| Mika - Life In Cartoon Motion written by Stephanie |
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Following the latest music trend of reverting to a
“Classic 70’s” feel, Mika’s “Life in Cartoon Motion”
swoops the musical charts by doing something no new
artist has done before; successfully pulling it off.
Listening to this album makes me suspect that attending
a live performance would swallow you in a hurricane of
sounds and time periods – reminding you of legendary
Queen, with a dash of Scissor Sisters pop, Morrison
movements, and perhaps a touch of BeeGees vocal-
stylings mixed in.
It’s rare these days to find an album where all the tracks
are likeable, let alone energizing and uplifting. Life in
Cartoon Motion encompasses pop, soul, cabaret, and 70’
s funk in one album. It’s a roller coaster of emotion as
Mika’s life experiences are transcribed into anthemic
lyrics and melodies. Often I would find myself swept up
in the fun, poppy beats only to realize “Wait a minute,
that lyric was actually kind of mean..” Trust me when I
say that the lyric sheet is not one to skim over.
Mika has been compared to legendary artist, Freddie
Mercury and, if reincarnation is possible, this isn’t a far
stretch. Drawn in from the first track “Grace Kelly”
gained notice from record companies by being true to
himself and writing a song defiantly claiming that he
would not be fit into their iconic molds. The Freddie
Mercury parallels continue throughout the album with
tracks such as “Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)”,
reminiscent to the popular Queen title “Fat Bottomed
Girls”, and ending with the soulful chorus of “Happy
Ending”, which reminds me of “Somebody to Love”
again by Queen.
“Classic 70’s” feel, Mika’s “Life in Cartoon Motion”
swoops the musical charts by doing something no new
artist has done before; successfully pulling it off.
Listening to this album makes me suspect that attending
a live performance would swallow you in a hurricane of
sounds and time periods – reminding you of legendary
Queen, with a dash of Scissor Sisters pop, Morrison
movements, and perhaps a touch of BeeGees vocal-
stylings mixed in.
It’s rare these days to find an album where all the tracks
are likeable, let alone energizing and uplifting. Life in
Cartoon Motion encompasses pop, soul, cabaret, and 70’
s funk in one album. It’s a roller coaster of emotion as
Mika’s life experiences are transcribed into anthemic
lyrics and melodies. Often I would find myself swept up
in the fun, poppy beats only to realize “Wait a minute,
that lyric was actually kind of mean..” Trust me when I
say that the lyric sheet is not one to skim over.
Mika has been compared to legendary artist, Freddie
Mercury and, if reincarnation is possible, this isn’t a far
stretch. Drawn in from the first track “Grace Kelly”
gained notice from record companies by being true to
himself and writing a song defiantly claiming that he
would not be fit into their iconic molds. The Freddie
Mercury parallels continue throughout the album with
tracks such as “Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)”,
reminiscent to the popular Queen title “Fat Bottomed
Girls”, and ending with the soulful chorus of “Happy
Ending”, which reminds me of “Somebody to Love”
again by Queen.
Not to identify Mika as a copycat artist by any means, the artist’s personal flair is applied to every track; making him truly
unique in an industry gone stale with ‘new’ artists bringing the same sound to the table year after year.
Life in Cartoon Motion is brilliant and my personal choice for album of the year. It’s something you can listen to and whole-
heartedly say that it’s different. Mika can be respected for his individuality and non-conformity. I can only hope that this
refreshing difference continues with his next album.
That being said – Go Buy It Already!
unique in an industry gone stale with ‘new’ artists bringing the same sound to the table year after year.
Life in Cartoon Motion is brilliant and my personal choice for album of the year. It’s something you can listen to and whole-
heartedly say that it’s different. Mika can be respected for his individuality and non-conformity. I can only hope that this
refreshing difference continues with his next album.
That being said – Go Buy It Already!
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