The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Mika's sophomore album is called The Boy Who Knew Too Much. "We Are Golden" begins the album, so when I began listening, I skipped it. I went right to "Blame It On The Girls" which begins with a spoken intro. It is interesting enough that I will quote it for you: "So I was sitting there in the bar and this guy came 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 said, "Dude, your perspective on life sucks."
The cut has immediate potential, heavy percussion and hand claps, deep synths and piano. It took all of 2 seconds to convince me Mika is on his game. Whatever rut I thought "We Are Golden" was, it disappeared after listening to "Blame It On The Girls."
We Love The 90s
Life In Cartoon Motion introduced the world to a fey and fashionable, quirky and cool singer/songwriter with a knack for writing just the right songs to hit the charts hard. His debut album showed everyone that he had a talent, and The Boy Who Knew Too Much only reinforces that. One more album of consistently good material will solidify Mika as a force not just to be reckoned with. On his sophomore album, Mika finds himself channeling some of the greatest songwriters in pop history, including The Beatles, George Michael, Elton John, and Billy Joel. The track "Dr. John" seems to combine many of those influences into one track, the verses containing both the piano feel of Elton John and the vocal style of Billy Joel, while the chorus bangs and carries on like a Beatles track. George Michael comes through so heavily on "Touches You" (one of my favorites) that a co-worker of mine said, "Isn't that George Michael?" The best of 90s soft rock comes out in "Blue Eyes," a sunny track that could usher in a new wave of ultra cool and laid-back if people could chill out enough to appreciate it.
The Slower Side of Power Pop
In "Rain," beats pulsate and thrive around Mika's voice which first summons the image of a crowded discotheque but when the chorus kicks in, the feel of the song shifts quickly into some sort of 80s track. While The Boy Who Knew Too Much is mostly upbeat, there are a few tracks that aim for the emotional jugular instead. Piano ballad (that wouldn't feel out of place in Rihanna's catalog) "I See You" takes the stage with full force, swelling and ebbing majestically before the R&B beat joins. "By The Time," a gorgeous collaboration with Imogen Heap, sounds unlike anything Mika has released so far, thanks to production help from Heap. "Pick Up Off The Floor," a smoky, jazzy, theatrical, and somber track, ends the album beautifully, oozing the class than only jazz can create. It is easy to make a party track, but when your downtempo songs are as enthralling as these, that is the mark of talent.
We Are Golden
"We Are Golden" deserved a second chance after falling in love with the rest of the album. I still don't love it but I have a newfound respect for the song, and in context with the rest of the album it definitely has its place. "We are not what you think we are, we are golden" is still quite annoying but that rush of happiness that swirls through the track is encouraging, and I really hope Mika can take the better parts of this track and move forward. Be sure to check out mixes by Calvin Harris, Mirwais, Bob Sinclar, and Don Diablo, among others.
Summary
While The Boy Who Knew Too Much doesn't exhibit that Mika does, in fact, know too much, it shows that he knows just enough to do pop right. This is a stellar album and an improvement on his debut.
Release September 2009 on Casablanca Records
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