'Smokehouse and Mirrors - Live in Ipswich' album review
“This album is a live recorded at Smokehouse in Ipswich. Good luck I always liked the live album, the 7 tracks present here draw in the various moments of the career of this English quartet that has been raging since 2006. I discovered The Scissors thanks to their current label that sent me a pair of links for me to listen to his new releases ... And I fell in love with this album! The music here refuses to be limited to established structures or schemas, no rules, no etiquette ... So much so that you have to invent something like Psychpunkpop to qualify their sound. A kind of cross of ultra ambitious Pop (genre XTC), minimalist guitars and noisy + hacks of organs and synths ... without ever falling into the delusions of zicos, handjob or attitude arty, Scissors are in the right line of English musicians / creators who are at the limit of Art Rock (Swell Maps, TVPS ...). His little Post Punk side is sometimes tinged with a certain vision of the Indie Rock 90, all hybridized by musicians who prefer the adventure to the well-known paths! A real discovery and a real breath of fresh air in a current production that still feels well contained by dint of reproducing lessons too well learned!”
("Cet album est un live enregistré au Smokehouse à Ipswich. Ça tombe bien j’ai toujours aimé les album live, les 7 titres ici présent piochent dans les divers moments de la carrière de ce quatuor anglais qui sévit depuis 2006.Je découvre The Scissors grâce à leur label actuel qui m’a envoyé une paire de liens pour que j’écoute ses nouvelles sorties… Et je suis tombé sous le charme de cet album !La musique ici présente refuse de se limiter à des structures ou des schémas établis, pas de règles, pas d’étiquette… A tel point qu’il faut inventer quelque chose comme Psychpunkpop pour qualifier leur son.Une sorte de croisement de Pop ultra ambitieuse (genre XTC), de guitares minimalistes et noisy + des bidouillages d’orgues et de synthés… sans jamais tomber dans les délirs de zicos, la branlette ou l’attitude arty, les Scissors se tiennent dans la droite ligne des musiciens / créateurs anglais qui sont à la limite de l’Art Rock (Swell Maps, TVPS…).Son petit côté Post Punk est parfois teinté d’une certaine vision de l’Indie Rock 90, le tout hybridé par des musiciens qui préfèrent l’aventure aux chemins trop connus !Une vraie découverte et une vraie bouffée d’air frais dans une production actuelle qui sent quand même bien le renfermée à force de reproduire des leçons trop bien apprises !")
- French music blog Voix de Garage Grenoble
"Look good in cheap clothes - This excellent third full-length LP from Cambridge four-piece The Scissors pushes their sound into new territory musically and features words and ideas that chime with modern day concerns…
1. Plug Me In Kicking off with a chord from the soundtrack of a western, the sinister guitar of the verses is balanced by the organ-drenched chorus and it all ends very abruptly.
2. Parking Cars More of a rocker, driven by a pulsing bass riff. Not sure how the title line fits in but it is certainly catchy ‘…parking cars…you got to do it right…’ 3. Death Engineer A moody song about built-in obsolescence, suggesting that it is the responsibility of the title character. Around this lyrical resignation a Doors-sounding electric piano and rolling cymbals ominously threaten.
4. Look Good In Cheap Clothes A surreal monologue, spoken by frontman Stewart Harris as the band play freely with the structures and sonic textures. This is a companion to the disturbing artwork of the album front cover (which itself brings to mind the notorious Beatles ‘Yesterday And Today’ sleeve?)
5. I Dream In X-Ray Vision In case you thought the Scissors of old had disappeared this impressive track is a pounding reminder of their trademark sound, with unrelenting unified riff, dissonant guitar and even the theremin gets a look-in. The lyric of course has enough ambiguity and imagery to satisfy the diehard fan.
6. Edgelands Picking up the ‘edge of the world’ theme from the end of the previous song, this loose psychedelic americana is echoing and atmospheric, driven by a roving guitar and accordion.
7. When Is A Boy Not A Boy? A cinematic, sweeping track; a guitar solos plaintively over exciting drumming weaving in with a strong vocal performance.
8. Ufotopia This mid-tempo song is the longest on the album and features a subtly uplifting band sound with the questioning and resigned reflections from the narrator. A guest saxophone solo steals the show at the end.
BONUS TRACKS9. Glossy Magazines (EP ‘b’-side) This noisy staple of their live set is given a more introspective feel here, piling on the paranoia as the music moves in all sorts of unpredictable directions.
10. Electric Line Terminus (EP ‘b’-side) Another previous release and storming live track, this again has a Doors feel, a sort of doom-laden cataclysm of blues-based garage rock."
Cambridge Music Reviews
"After ten years on the Cambridge music scene The Scissors release a new album, the grammatically challenging ‘The Scissors Is The Haunted Mirror’.
The four-piece promise ‘carnival freakshow organ, primitive synths, and rock’n’roll guitar powered psychpunkpop.’ and much of this manifesto is to be heard in show starter ‘Come With Me’, the opening track on the LP. In the week that Keith Emerson of ELP became the latest rocker to die in 2016, it was good to be reminded of the great Hammond organ sound as it pushed its way into the chorus of this punchy bass-driven song.
‘No Go The Lowdown’ is a rocker with a cryptic lyric and the clever effect of all instruments and voice sharing the hook line. We had a brief acoustic interlude featuring antique accordion and acoustic guitar for ‘Attack Of The Phantom Teardrops’ then ‘Phone Calls From The Dead’ and final track ‘Your House Has Ghosts’ are back to noisy pop-rock. Best of all is the slow-burner blues of ‘Why Don’t You Cry’, with theremin textures (always fascinating to watch), guitar fireworks and the vocals from Stewart Harris making the most of the straight to the heart melody.
It was a good advert for the album (although I would have liked to hear the keyboard rushes and emotional turmoil hidden behind the title of of ‘Don’t Hate Me Just Because I’m Yours’).
Their free lyric sheet proclaimed it was ‘a phantasmagorical entertainment to thrill and beguile the senses…’, they certainly proved again that they are one of the best live bands in Cambridge."
Cambridge Music Reviews
"An exuberant performance from Cambridge stalwarts The Scissors impressed the growing audience, their sharp pop songs a riot of colourful Hammond organ flavoured keyboards, edgy guitar, crescendos of drums and punching bass, with some interesting lyrical twists. Hopefully a new CD is due soon, to include the dark blues of ‘Why Don’t You Cry?’ currently one of the standout songs in their live set."
Cambridge Music Reviews
"The Scissors are a talented local band who have recorded and played in a range of venues around Cambridge, their driving sound (‘rock’n’roll guitar powered psychpunkpop’ as they describe it) filled out by a bold Hammond organ rush, superbly pushed forward in the mix tonight. Mostly up-tempo songs, such as ‘Phone Calls from the Dead’ with a much repeated and effective guitar line, then the slower ‘Why Don’t You Cry’ featuring the eerie tones of the theremin, a rarely seen and heard musical instrument (think ‘Good Vibrations’ by the Beach Boys or the ‘Midsomer Murders’ theme tune). ‘Your House has Ghosts’ finished the set on a high."
Cambridge Music Reviews
“'Come with me' - great for getting into the party mood, a healthy ‘stompy’ beat with cheeky bass and vocals that are sure to get you moving no matter what mood you’re in!”
“This album is a live recorded at Smokehouse in Ipswich. Good luck I always liked the live album, the 7 tracks present here draw in the various moments of the career of this English quartet that has been raging since 2006. I discovered The Scissors thanks to their current label that sent me a pair of links for me to listen to his new releases ... And I fell in love with this album! The music here refuses to be limited to established structures or schemas, no rules, no etiquette ... So much so that you have to invent something like Psychpunkpop to qualify their sound. A kind of cross of ultra ambitious Pop (genre XTC), minimalist guitars and noisy + hacks of organs and synths ... without ever falling into the delusions of zicos, handjob or attitude arty, Scissors are in the right line of English musicians / creators who are at the limit of Art Rock (Swell Maps, TVPS ...). His little Post Punk side is sometimes tinged with a certain vision of the Indie Rock 90, all hybridized by musicians who prefer the adventure to the well-known paths! A real discovery and a real breath of fresh air in a current production that still feels well contained by dint of reproducing lessons too well learned!”
("Cet album est un live enregistré au Smokehouse à Ipswich. Ça tombe bien j’ai toujours aimé les album live, les 7 titres ici présent piochent dans les divers moments de la carrière de ce quatuor anglais qui sévit depuis 2006.Je découvre The Scissors grâce à leur label actuel qui m’a envoyé une paire de liens pour que j’écoute ses nouvelles sorties… Et je suis tombé sous le charme de cet album !La musique ici présente refuse de se limiter à des structures ou des schémas établis, pas de règles, pas d’étiquette… A tel point qu’il faut inventer quelque chose comme Psychpunkpop pour qualifier leur son.Une sorte de croisement de Pop ultra ambitieuse (genre XTC), de guitares minimalistes et noisy + des bidouillages d’orgues et de synthés… sans jamais tomber dans les délirs de zicos, la branlette ou l’attitude arty, les Scissors se tiennent dans la droite ligne des musiciens / créateurs anglais qui sont à la limite de l’Art Rock (Swell Maps, TVPS…).Son petit côté Post Punk est parfois teinté d’une certaine vision de l’Indie Rock 90, le tout hybridé par des musiciens qui préfèrent l’aventure aux chemins trop connus !Une vraie découverte et une vraie bouffée d’air frais dans une production actuelle qui sent quand même bien le renfermée à force de reproduire des leçons trop bien apprises !")
- French music blog Voix de Garage Grenoble
"Look good in cheap clothes - This excellent third full-length LP from Cambridge four-piece The Scissors pushes their sound into new territory musically and features words and ideas that chime with modern day concerns…
1. Plug Me In Kicking off with a chord from the soundtrack of a western, the sinister guitar of the verses is balanced by the organ-drenched chorus and it all ends very abruptly.
2. Parking Cars More of a rocker, driven by a pulsing bass riff. Not sure how the title line fits in but it is certainly catchy ‘…parking cars…you got to do it right…’ 3. Death Engineer A moody song about built-in obsolescence, suggesting that it is the responsibility of the title character. Around this lyrical resignation a Doors-sounding electric piano and rolling cymbals ominously threaten.
4. Look Good In Cheap Clothes A surreal monologue, spoken by frontman Stewart Harris as the band play freely with the structures and sonic textures. This is a companion to the disturbing artwork of the album front cover (which itself brings to mind the notorious Beatles ‘Yesterday And Today’ sleeve?)
5. I Dream In X-Ray Vision In case you thought the Scissors of old had disappeared this impressive track is a pounding reminder of their trademark sound, with unrelenting unified riff, dissonant guitar and even the theremin gets a look-in. The lyric of course has enough ambiguity and imagery to satisfy the diehard fan.
6. Edgelands Picking up the ‘edge of the world’ theme from the end of the previous song, this loose psychedelic americana is echoing and atmospheric, driven by a roving guitar and accordion.
7. When Is A Boy Not A Boy? A cinematic, sweeping track; a guitar solos plaintively over exciting drumming weaving in with a strong vocal performance.
8. Ufotopia This mid-tempo song is the longest on the album and features a subtly uplifting band sound with the questioning and resigned reflections from the narrator. A guest saxophone solo steals the show at the end.
BONUS TRACKS9. Glossy Magazines (EP ‘b’-side) This noisy staple of their live set is given a more introspective feel here, piling on the paranoia as the music moves in all sorts of unpredictable directions.
10. Electric Line Terminus (EP ‘b’-side) Another previous release and storming live track, this again has a Doors feel, a sort of doom-laden cataclysm of blues-based garage rock."
Cambridge Music Reviews
"After ten years on the Cambridge music scene The Scissors release a new album, the grammatically challenging ‘The Scissors Is The Haunted Mirror’.
The four-piece promise ‘carnival freakshow organ, primitive synths, and rock’n’roll guitar powered psychpunkpop.’ and much of this manifesto is to be heard in show starter ‘Come With Me’, the opening track on the LP. In the week that Keith Emerson of ELP became the latest rocker to die in 2016, it was good to be reminded of the great Hammond organ sound as it pushed its way into the chorus of this punchy bass-driven song.
‘No Go The Lowdown’ is a rocker with a cryptic lyric and the clever effect of all instruments and voice sharing the hook line. We had a brief acoustic interlude featuring antique accordion and acoustic guitar for ‘Attack Of The Phantom Teardrops’ then ‘Phone Calls From The Dead’ and final track ‘Your House Has Ghosts’ are back to noisy pop-rock. Best of all is the slow-burner blues of ‘Why Don’t You Cry’, with theremin textures (always fascinating to watch), guitar fireworks and the vocals from Stewart Harris making the most of the straight to the heart melody.
It was a good advert for the album (although I would have liked to hear the keyboard rushes and emotional turmoil hidden behind the title of of ‘Don’t Hate Me Just Because I’m Yours’).
Their free lyric sheet proclaimed it was ‘a phantasmagorical entertainment to thrill and beguile the senses…’, they certainly proved again that they are one of the best live bands in Cambridge."
Cambridge Music Reviews
"An exuberant performance from Cambridge stalwarts The Scissors impressed the growing audience, their sharp pop songs a riot of colourful Hammond organ flavoured keyboards, edgy guitar, crescendos of drums and punching bass, with some interesting lyrical twists. Hopefully a new CD is due soon, to include the dark blues of ‘Why Don’t You Cry?’ currently one of the standout songs in their live set."
Cambridge Music Reviews
"The Scissors are a talented local band who have recorded and played in a range of venues around Cambridge, their driving sound (‘rock’n’roll guitar powered psychpunkpop’ as they describe it) filled out by a bold Hammond organ rush, superbly pushed forward in the mix tonight. Mostly up-tempo songs, such as ‘Phone Calls from the Dead’ with a much repeated and effective guitar line, then the slower ‘Why Don’t You Cry’ featuring the eerie tones of the theremin, a rarely seen and heard musical instrument (think ‘Good Vibrations’ by the Beach Boys or the ‘Midsomer Murders’ theme tune). ‘Your House has Ghosts’ finished the set on a high."
Cambridge Music Reviews
“'Come with me' - great for getting into the party mood, a healthy ‘stompy’ beat with cheeky bass and vocals that are sure to get you moving no matter what mood you’re in!”
“'Phone calls from the dead' - a good jaunty number, easy to listen to with a good blend of musical styles going on, fun and oddly uplifting!”
“A Cambridge band with an incredibly unique sound! The Scissors bring such a great sound that we had to have them play the 'Zang. A psychedelic mixture of organ-led distorted guitars, playing spaced out retro pop, with tinges of punk and almost a ska bounce. So good! They are REALLY not to be missed!”
“Daylight cinema' is The Scissors' debut offering and has a very late 70's early 80's new wave feel about it. Plenty of energy, songs short and sweet, snappy half snarled vocals over stinging riffs and choppy rhythms, the occasional ska backbeat with psychedelic keyboards swirling behind the mix. Dislodged in time, yet a relevant retro hybrid for the present day, The Scissors clearly have their own sound but the musical references ring loud and clear and the band come over as an amalgam of so many who were around at that time, echoes of The Clash, The Teardrop Explodes, and Echo and the Bunnymen, and even touches of the Doors to go back further – it's quite a mix.”
“Comparable to Panic at the Disco! due to their apparent involvement in the revival of Parisian theatricality, but resounding within the boundaries of a far more credible genre, The Scissors were as endearing as they come. They had the strongest songs of the heat, when originality, crowd response and the tightness with which they played were considered, and when accompanied by the atmosphere created by the band, made for an irresistible live show, that when performed on a bigger stage, would feel at home within the boundaries of a stage production.”
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