Cautionary Wife
-
Posts
450 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Blogs
Forums
Gallery
Downloads
Events
Posts posted by Cautionary Wife
-
-
I have Intel Mac OSX and regular Mac. No good on either.
CW.
-
Anyone manage to capture as an mp3.... pretty please???
The MSN thing requires PC and Windows... so I can't get it.
CW.
-
I thought maybe they'd put their review through he Jargonator in Dilbert's Desktop Tools.
The opinion is expressed so obliquely, they just can't be wrong.... I gues.
CW.
-
"Grace Kelly" - Mika
Feb 20, 2007, 21:55 GMT
Mika, a 23-year-old male Beirut-born jack-of-all-musical trades, topped U.K. singles in January with "Grace Kelly" based solely on digital sales - a new phenomenon in that country - with his jaw-dropping, wild-eyed Scissors Sisters-meets-Freddie Mercury four-octave vocal imprint.
Cosmic uptempo production sounds like nothing that stateside radio has indulged . . . well . . . ever . . . with audacious howling-into-a-squeal falsetto opening verse: "Do I attract you? Do I repulse you with my queasy smile?/Am I too dirty? Am I too flirty?"
Polarizing opinions are a certainty, given the self-proclaimed "operatic spoof`" manic musical overdrive. "Grace Kelly" is surely atypical, conspicuous in its weird, ambrosial, hyperactive originality. We can`t even imagine what`s in store from full-length debut 'Life in Cartoon Motion,' due in March.
---
Can anyone explain "atypical, conspicuous in its weird, ambrosial, hyperactive originality"? DUH !
CW.
-
What do they mean "Former Queen guitarist" ? !!!!!
Article also quotes source www.brianmay.com
CW.
"Former Queen guitarist Brian May has praised Mika, who tops the singles and albums chart, and told him to ignore his detractors." -
Ta. I'll have another listen.
CW.
-
Done a site search here and we seem not to have this interview.. though it does have a familiar ring.
CW.
---
Friday, 5 January 2007, 08:20 GMT
Sound of 2007: Mika
By Emma Jones
Entertainment reporter, BBC News
Colourful pop newcomer Mika has come top of the BBC News website's Sound of 2007 talent list.
He has been voted the most promising new artist in the poll of influential and impartial music writers and broadcasters.
Mika (pronounced "Meeka") is getting a lot of attention for an artist at the start of his career.
His first full single, Grace Kelly, has generated 250,000 plays on MySpace in less than four months and is playlisted on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2.
The single and his album, Life in Cartoon Motion, have been described as a fusion of Beck, Prince, the Scissor Sisters and T-Rex - but there is one artist almost everyone compares his voice to.
"The comparisons to Freddie Mercury are fine," the 23-year-old says.
"They started long before I made the record - I've even referred to it in Grace Kelly.
"A Freddie comparison is a compliment. He's a genius and one of the best there's ever been."
But the media's attempts to pigeonhole him are "annoying", he adds.
"I have to remember that no-one knows who I am, or where to place me.
"I consider myself a singer songwriter, which can be a stigma - you're seen as singing self-indulgent dinner party music.
"I want to make big sounding pop records."
Born in Beirut in 1983, Mika and his family had to be evacuated and ended up in London via Paris.
It is from this lifestyle, Mika tells me, that he has an "airport accent" - but it is also what led him to take up singing and writing when he was 10 years old.
"I found school pretty tough," he admits. "I got the mickey taken out of me at school. I twigged it was easier to say stuff in a song than to a person.
"I missed school for months when I first came to London and then I got a Russian music teacher. I started singing and it was awesome - music got me back on my feet."
He went on to take any music job he could - including writing a jingle for Orbit chewing gum, for which he was paid the handsome sum of £45.
His record deal, in typical flamboyant style, was signed after he played to Universal record reps in a hotel lobby.
"I was rejected for years though," he explains.
"The indie scene thought I was too melody-based and I was rejected by the commercial scene because I was too strange.
"I write songs about fat girls and about men who run off to Mexico."
The internet finally brought recognition after entertainment newsletter Popbitch described him as "the breakout superstar of the next few years."
"I woke up and suddenly there were 600 friend requests for my MySpace," he recalls. "And every time I deleted them, hundreds more kept on coming."
He is now embarking on a UK tour and says Europe and the United States are "shaping up pretty nicely".
He has a sold out gig at Koko in London in February and says his ambitions for 2007 are to reach more people by playing live.
Break the mould
"I really want people to know me, and if they like me, to stick with me and to give me enough of a chance," he says.
"I really want longevity. The UK is an amazing atmosphere for pop at the moment - by that I mean anything from Razorlight to KT Tunstall, anything that's popular. It's so full of artistry and innocence."
He seems far more assured than his years, but claims he has "been forced to know what I want".
"It's especially difficult if you don't want to be on the X Factor," he says.
"Grace Kelly was written after these musicians were trying to mould me into what I should be.
"I was really angry and so I wrote the song and mailed them the lyrics. They didn't call me back, but two years later it's come full circle."
* More than 130 impartial UK-based music writers, editors and broadcasters took part in to the Sound of 2007 poll by naming their three favourite new acts.
These tips were weighted to take account of each pundit's stature, genre and record in previous polls, as well as the order in which they ranked their tips, with the results compiled into a top 10.
-
M: Melodious.
(i could've chosen "melon-loving")
CW.
-
by Sarah Probst
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ask almost anyone about Queen’s iconic lead singer Freddie Mercury, and you’ll get the same response: The man was a god. His piercing vocals, theatrical sensibility and black-and-white checkered unitard are the stuff of legend. Even now, 15 years after his death, no artist has been able to fill Mercury’s signature onesie  hypothetically or otherwise  though many have tried.
With a similarly androgynous personality and an even more similar vocal range, U.K. phenom Mika comes close, but also achieves his own personality while adding his name to this seemingly unending list of Freddie admirers.
On his new album, Life in Cartoon Motion, Mika clearly vocalizes his admiration for Freddie. The newcomer’s piercing yet never shrill soprano flights and consistently sweet tenor, both reminiscent of the musical legend, find their way onto each and every track of this bubbly pop album. Even his lyrics bear reference to the late and great musical genius.
The similarities between the two artists continue beyond the vocals. Mika plays appropriately epic piano in the style of Mercury and makes frequent use of a backup symphony and studio wizardry to create Queen-style majesty. By throwing in elements of techno, southern gospel and ’80s Brit pop, Mika makes his first album one unforgettable pop delight.
Already garnering success on MTV and U.K. airwaves, dance pop is clearly what this up-and-comer does best. “Grace Kelly†immediately opens the album with those signature Freddie vocals, but with a new spin a la Mika’s uniquely precise lyrical style and melodies. Accompanied by a merrily romping rhythm section, Mika sings, “I try to be like Grace Kelly/ But all her looks were too sad/ So I try a little Freddie/ I’ve gone identity mad!†creating the most unforgettable self-image anthem of 2007.
And, truly, it’s virtually impossible to avoid this artist’s infectious pop beats. If you’ve watched or merely flipped through MTV in the last three months, chances are you’ve heard snippets of Mika’s single “Love Today.†Easily recognized by its chorus (You know  "Everybody’s gonna love today/ Love today/ Love todayâ€Â), this Scissor Sisters-inspired track begins with Mika’s driving, pounding piano work. His upper-register wail, coupled with jangling guitar work and the slightest bit of synthesization, make this disco-tinged tune the perfect dance track.
For those who may not adore Mr. Mercury  if they exist  Mika departs from his main influences and makes additional references to other pop acts throughout the disc. “Lollipop†channels the sugary-sweet pop confections of the Jackson 5 with its children’s chorus and bouncy keyboard work. The sly artist, however, incorporates bits of New Orleans jazz into its schoolyard chant, along with a few innuendos amidst the childlike vocal lines. The lyric “Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop/ Love’s gonna get you down†is a little too risqué for the real Jackson 5 but perfect for this track. The technofied “Relax, Take It Easy†also looks to the past, citing the chorus instrumentation of “(I Just) Died in Your Arms†by ’80s Brit pop quartet Cutting Crew.
Recounting the story of a man who leaves his wife for a gay lover, the tale “Billy Brown†also brings Mercury’s outrageous antics to mind. On the intro and verses of this track, Mika’s mellow tenor again channels the late and great singer over a bouncing piano accompaniment. The choruses, however, see a shift to a heavy Beatles influence with the inclusion of tubas and trumpets. Not only are the lyrics witty, they also reveal a poignant story amid the fanciful instrumentation.
Of course, an album cannot rely on dance tracks alone, and understanding this, Mika slows down the tempo for several of songs. Abandoning his keyboard in favor of a backup symphony, “Any Other World†features Mika’s soaring vocals as he explores his soul: “I try to live alone/ But human is so lonely/ So human as I am/ I had to give up my defenses,†the solemn singer states. The mediocre “My Interpretation,†on the other hand, strives for understanding between the dance tracks but results in a contrived attempt at a Train-like pop ballad.
In the final hidden track “Over My Shoulder,†Mika returns to form with hollow piano work, moaning vocals and a haunting harmonic dissonance that all combine to sound like a requiem.
Currently, “Grace Kelly†is holding the No. 1 spot on the U.K. charts for the fifth week in a row. Just like Freddie Mercury, everybody seems to love Mika.
Grade: 4 out of 5
---
CW.
-
Lyrics gallantly started by babygirl.6151, which I have added to. The lyrics in the booklet say "let you down", whereas "get you down" is sung.
LOLLIPOP
(Lollipop Girl)
Hey – what’s the big idea?
Say suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Hey love’s gonna get you down
I say suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Say love
Say love
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Say love
Say love
Oh love’s gonna get you down
I went walking with my mamma one day
When she warned me what people say
“Live your life until love is found
Coz love’s gonna get you downâ€Â
“Take a look at the girl next door
She’s a player and a down right bore
Jesus loves her but she wants more
Oh bad girls get you down†- sing it
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Say love
Say love
Oh love's gonna get you down
Say love
Say love
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Mamma told me what I should know
“Too much candy gonna rot your soul
If she loves you let her go!
Coz love only gets you downâ€Â
Take a look at a boy like me
Never stood on my own two feet
Now I’m blue as I can be
Oh love come get me down – sing it!
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love's gonna get you down
Say love
Say love
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Say love
Say love
Oh love’s gonna get you down
(Lollipop Girl)
I went walking with my mamma one day
When she warned me what people say
“Live your life until love is found
Or love’s gonna get you down†- sing it!
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love's gonna get you down
Say love (say love)
Say love (say love)
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Say love (say love)
Say love (say love)
Oh love’s gonna get you down
Mamma told me what I should know
“Too much candy gonna rot your soul
If she loves you let her go (baby giggles)
Coz love only gets you down†(baby giggles)
Whoa whoa whoa lollipop
Whoa whoa whoa lollipop
Suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Oh love’s gonna get you down
I say, suckin’ too hard on your lollipop
Hey love’s gonna let you down
Lollipop!
CW
-
I think I've got a bit nearer, but need to check with the CD.
----
CW.
-
I heard 6' 2"
CW.
-
"Fork out my daylight"
Does that make sense?
CW.
In the Over My Shoulder lyrics the word you're unsure of is not "fog" but "fork". Enjoy! -
Me too.
Welcome Julia. Glad you found your way over here.
CW.
-
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Magazine: 7 - page 33
18 Feb 2007
ARTS/POP/CDS
OUT THIS WEEK
Critic: James Delingpole
MIKA - LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION
When 23 year old Mica Penniman was a student at the Royal College of Music, he would gate crash parties, commandeer the piano and treat everyone, whether they liked it or not, to 5 of his latest compositions. Now we know how those partygoers felt – at once bedazzled by this preening boy’s virtuosity and infuriated by the little tick’s neediness, presumption and vastly overdone precocity.
3 / 5
---
CW.
-
UK edition.
CW.
-
Entertainment News
Sun 18/02/2007
Success at this week's Brit awards has been translated into the country's singles and albums charts, with Amy Winehouse and Take That both climbing up the rankings.
Winehouse, who won best female at Earls Court in midweek, saw her album Back to Black climb three places to two, while Beautiful World by comeback kids and best British single winners Take That re-entered the top five.
But the real winner this week was Lebanese-born sensation Mika, whose single Grace Kelly and album Life in Cartoon Motion still top both charts for the fourth and second weeks respectively.
There were no new entries in either charts, with Kaiser Chiefs' new single Ruby sticking at two and I Wanna Love You by Akon and Snoop Doggy Dogg rising six to three.
Patience, the single that won Take That their sole award at the Valentine's Day Brit awards, jumped 12 places to tenth overall.
Top ten singles
1 Grace Kelly, Mika (1)
2 Ruby, Kaiser Chiefs (2)
3 I Wanna Love You, Akon featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg (9)
4 Starz in their Eyes, Just Jack (3)
5 This Ain't a Scene it's an Arms Race, Fall Out Boy (4)
6 Exceeder, Mason (5)
7 How to Save a Life, Fray (6)
8 The Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani featuring Akon (10)
9 Too little too Late, Jojo (7)
10 Patience, Take That (22)
Top five albums
1 Life in Cartoon Motion, Mika (1)
2 Back to Black, Amy Winehouse (5)
3 Eyes Open, Snow Patrol (8)
4 Not too Late, Norah Jones (4)
5 Beautiful World, Take That (16)
---
CW.
-
Sun 18 Feb 2007
LONDON (Reuters) - Rising star Mika spent a fifth week at the top of the pop charts on Sunday with his single, "Grace Kelly", the Official UK Charts Company said.
The singer-songwriter also held on to the number one spot in the album chart with his debut, "Life in Cartoon Motion".
Mika, whose flamboyant style has been compared to the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, was named best new talent of the year in a poll last month.
Indie pop band Kaiser Chiefs spent a second week at number two with "Ruby".
Climbing six places to three were hip hop stars Akon and Snoop Dogg's "I Wanna Love You", while London rapper Just Jack slipped to fourth with "Starz in their Eyes".
Chicago punk-pop act Fall Out Boy fell one place to fifth with "This Ain't a Scene It's an Arms Race".
Dutch DJ Mason was at number six with the dance hit "Exceeder", while Denver pop group The Fray's "How to Save a Life" slipped to seven.
"The Sweet Escape", by American singer Gwen Stefani, was at number eight, ahead of R&B singer JoJo's "Too Little Too Late" at nine.
After winning the best single prize at the Brit Awards this week, Take That's "Patience" re-entered the top 20 at number 10.
---
CW.
-
18 February 2007
Picture caption: Mika won the BBC's Sound of 2007 contest, championing new talent
Mika has remained top of the UK singles and albums charts in a week which saw rises for Brit Awards performers Amy Winehouse, Snow Patrol and Take That.
The Beirut-born newcomer spent his fourth week at number one with single Grace Kelly, and Life in Cartoon Motion was top album for the second time.
Winehouse had the second-placed album, while Snow Patrol were up to third and Take That moved from 16 to five.
On the singles chart, Kaiser Chiefs stayed at two, with Akon up to three.
UK TOP FIVE SINGLES
1. Mika, Grace Kelly
2. Kaiser Chiefs, Ruby
3. Akon featuring Snoop Dogg, I Wanna Love You
4. Just Jack, Starz in Their Eyes
5. Fall Out Boy, This Ain't a Scene - It's an Arms Race
Source: Official Charts Company
It was a generally quiet week for both surveys, with few new entries.
However, the impact of the Brit Awards and Valentine's Day - both on Wednesday - was apparent.
Winehouse, who was named best British female solo artist at the ceremony in London, also saw her debut album, Frank, returning to the top 40 at 37.
And Rehab, the first release from current album Back to Black, jumped from 49 to 22 on the singles chart.
Snow Patrol's single Chasing Cars rose 11 places to number 12 to sit behind both of Take That's recent hits.
UK TOP FIVE ALBUMS
1. Mika, Life in Cartoon Motion
2. Amy Winehouse (pictured), Back to Black
3. Snow Patrol, Eyes Open
4. Norah Jones, Not Too Late
5. Take That, Beautiful World
Source: Official Charts Company
Patience - the British single of the year at the Brits - went back up to 10 and Shine climbed to 11 for the reformed group.
Meanwhile shoppers seeking romantic soundtracks for Valentine's Day helped Phil Collins' Love Songs collection jump 12 places to number seven on the album chart.
And the greatest hits of the late Barry White re-entered the survey at 39.
The Oasis single Roll With It failed to return to the top 40, despite a campaign by the website It Should Have Been Number One to encourage people to download it.
The site said it wanted to make the song a chart-topper, "as it should have been 12 years ago", when it lost out to Blur's Country House in a high-profile battle.
---
CW.
-
Fantastic. It's terrific he has warded off the enitire threat of the whole of The Brits !!! What more will Mika do when he is eligible next year.
Let's hope it is 5 weeks and still counting....
HOOP DI DOO !!!
Mika reigns.
CW.
-
I couldn't be more deligthted that he's fended off the whole of the BRITS !!!
No mean feat.
I was worried could've tipped the balance by buying a couple of CD's yesterday - not AW though.
CW.
Oh,Mika is number one in the UK Albums charts, yes
-
I'm still recording on my computer - he's just talking about what's important - meeting quotas or his career - although it finished a while ago on digital TV. It will be on 'Listen Again' on Radio 2 website in a few hours i have no doubt.
I couldn't get any connection with Real Player, just Windows Media Player.
CW.
So was it recorded then CW?I was thinking that I wish they'd ask him something else!
But then I remembered that most of the GBP probably hadn't read every article they could find about him or watched the Radio 2 session on loop for a week!
-
Me too... but it was interesting hearing Ben from X Factor.
My signal kept dipping and going off - so I had it on Digital TV - probably running 10 minutes or more ahead of the internet.
CW.
-
Spotted a couple of small reviews in magazines....
OK! MAGAZINE
13 Feb 07
REVIEWS: MUSIC
With a collection of discotastic tracks Mika's here to stay.
MIKA
LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION
Who?
A few weeks ago, no one had heard of this curly locked darling. Now, thanks to his No.1 hit, Grace Kelly, he's the biggest sensation since, er, Sandi Thorn.
How's it sound?
Campy geniuses Queen to the Scissor Sisters may have paved the way for Mika, but we can't deny his originality.
Fusing his classical operatic background with forward-thinking, off-centre pop gives Mika a sound that feels both retro and futuristic. The signature falsetto present on Grace Kelly's starred(?) on both Relax, Take It Easy and the stripped bare string ballad Any Other World, while My Interpretation is radio-friendly, jangly fare that the likes of Take That have excelled in.
Verdict: A rainbow-coloured treat.
Skip to: Lollipop
Fuses his operatic background with off-centre pop
**** / 5
Bloc Party ** / 5
Fall Out Boy *** / 5
---
MARIE CLAIRE MAGAZINE
March 07
THE PLAYLIST
By Gill Sutherland
MIKA
LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION (Casablanca)
Ladies, prepare for your knees to buckle, we give you Mika - a chiselled, olive-skinned hunk who delivers showtune-style power pop that'll make your heart sing and your loins leap. Stalk him at myspace.com/mikamyspace
***** / 5
---
CW.
2007 -- A long interview...
in Mika News and Press
Posted
Thanks Meime. That would be SO appreciated.
CW.