Pros: theatrical arrangements, flamboyant energy, and bombastic arrangements
Cons: at times the sound climbs a little too over-the-top
The Bottom Line: What happens when we mix together high theatrics, a broad knowledge of 20th century pop music history, and a limitless supply of energy?
DrFaustus's Full Review: The Boy Who Knew Too Much [Digipak] by Mika
Listen to Mika's sophomore album The Boy Who Knew Too Much for more than a moment or two and you'll invariably find yourself playing the "identify-the-musical-influences" game. Mika and Greg Wells, who worked together to produce the album, have all but excised the word subtle from the album, so when they want you to hear the flamboyant bombast of Freddy Mercury in the vocals, you're definitely going to hear it. When they want you to notice the densely layered pop harmonies of Electric Light Orchestra, they're going to hit you over the head with them. The crisp, crystalline detachment of the Pet Shop Boys? The vaudevillian music hall indulgence of Paul McCartney? The Broadway musical song structures of Rufus Wainwright? The falsetto vocal acrobatics of both Prince and the Bee Gees? Yeah, they're all part of the expansive musical pastiche that is The Boy Who Knew Too Much, and they all appear with such heavy brush strokes that it brings new meaning to the word "conspicuous."
Even with all of its heavy-handed self-indulgence and its obvious echoes of previous musical greats, I can’t help loving this album. Like all great albums that wear their influences on their sleeves, The Boy Who Knew Too Much makes a concerted effort not to copy those who came before, but to weave all of those conspicuous forbearers together into something wholly original and completely wonderful.
Now more than a few listeners will probably hear the opening track and lead single for The Boy Who Knew Too Much, We Are Golden and immediately dismiss it for its over-the-top excesses. As an anthem for teens who self-identify as misunderstood creative misfits, its repeated chorus of "we are not what you think we are, we are golden, we are golden" is admittedly a little a little pretentious. Add in the liberal use of choral overdubs that pile Mika's voice on top of itself ad nauseum to create the effect of an army of precocious little theater brats marching down on us en masse, the solidly thumping dance-club rhythm of bass line, the pretentiously pensive piano fills, the falsetto gymnastics of the lead vocal line, and the rock-solid wall of sound production values of the song, and we should be faced with a perfect storm of annoying musical trends. Somehow it all works, though. The whole song bristles with an infectiously catchy energy that can't fail to hook in the listeners, and Mika deftly dances around the potentially pretentious premise of the song with such straightforward earnestness that it's hard not to join in and root for him.
As catchy as it is, the overwhelming bombast of that opening track can be a bit much. An entire album of songs that's heavy-handed slamming down on the listeners would be too much, like a triple helping of a far too decadent chocolatey desert, and fortunately the rest of the album dials down the flamboyance a few notches. (Granted, the album as a whole still pushes the boundaries grandiose sound scale far more than any other album out there these days, but its reassuring to hear that Mika knows when to pull back a little.)
We've got Blame It On the Girls, mixing a flamenco handclap rhythm with squonkly synth-pop rhythms and jazzy piano riffs. There's the languid disco sound of Rain and the spirited soulful riffs of Blue Eyes. The sing-along beer hall stomp of Dr. John. The playful, cram-as-many-words-as-possible-into-the-verses Good Gone Girl. The vaudevillian charm of Lover Boy (which echoes the roguish charm of French pop gems like Joe Dassin's Les Champs Elysees). There's even a bit of Gilbert and Sullivan inspired light operetta as Toy Boy explores the woes of young love through the lens of play room theatrics.
If there's any doubt of Mika's mastery of high energy, catchy pop anthems, those songs mentioned above can put those uncertainties to rest. Of course, anyone familiar with Mika's debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, already knew about his skill with bombastic, over-the-top pop. Where that album fell a little flat was in its slower, more pensive songs. Fortunately for us, the ballads on The Boy Who Knew Too Much prove that Mika has been able to grow as a songwriter since that first album. Thanks to songs like I See You with its haunting piano arrangement and its beautiful harmonies, By the Time with its crystalline vocal arrangement bolstered by guest artist Imogene Heap, and Pick Up Off the Floor with is smoldering torch song sentiments that start slow and build towards a big orchestral finish, the slower moments on the album are something to be savored all on their own, rather than just a respite from the grandiose, in-your-face theatrics that steal the spotlight for the remainder of the album.
Mika's music is undoubtedly pop, but its not the manufactured, paint-by-numbers pop that's plagued radio and television for a the last few years. He's a throwback to the days of theatrical singer-songwriters looking to create a unique, quirky personality for their music rather than latching onto the latest trends. The world needs more artists like him willing to wallow in their creative excesses, consequences be damned.
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