I always said, even before TBWKTM came out, that Mika going all electronic and unleashing an army of Autotune and synthesizers would be it for me. I felt exactly as you do - that him going that route would be such a blatant waste of his talent and training that I couldn't possibly enjoy such a thing.
But...I love this song. You have to look at it not as Mika relying on all these electronic enhancements as a "waste" of his talent, but rather as him simply stretching his creative boundaries to try something different. Whether the end result of said creative stretching works for you or not is entirely subjective, of course.
After hearing this song, though, it's abundantly clear to me that this isn't a case of him using these effects to cover up for shortcomings in his talent (like, ahem, so many other artists these days). It's all done for creative reasons, and I'm really happy with the end result.
It reminds me of bands like Postal Service and Fun. that are very electro-heavy, but in a way that works. Or the song
" by Hellogoodbye, which may be one of my favourite songs of all time (despite my constant whining that I don't like electronic-y music. Go figure).
What I like about this song is that it still sounds like "Mika" to me - even slightly, uh, augmented, his voice is still unmistakable and still draws me in. And yet it feels like absolutely the right progression. This song sounds like Mika in 2012, not Mika in 2007, which is what he needs. Music critic types would say he's "staying relevant", especially considering the current musical landscape these days.
Well done, Mika.