Well, here's another college final exam edition of the blog. What does that mean? Why, it's time for some happy music of course! Or, happy for the most part, that is. "Life in Cartoon Motion" is Mika's trip into silly, bouncy poppish rock. It's not my usual diet of indie, acoustic-ey stuff, but I still love listening to this album because it's impossible not to chuckle at. Just look at the album artwork, doesn't that really say it all? For the most part, this CD is a happy hour of music to listen to, with the occasional exception. Here we go!
1. "Grace Kelly" - This song features one of the catchiest choruses on the entire album. Filled to bursting with bouncy piano and clapping, the song is one man's... weird attempt at flirting with an older woman. He insists he could essentially be anything she wanted. Female voiceovers that occur at the beginning and end of the song, along with Mika making the sound of a cash register, lead us to believe that his efforts may in fact have been successful.
2. "Lollipop" - Definitely the silliest song on the album. Exhibit A: A young child opens the song by yelling, "Hey! What's the big idea??" The song sounds like a child's limited experience with love, complete with Mom's perspective on love: basically, that "love's gonna get you down." Still, the song is unquestionably happy, as Mika pounds a track that encourages immediate bobbing. Low brass, piano, and the occasional children's remark make this song a jazzy joy.
3. "My Interpretation" - In true form, this song is about Mika's defense of his own unique viewpoint of the world. In this case, the narrator is telling a former significant other what he thinks about how their relationship went wrong and that, quite frankly, what she thinks doesn't matter. "I don't need a reason not to care what you say or what happened in the end. This is my interpretation and it don't, don't make sense." Yet another extremely well-executed song with a unique twist on a common theme.
4. "Love Today" - This is the song that I had heard off this album before getting the entire. Yet another happy song declaring that everyone in the world is going to get love today. Mika's vocal range is on full display here, as his falsetto borders on the ridiculously high while still being in tune. A heartbeat pulses throughout the entire song, and the chorus is--surprise, surprise--insanely catchy. This is a song that begs to be played at full volume whenever it shows it's clown-painted face.
5. "Relax, Take It Easy" - This song is another one featuring the message that, no matter how scary life seems to be, freaking out about it isn't going to do any good. In this song, the narrator is flat out scared about where he is in life, but continually reminds himself to relax. A well-executed 80s-ish song, but one of my least favorites on the album to be sure.
6. "Ring Ring" - As well as I can interpret it, this song is about one young man's struggle with a creepy woman who keeps calling, freaking the young man out in the process. There's really not much else I can say, you kinda just have to hear the lyrics to understand it. I don't have much experience critiquing songs about creepers. It's a fairly limited genre. From a musical standpoint, however, the song is solid, with pianos and synths creating a wonderfully frantic and urgent feel. A good, weird song.
7. "Any Other World" - Mika starts the song off right, with piano and cello (once again, two of the easiest ways to get into my heart). The message of the song can, in my opinion, be applied both to life and to this album. Mika encourages the listener to "say goodbye to the world you thought you lived in." I believe he means that mankind needs to let go and just go with the flow. I also apply the message to the music of the album, as well. Just let go, don't take the music too seriously, and just enjoy. Strings and children's choirs also play extremely prominent parts, along with wonderful vocals. Mika may has well named the song, "Andrew's Ideal Song."
8. "Billy Brown" - Since we've covered large women in this album, why not move on to gay men. Billy Brown is a man leading a normal, heterosexual life when he suddenly falls in love with the guy of his dreams. His love essentially sends his life tumbling out of order, eventually bringing him to an island off the coast of Mexico to clear his mind, only to hook up with another woman. Well-executed falsetto lyrics play with trumpets and jazzy drums to set the atmosphere of what is yet another fun song.
9. "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" - The first of this album's several outright silly songs. The narrator has a love for... shall we say... wide women. Bouncy melodies, as well as restaurant sound effects, accompany some of the silliest lyrics I've ever heard. "Walks into the room, feels like a big balloon. Diet coke and a pizza please, diet coke and I'm on my knees screamin 'Big girl, you are beautiful'." Not your typical love song, is it? Blast it in the car! Why? .... Why not?
10. "Stuck in the Middle" - This song kicks off with a jazzy, dance-like piano beat. Like many songs on this album, the song is a unique take on the nature of a relationship. There's some tension in this pair, they seem to argue a lot, and yet they appear to still be together. This certainly applies to a lot of couples, but how often do you hear a song about it? A fine song, but I'm not a huge fan of it.
11. "Erase" - The first of a few more serious songs on the album, "Erase" tells the tale of a man who has messed up his relationship by leaving a nasty phone message. He wishes he could just erase all his mistakes; however, his former love is trying to erase memories of him at the same time. Ahh, musical irony! Piano and powerful, emotional lyrics combine to form a beautiful song with one of my favorite choruses on the album.
12. "Happy Ending" - My favorite song on the album, by far. It's the most majestic of all the songs on the CD, mostly due to the prominence of choir vocals and an absolutely explosive build and final chorus section (complete with full choir and string section). The narrator cannot get the end of his relationship off of his mind. It's hard for him to think about: "happy ending's gone forevermore." Also, from a music nerd's perspective, Mika's great use of chord structure is the cherry on top of the sundae that is this album.
13. "Over My Shoulder" - The most mournful song on the entire album, and I think it's great. Mika tones things down to almost minimalist proportions, with simply his lamenting vocals and a lilting piano carrying the load for this entire song. The lyrics are not nearly as complex as the other songs on the album; this message is simple. The narrator feels as though he's falling, and is looking over his shoulder the entire way down. A subdued way to close out the album.
For an entertaining hour of music with no need for intense self-analysis, this is the album to go to. I use it as an album to turn on after I've been studying. There's nothing studious about this album. It's the perfect listen for emptying your mind of all cares. As seemingly frivolous as the album, Mika uses outstanding instrumentals, unique melodies, and good vocals delivered with an outstanding voice to produce a diverse album the likes of which you probably aren't very likely to hear very often.
Here's a link to his Myspace.
http://www.myspace.com/mikamyspace
Until next time, enjoy!
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