Painted whores. Sexual gladiators. Fiercely old party children. Take your choice, because any of those three would fit the Scissor Sisters like a glove on their third longplayer. Night Work boasts a series of shimmy-inducing disco thrills, making you feel sticky and sensual as you visualize yourself grinding against a stranger in some underground nightclub.

Opening with the title track, Jake Shears warbles about punching clocks and (not) working all day, setting the consistent rave mood for the album. A little caution for those who ARE actually on a nine-to-five (obviously not the Scissters) and attempt to play this out whilst doing a presentation for a top secret project... Night Work will make you dance on top of your office desk and scrap the project (and your job) altogether. Whole New Way is a sleazy little number with coded lyrics like "I got your tail between my legs" sung over splotchy synthesizers and an elastic bass line. Lead single Fire With Fire is easily the odd one out of the slick party rompers offered in Night Work, nonetheless it's equally brilliant. Any Which Way is another album highlight, a slinky disco tune that isn't subtle on the sexual context at all, especially when Ana Matronic purrs out her oh-so-sexy monologue:

You know baby, when I was taking my pantyhose out of their egg this evening, I thought I'm going to find that man that is the right shade of bottle tan, a man that smells like cocoa butter and cash. Take me any way you like it, in front of the fireplace, in front of your yacht, in front of my parents, I don't give a damn baby, just take me.

Speaking of not-so-subtle sexual context, Harder You Get is the 'rock track' of the LP, with breathy "ah ah ah"s and one eargasmic albeit too short guitar riff seamlessly sliding to Running Out. Appropriately titled, it has Jake running on the verses quick to latch onto your brain, as well as superb throbbing synths with slightly muffled beeping sounds. Something Like This possesses a neon-oozing, insanely contagious chorus that sends thrills down my spine. Skin This Cat has Ms. Matronic sensually crooning and if you skin this cat right, she'll love you 'til her ninth life. One more album highlight is Skin Tight, which finds itself labeled as the 'ballad track' in the LP. It cleverly underlies a message on safe sex and such. At the end of the track we unknowingly find ourselves at the start of Sex and Violence, a dark tune that holds both lyrical and musical genius. The dead serious subject enveloped by the song is perfectly spliced together with its grim arrangement.

Night Life has applaudable instrumentals, and the "woo hoo!" bits are plain fun. It brings a certain melancholy even though the Scissor Sisters are somehow celebrating their night lives, with lyrics that go, "Night life! Some say it's worthless...". Wryly amusing how Invisible Light is the first track we've heard from Night Work and also the last as the LP comes to a close. Three words: it. is. amazing. Sir Ian McKellen(!) gives us a reverberating monolithic monologue, sounding like the god of all things disco.

Night Work is a dirty sleazefest that covers everything from sex to booze in the most epic of fashions. It's one of THE albums of 2010 with so many tracks beckoning to be the next single. It doesn't have much mainstream appeal as other dance albums, but the Scissor Sisters' third LP makes up for that with cutting-edge lyrical content and an attitude that goes way beyond 'camp'. It's raunchy, it's erotic, and it's damn good.

Album Highlights: Sex and Violence, Invisible Light, Skin Tight, Any Which Way