Mika The Boy Who Knew Too Much Review
Life in Cartoon Motion Enters High School, Featuring ‘We Are Golden'
Oct 18, 2009
On his debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, Beirut born, English-raised Mika fused pop with dance, cabaret and Queen. Though hardly a uniform album, it showcased his talents as a seasoned entertainer even if he was just starting out.
The Boy Who Knew Too Much covers similar ground as his debut but adds enough maturity to not make it a repeat effort. The album floats through a montage of musical styles and different tempos that explore grown up themes and pains from the past while veiled in child-like lyrics and allusions.
In a world fixated on pegging artists into pigeon holes Mika doesn’t easily fit into any of the predestined categories. To make things simple, the songs on The Boy Who Knew Too Much fall into, or slightly near, three baskets – one labelled “Show Tunes”, another “Ballads” and the third named “Pop / Dance Tunes”.
We Are Golden Rain – Quick Call Dr. John
The album kicks off with show tune number one, and first single, “We Are Golden” featuring “teenage dreams in a teenage circus” complete with backing choir before moving into more adult-oriented material particularly on “Dr. John” and the Stuart Price-produced dance tune “Rain” – possibly the best track on the album along with ballad “I See You”.
Mika does nothing to dispel the gay rumours surrounding him since he broke onto the charts two years ago with show tune tracks like “Loverboy” or the Disney channelling of “Toy Boy”. Sung from a doll’s point of view around the time when his owner’s parents start to worry about their son sleeping with a doll – “You’re mamma thought there was something wrong/ didn’t want you sleeping with a boy too long”.
I See You
On the ballad side, Mika jerks a tear on the miserably beautiful “I See You” complete with swooping strings and heart-tugging lyrics of distance love. “By The Time”, a melancholy yet buoyant ballad, features backing vocals by Imogen Heap. Unfortunately these two standout tracks get buried in the mosaic.
If this album was inspired by Mika’s teen years, they must have seemed long to him – this is one marathon of a record. Although the album includes moments of sheer brilliance such as “Lady Jane” from this summer’s Songs For Sorrow EP, as well as the aforementioned “Rain” and “I See You”, he could have left “Pick Up Off The Floor” and “One Foot Boy” in the closet for future B-Side plucking.
The Boy Who Knew Too Much offers little originality, instead builds on Mika’s strengths and formula. The album may lack consistency, but Mika remains true to himself and makes music he stands behind, which must be commended. This isn’t pre-programmed radio-friendly material, but carefully constructed art – and as with any piece of art, it’ll leave fans and casual listeners divisive.
Mika- The Boy Who Knew Too Much is available now.
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