Scissor Sisters
Magic Hour
(Polydor)
***
You only have to listen to the likes of Rihanna, Katy Perry or Lady Gaga to realise how inseparable the worlds of pop and dance music have become. Each artist seems to have made the unlikely discovery that euphoric keyboards and pounding club beats offer the most reliable formula for mainstream success in 2012. But it wasn't always this way. When Scissor Sisters first shimmied on to the stage eight years ago – with disco falsettos and Lycra jumpsuits – dance music had been retreating for years, with R&B the dominant force elsewhere in pop.
Today's megastars may not share Scissor Sisters' obsession with 1970s artists such as Elton John and the Bee Gees, but the New York troupe's overblown kitsch, musical literacy and downright dedication to dancin' has clearly rubbed off. As David Guetta-style club music has risen to the forefront of pop, however, Scissor Sisters' influence has begun to fade. Sure, 2010's electro-heavy Night Work had its moments, but its sales couldn't match those of their riotous debut, or its follow-up Ta-Dah.
Magic Hour attempts to correct this, with a clutch of tunes designed to propel feet towards dance floors and the group back to the top of the charts. Baby Come Home bounces into life with a piano refrain reminiscent of the early hit Take Your Mama Out. With Jake Shears's reliably buoyant vocal at its fore, it almost sounds as if the band are back to their filthy, gorgeous best. The lead single Only the Horses is more troublesome. Recorded with the Rihanna producer Calvin Harris, the unapologetic club number doesn't just feel like an exercise in bandwagon jumping, but also seems to rob the group of their wit and personality.
Things get more interesting on Shady Love, featuring the rapper-of-the-moment Azealia Banks. Amusingly, on the throbbing electro number it's Shears who raps, alongside a soul vocal from his guest. In keeping with their previous albums, Magic Hour is not without jarring moments, including the shrill disco homage Inevitable and Ana Matronic's painfully tongue-in-cheek Caribbean number Let's Have a Kiki.
Of all the big-name producers that have been roped-in – including Pharrell Williams and Alexander Ridha (Boys Noize) – it's Diplo who best succeeds at capturing the Scissor Sisters' individuality, on the beautiful and reflective Year of Living Dangerously. While the group have lost none of their songwriting prowess, their keenness to work with dance music's hottest names has resulted in an album that feels highly accomplished, but uneven. If Magic Hour's objective was to place Scissor Sisters at the centre of dance-pop with a bunch of irresistibly kinetic tunes, then it's a success, but there's something strange about the former trailblazers being forced to play catch-up.
artslife@thenational.ae
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
Step by step
2070km to run
38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
40kg of vegetables
45 pairs of running shoes
1 yoga matt
1 oxygen chamber
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYasmin%20Azad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESwift%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
