A week ago I wrote about Mika and his brilliant new album. And in that post I wrote about a song called "Rain" and posted a live performance of it. It looks like "Rain" will be the next official single, and here is the music video for it.
I really love the song and the video is really odd, but very Mika. Mika doesn't do subtle, he is as pop as it gets, and I love that. The video is what I'd imagine a rave in the middle of the forest with the characters of Alice In Wonderland would be like. It's out there, but so is Mika and the song, and it just works. I'm a fan.
Mika is such a great pop singer/songwriter. I really enjoyed his first album, "Life in Cartoon Motion" and am currently enjoying the follow up album, "The Boy Who Knew Too Much". "Life in Cartoon Motion" produced 7 successful singles (I posted my favorite songs here). "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" was released three weeks ago and has three singles. The first one was released in the UK and is called "We Are Golden" and reached #4 on the charts. The next single is called "Blame It On The Girls" and is the first single to be released in the US. There next single is probably going to be a great track (my favorite on the album) called "Rain".
Here is a performace on "Blame It On The Girls" on Live with Jools Holland:
And here is an AMAZING acoustic performance of "Rain":
Earlier I shared some of Mika's music, and I'm sure you all are familiar with Nelly Furtado and her song "Say It Right".
Some genius decided do a mash-up with "Relax, Take It Easy" and "Say It Right" and it's amazing. I can't remember when I first heard it as it was a while ago, but I couldn't get it out of my head. That is two great pop songs, one catchier than the other, combined in one delicious sandwich.
Enjoy.
Bonus - Nelly Furtado "Say It Right" Live Perforamce:
Mika is a 26 year old singer from Lebanon whose sophomore album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, debuted at number 19 on the billboard charts this week. Mika has also released an EP, a live CD, and two concert DVDs. His first album, Life In Cartoon Motion sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and produced six singles: "Relax, Take It Easy", "Grace Kelly", "Love Today", "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)", "Happy Ending" and "Lollipop".
"Relax, Take It Easy":
"Happy Ending" - which is my personal favorite:
"The Boy Who Knew Too Much" is a great album. With Mika, you can always count on good, guilt free pop music. There is so much going on in his music, it takes a few listens to get the depth of the tracks and lyrics. Even the musical arrangement has several layers - there are so many small sounds and beats in each track that the album sounds like it is alive and bursting. And his lyrics - Mika is not shy about tackling issues that may be taboo. In his lyrics, he is blunt, honest, and talks about life and experiences we have all seen or experienced. His lyrics are very personable and relatable.
The lead single is "We Are Golden" and it is a fun upbeat song. It's got a great chorus and is a great sing-along song. It's a great pop track, and charted at #4 in the UK, but I don't think it is the best track on the album. His second single "Blame it on the Girls" has more substance but is still upbeat, poppy, and catchy. It is definitely one of the catchiest songs on the album. The beat is super repetitive, but Mika manages to not make it too annoying, as there is so much going on that takes some of the focus away from the repetition. The piano break in the middle of the song is very interesting, as well as the speaking introduction. The true beauty of this song are in the lyrics and the message of the song. The song is about a person who doesn't take responsibility for their actions and is negative. And we all know people that and we want to tell them to snap out of it. And Mika does, in a very catchy, fun, upbeat way.
So I was sitting there in the bar and this guy comes up to me and he said "My life stinks" and I saw his gold credit card and I saw the way he was looking at people across the room and I looked at his face and you know, what a good looking face, and I just said, "Dude, your perspective on life sucks".
There are several other track on the album that I really enjoy. "Rain" caught my attention on first listen and is vintage Mika. It has the same feel and vibe of "Happy Ending" and "Relax, Take It Easy". Again, it is a dark song set to a fast dance beat. The bridge is awesome as it has Mika rapping a few lines. This should be a single. "I See You" is a great dramatic ballad. It is beautiful and very melodic. I can see an epic music video with a huge orchestra and some great slow moving shots. "Blue Eyes" is another great song with a folk feel to it. I really like the tempo, it's both fast and slow at the same time. It's an odd one, but I like it. "Touches You" is another great pop track. "By The Time" and "Pick Up Off The Floor" are great slow ballads.
Overall, this is a great album. I don't know if it surpasses "Life In Cartoon Motion", but "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" does not disappoint and is well worth the two year wait. I highly recommend picking up a copy of the album as there are so many great track, great beats/arrangements, and lyrics, especially if you are looking for a good fun album to dance to.
What is your favorite Mika track? Which album do you think is better, "Life in Cartoon Motion" or "The Boy Who Knew Too Much"?
