For those of you who have been paying attention, I’ve been enamored lately with the recent wave of British talent coming though the States (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, etc).
Well, the newest artist I have to add to the list is London-based singer Mika.
Armed with a voice and grandiose style reminiscent of British pioneers such as Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Elton John, the singer is out to give pop a swift kick in the ass.
His album “Life in Cartoon Motion” is packed full of catchy hooks with regal melodies. The result is an adventure in musicality, drawing from influences that range from disco to glam rock with a bit of new wave thrown in for good measure.
I began hearing a buzz on Mika a few months ago when his first single, “Grace Kelly,” leaked.
The piano-driven tune, which sounds like Ziggy Stardust and Queen’s love child, was enough to capture my attention.
He peppers the epic track with colorful lyrics that personify British wit.
His voice sounds flawless on this song; he gives enough power to let you know he has strong pipes and enough attitude to charismatically draw you in.
Another tune, “Lollipop,” has to be one of the catchiest songs I’ve ever heard in my life. Starting sparsely with drums and piano the track builds into a musical frenzy with horns, crazy percussion, and singing children.
Warning: This song will inevitably get stuck in your head. You’ll find yourself singing, “Sucking too hard on your lollipop/hey, love’s gonna get you down.”
It’s all fun and trust me, there are worse songs to have stuck in your head. Try walking around with Grace Jones on mental repeat…not a good look, but I digress.
You may have heard his other single, “Love Today,” in a recent Verizon commercial. From the thumping bassline to his searing falsetto, this track screams disco, which is great.
Somewhere along the way, disco unfairly got a bad name. Granted, it’s not all good, but some really great songs came out of that genre. Mika takes it and filters out the cheese to give us about four minutes of booty-shaking bliss.
His song, “Relax, Take It Easy,” borrows heavily from a new wave motif, utilizing a sample of Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died in Your Arms.”
It’s very ’80s, but it doesn’t sound so old school that it sounds out of place in today’s market. This is helped by yet another great hook.
His vocals sound great in this mode as well. You can tell he has a real understanding of his voice and knows what music best complements it.
Throughout this album, Mika finds a way to take on music pioneered in the ’70s and give it a new twist.
Plus, he has fantastic pop sensibility; it’s virtually impossible to listen to this album without getting at least three of the songs stuck in your head.
With his highly nuanced motifs and colorfully witty lyrics, “Life in Cartoon Motion” is the perfect way to describe this mélange of musicality.