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Album Details
- Artist: Mika
- Album: Life In Cartoon Motion
- Label: Casablanca
- Year of Release: 2007
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: dadair on 2007-02-02
RecommendA terse The Country Girl-esque noire element opens up the doors to a flighty glam/pop swirl, returning for bracing interludes to signal the comeback of the off-kilter Mika, in the form of 'Grace Kelly'. The power of the Polyphonic Spree, the wistfulness of Jim Noir and the je nais se qua of Queen meet up in the musical orbit of this flighty ten track wonder. 'My Interpretation' stands toe to toe with The Magic Numbers and The Mamas & The Papas, to send you flying back to the times when your spleen was vented with deep seated vocal projection and a glorious, ranging melody. The androgynous vocal command is complemented, at intervals, by a stern and sweet female element.
Unfortunately, Mika goes a little too far in his vocal exuberance during 'My Interpretation', whereby he strains a little too much and the instrumental razzmatazz doesn't help to avoid the plummet into a pit of falseness. When things take a dip, all you need is an electro ladder and a bit of a WHAM spring, some labouring reflection and you are back into a cushy pop groove, 'Love Today'. It is not surprising that the centrepiece of the album, 'Any Other World' is pure theatrical in large Michael Crawford portions and is an earnest number that veers just the right side of sentimentality. Using an orchestral and choral element to change the pace and mood throughout. Also, it says to The Killers that the phrase; "Smile Like You Mean It" is for general use and can be used to better impact when it is meaningfully built up to.
The tongue-in-cheek lullaby style is used to devastating in the tale of a respectable man coming out of the closet, only to go back in and then yeah, come out again, 'Billy Brown'. This is Mika's most serious offering, lurking beneath a horn fuelled vibrant bounce. 'Big Girl (you are beautiful)', could have been picked up from the floor of a The Scissor Sisters' rehearsal room and it oozes zap and spirit, as Mika's elastic vocals are stretched in numerous directions to pull off a non-judgemental and inoffensive jaunt. The latter band's influence also seeps through in 'Stuck In The Middle'. The early dip in form is well and truly left behind and, Mika is continuing to prove that we have a fresh and bold impresario ready to push the boundaries of pop music, hopefully out of the reach of any X Factor contestant.
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on 2007-04-23 hstisgod Said:
Though we have two very strong, and well thought out opinions, I'm passing...
Rating: 8/10
Review:
on 2007-04-21 ThePhoenix Said:
Life in Cartoon Motion starts out with the quirky mostly upbeat lyrics of "Grace Kelly". Its got a flighty, pop sound to it, grabbing you as it crescendos into the chorus with increasing energy and Mika's falsettos. The next song, Lollipop makes you feel like you're back in grade school jumping around in the playground, with its quick beat on the piano and the children's choir. Its only good if you have 5 year old kids, because it became extremely cloying after a few listens and I pretty much started gagging. "My Interpretation" has a completely different feel to it compared to the last two songs. Its provides a much needed break from the bouncy, swirly pop. The song wasn't one of my favorites though, it just felt too flat. It was unemotional, and frankly, unconvincing. Right after that, the album returms to that upbeat pop sound with "Love Today". This song was THE perfect mix. It was upbeat without being corny and saccharine like "Lollipop". This was achieved by layering crisp guitar parts over the pop beat in the chorus, adding a much needed balance to the sing. Mika's falsettos are hardly annoying in this song, adding a certain "spice" to the piece that makes you want to squeeze out the high notes with him. "Relax" and "Any Other World" send you back to the mellower, more sensitive Mika, but I just wanted to keep listening to "Love Today". "Any Other World" is made palatable, through its changes in sundden changes in tempo and mood, making it sentimental but keeping it from being completely soupy. The story in the song "Billy Brown" is actually sad, but Mika sings in such a comical, Dr. Seuss-like manner, that I found it quite hilarious. "Big Girl" manages to complement big women with out being offensive with its upbeat, inspirational sound. Mika returns to that swirly pop sound once more in "Stuck in the Middle" before ending with a bittersweet, slow song; "Happy Ending". Unlike "My Interpretation" I found this song extremely convincing. One theme that pervades all of the tracks on this CD is the fact that all of the songs are tinged with sadness. This one song brings all of that full circle, creating a wonderful, heartfelt, inspirational commentary on Life Itself.
8/10 stars
Rating: 8/10
