the slang term Kiki, with its previous use limited to and created in the 1990 documentary film Paris Is Burning.[4]

Release and promotion

Upon revealing the album's title and release date, the band also announced several concerts to promote the release. The band scheduled one show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York on May 6, 2012, and two concerts at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on May 16 and May 17, 2012, to coincide with the album release. The shows allowed the band to debut the new material in a live setting, a week before the record's official release. Fans were also given an exclusive pre-sale to get early tickets via the band's website.[5] On May 23, two days before the album's release, Scissor Sisters released an infomercial-style commercial starring Queens of the Stone Age's lead singer Joshua Homme on their YouTube channel.[6]

Singles

On January 2, 2012, BBC Radio 1 premiered the song "Shady Love". It was set to be released as a single on February 12, 2012, but the release was cancelled for unknown reasons. Instead, "Only the Horses" was released as the album's lead single on April 13, 2012, with a remix EP released on May 13, 2012.[7] On the week of May 8, 2012, the album went up for pre-order on the European iTunes Stores. As a pre-order bonus, "San Luis Obispo" was made available for purchase as a promotional single. Similarly, the track "Let's Have a Kiki" was also made available for streaming on Spotify. "Baby Come Home" was released as the second official single from the album on July 22, 2012.[1] The music video for the song was released on May 30, 2012.[8] "Let's Have a Kiki" was released as the third official single on September 11, 2012, in the US and September 18, 2012, in the UK.[2][9] The single topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the US,[10] following the release of a viral video made for the song by Craig MacNeil of Videodrome Discothèque that increased exposure for the track.[11] It was subsequently picked up for dance airplay in the US and saw the release of promotional CDs featuring remixes of the track.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Consequence of Sound[15]
Drowned in Sound6/10[16]
Entertainment WeeklyB[17]
The Guardian[18]
NME6/10[19]
Pitchfork5.3/10[20]
PopMatters6/10[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Slant Magazine[23]

Magic Hour received generally positive reviews from critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67 based on 22 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[13]

Mixmag gave the album four out of five and said, "Smoky, slow-paced, disco soul with Bee Gees-style falsetto harmonising, it's the type of grown-up pop Scissor Sisters can pull off like few others."[24] Similarly, Uncut gave it a score of four out of five stars and said that it was "full of melodies that feel effortless and instantly classic."[13] musicOMH also gave it four stars out of five and said, "This is the sound of a band truly enjoying themselves in the studio, confident enough in their abilities to freely collaborate with other big names."[25] Canadian newspaper Now gave the album three stars out of five and said, "The production sometimes eclipses the songwriting."[26]

Some reviews were mixed or negative. The Phoenix gave it two stars out of four and said that it "lives up to the promise of its hilarious, zebra-centric-2001: A Space Odyssey cover art. But the wheels fall off with 'Year of Living Dangerously,' a campy, aimless doodle not even rescued by its random violin solo."[27] No Ripcord gave it three out of ten stars and called it not just "exactly bad", but "boring".[28]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with sales of 19,297 copies, behind Gary Barlow's Sing, Paloma Faith's Fall to Grace, and Rumer's Boys Don't Cry.[29]

Track listing

Magic Hour track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Baby Come Home"
3:00
2."Keep Your Shoes On"
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Ridha
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
2:51
3."Inevitable"
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Williams
3:53
4."Only the Horses"
3:38
5."Year of Living Dangerously"
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
3:52
6."Let's Have a Kiki"
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Lynch
Scissor Sisters3:50
7."Shady Love"
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
3:56
8."San Luis Obispo"
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
Scissor Sisters3:48
9."Self Control"
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Lynch
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha[b]
3:12
10."Best in Me"
  • Hoffman
  • Sellards
  • Ridha
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
3:44
11."The Secret Life of Letters"
3:48
12."Somewhere"
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Ridha
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
  • Price[b]
3:40
13."Ms. Matronic's Magic Message" (bonus track)  0:27
US iTunes Store bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Shady Love" (Tommie Sunshine & Disco Fries Remix)
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Ridha
  • Banks
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
7:06
UK bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Fuck Yeah"
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Lynch
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
3:03
15."Let's Have a Kiki" (DJ Nita Remix)
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Lynch
Scissor Sisters6:54
16."Fuck Yeah" (Seamus Haji Remix)
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Lynch
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
3:52
UK iTunes Store bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Shady Love" (Tommie Sunshine & Disco Fries Remix)
  • Sellards
  • Hoffman
  • Ridha
  • Banks
  • Scissor Sisters
  • Ridha
7:06
Deluxe edition CD-ROM content
No.TitleLength
1."Album Track-by-Track by Jake Shears" 
2."Only the Horses" (Video) 
3."Only the Horses" (Behind the Scenes Video) 
4."Baby Come Home" (Video) 
5."Baby Come Home" (Behind the Scenes Video) 

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer

Charts

Chart performance for Magic Hour
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 72
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32] 74
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[33] 47
Croatian Albums (HDU)[34] 23
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[35] 68
French Albums (SNEP)[36] 104
Irish Albums (IRMA)[37] 15
Italian Albums (FIMI)[38] 71
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[39] 114
Scottish Albums (OCC)[40] 4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[41] 65
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 62
UK Albums (OCC)[43] 4
US Billboard 200[44] 35
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[45] 1

Release history

Release history for Magic Hour
Region Date Label
Australia May 25, 2012 Universal
United Kingdom May 28, 2012 Polydor
United States May 29, 2012 Casablanca

References

  1. 1 2 "Baby Come Home (Remixes) by Scissor Sisters". HMV Digital. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Let's Have a Kiki (Remixes) by Scissor Sisters". iTunes Store. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Scissor Sisters Announce New Album 'Magic Hour' Out May 28Th 2012". Contactmusic.com. March 21, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  4. ↑ Marion, Mitchell (June 19, 2012). "Scissor Sisters' 'kiki' new word is gay slang hit". Gay Star News. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ Baggs, Michael (March 13, 2012). "Scissor Sisters announce new album and live dates". Gigwise. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ Childers, Chad (May 24, 2012). "Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme Serves as Awkward Scissor Sisters Pitchman". Loudwire. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ Eames, Tom (April 6, 2012). "Scissor Sisters unveil Calvin Harris-produced single 'Only the Horses'". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  8. ↑ Corner, Lewis (May 30, 2012). "Scissor Sisters unveil "Baby Come Home" music video – watch". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Let's Have A Kiki (Remixes) (Polydor)". Beatport. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Let's Have a Kiki – Scissor Sisters". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  11. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (July 17, 2012). "Scissor Sisters' Viral Video 'Let's Have a Kiki' Kicks Up Sales". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Scissor Sisters – Let's Have A Kiki (CDr)". Discogs. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 "Magic Hour by Scissor Sisters Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Magic Hour - Scissor Sisters". AllMusic. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ Coplan, Chris (May 29, 2012). "Album Review: Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  16. ↑ Leedham, Robert (May 24, 2012). "Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  17. ↑ Rahman, Ray (June 1, 2012). "Albums: June 1/8, 2012". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  18. ↑ Simpson, David (May 24, 2012). "Scissor Sisters: Magic Hour - review". The Guardian. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  19. ↑ Elan, Priya (May 25, 2012). "Album Reviews - Scissor Sisters - 'Magic Hour'". NME. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  20. ↑ Perpetua, Matthew (May 29, 2012). "Scissor Sisters: Magic Hour". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  21. ↑ James, Matt (May 31, 2012). "Scissor Sisters: Magic Hour". PopMatters. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  22. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (May 29, 2012). "Magic Hour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  23. ↑ Keefe, Jonathan (May 29, 2012). "Review: Scissor Sisters, Magic Hour". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  24. ↑ Worthy, Stephen (June 27, 2012). "Scissor Sisters: Magic Hour". Mixmag. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  25. ↑ Wilton, Michael (May 28, 2012). "Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour". musicOMH. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  26. ↑ Ritchie, Kevin (May 31 – June 7, 2012). "Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour". Now. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  27. ↑ Reed, Ryan (May 22, 2012). "Scissor Sisters: Magic Hour". The Phoenix. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  28. ↑ Davison, Mark (June 18, 2012). "Scissor Sisters: Magic Hour". No Ripcord. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  29. ↑ Jones, Alan (June 3, 2012). "Official Charts Analysis: Gary Barlow LP sells 40k". Music Week. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  33. ↑ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. June 6, 2012. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Top Kombiniranih – Tjedan 24. 2012" [Top Combined – Week 24, 2012] (in Croatian). Top of the Shops. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 31 May 2012". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  39. ↑ マジック・アワー | シザー・シスターズ [Magic Hour | Scissor Sisters] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  42. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  43. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Scissor Sisters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Scissor Sisters Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
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