DANI56 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 http://media.www.bcheights.com/media/storage/paper144/news/2009/09/24/TheScene/Mikas.New.Album.Delivers.GlamPop.With.A.Twist-3781468.shtml Mika is the ultimate sugar-high. Listen to his music and you start to think that maybe he is a magician, or that maybe by some cosmic event he was transported to us from the disco age. In his newly released second studio album The Boy Who Knew Too Much, he proves that he could be anyone from Freddie Mercury to Aretha Franklin to Jason Mraz, all the while maintaining that razzle-dazzle, bubble gum-flavored panache that has the world in constant dance mode. After his successful debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, it seemed that Mika couldn't step any farther out of the box; and yet, in his newest creations, we see that he definitely has more than a few magic tricks still to unveil. The album opens with "We are Golden," in which Mika channels youthful rebellion with lines like "teenage dreams in a teenage circus / running around like a clown on purpose." It has a contagious energy and a pulsing rhythm - not to mention an ecstatic, all-ages chorus. It's both rediculously catchy and safe enough that it will reach a wide audience. Another asset to the album, "Blame it on the Girls," is fueled by pounding drum beats and supported by those rich, well-placed piano chords that won audiences over in "Grace Kelly." But the song sounds nothing like any of Mika's previous works. He manages to apply the sultry, rhythmic feel of salsa music to his own peppy melody line, all the while singing in the gossip-induced mindset of a high school drama queen. Viewers charmed by the more energy-packed tracks on the album may overlook a few hidden gems - namely "By the Time," which is teeming with almost-whispered, high-pitched harmonies that are chilling throughout. This one is Mika's ambitious attempt at an a cappella piece and it is truly one of his greater achievements. Another notable track is "Dr. John," which shows a much mellower side of the flamboyant Brit popper. Though the chorus has the same lively spirit that can be found in some of his biggest hits, the verses maintain a calmer, easier mood, accented by the unexpected hint of an acoustic guitar. In some tracks, Mika's untamed artistry does come to a questionable point. "I See You" has all the contrived melodrama of a High School Musical ballad, and it's not hard to mistake Mika for lovesick Zac Efron in such lines as "conversations / not me at all / I'm hesitating / only to fall." "Blue Eyes" feels a bit like island music - but unfortunately, instead of achieving the relaxed feel of a Bob Marley classic, it bears an unfortunate resemblance to bad cruise entertainment. Pair it with "One Foot Boy" and you begin to think that Mika is using keyboard presets as his source of accompaniment. Not all of his genre-dabbling is regrettable, though, and in "Rain," Mika manages to pull off a fully functioning techno number that could go straight to any club scene. The true love-it-or-hate-it track of the album, though, is unquestionably "Toy Boy," an eerie nursery rhyme that sounds a bit like the ballad of Pinocchio as told by Tim Curry. It's hard to decide whether this one is a train wreck or a masterpiece; but either way, it certainly leaves an impression. While The Boy Who Knew Too Much seems to push Mika's glam-pop genre to the realm of the absurd, there's no denying the creative genius of this seemingly mad scientist. A- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertina Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaankss! *no room left in hard disk* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Yeh great review , I like that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazGirl Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Absolutely brilliant, THANK YOU! Wow! Good reviews pretty much all round! WORLD DOMINATION! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Absolutely brilliant, THANK YOU! Wow! Good reviews pretty much all round! WORLD DOMINATION! :biggrin2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thanks, very good review...again! Is it just me, or are there just NO really bad reviews of this? Even the poor ones are now at least acknowledging yes he's bloody irritating, jazz-hands* etc, but, but, gotta hand it to him, etc etc... A subtle but definite shift in the general attitude towards him. He has gone out and made an accomplished second album, even his detractors have to give him credit. I'M LOVING IT * anyone else noticing how 'jazz hands' is the new ' Freddie Mercury impersonator' ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiibet Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thank you!!!!! Another great review, wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANI56 Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Absolutely brilliant, THANK YOU! Wow! Good reviews pretty much all round! WORLD DOMINATION! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazGirl Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Thanks, very good review...again! Is it just me, or are there just NO really bad reviews of this? Even the poor ones are now at least acknowledging yes he's bloody irritating, jazz-hands* etc, but, but, gotta hand it to him, etc etc... A subtle but definite shift in the general attitude towards him. He has gone out and made an accomplished second album, even his detractors have to give him credit. I'M LOVING IT * anyone else noticing how 'jazz hands' is the new ' Freddie Mercury impersonator' ?? Yes, the lowest star I've seen is 3. Which, let's face it, IS AWESOME. Life In Cartoon Motion was definitely more of a marmite album I think, with some people detesting it to the max OR loving it. The vast, VAST majority of his reviews have been outstanding. And KUDOS to Mika, he deserves it. IN YOUR FACE, HATERS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 In your faceeeeeeeeeee ppfftttttttttt <caz your making me laugh this week> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazGirl Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 In your faceeeeeeeeeee ppfftttttttttt <caz your making me laugh this week> why what else have I said?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droopsy Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Yes, the lowest star I've seen is 3. Which, let's face it, IS AWESOME. I've seen a two somewhere, but no site I knew so Why does nobody talk about pick up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazGirl Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I've seen a two somewhere, but no site I knew so Why does nobody talk about pick up? I don't know, but I personally think it's one of the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droopsy Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I don't know, but I personally think it's one of the best! Me too! And you'd think that song would stand out because it's so different... Weird! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazGirl Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Me too! And you'd think that song would stand out because it's so different... Weird! I guess we can forgive them though, they're still giving Mika good reviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I like that! T4P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sariflor Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Fantastic!!! I am sure that this album will get even better reviews and sales than LICM!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickadee Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 By The Time is a capella? Excuse me? Were we listening to the same album? I'm not gonna quibble with the review because it's generally positive, but... I'm a little baffled by this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mari62 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Love it!! First & last sentence Mika is the ultimate sugar-high. Listen to his music and you start to think that maybe he is a magician, or that maybe by some cosmic event he was transported to us from the disco age. there's no denying the creative genius of this seemingly mad scientist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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