bulldog

LOL!!! You got me. I performed an eidt, and you caught me out.

My comments on the first album? Hmmm... Bother. I hoped none of you guys would paint me into a corner here So before I put this into print, I would like to say that I'm kinda glad that I'm writing this on a forum and none of you guys know where I live. Gulp! So here I go... I really thought Mika was going to be a 'One Hit Wonder'. Just a passing fad. His first album was full of catchy tunes, and bouncy beats. Lots of sugar candy and fairly floss. Vivacious and flirtatious. A musical version of a shooting star, blazing it's way across the heavens. For a few brief moments lighting up all around it, before quietly fading away. An album crafted for the Top 40 and maybe a few spins at a New Years Eve party for a while. But ultimately destined to gather dust on shelves as the months and years roll on. Unsold copies would find their way into the discount bin at local music shops. And Mika? Mika, Who? I will now also use all my endeavours to avoid going to the Australian Mika concert. I can imagine me turning up to the concert, the only middle-aged, balding guy wearing bifocals, cardy and comfy slippers bopping to 'Blame it on the Girls'. and swaying to 'Blue Eyes'. You guys will pick me straight away. I can hear the cry going up now. "That's him!" "That's the dude who said Mika was going to be a 'One Hit Wonder!'" "Let's Get Him!" "Let's super glue a pair of headphones to his skull and set an iPod on perpetual repeat of 'Life in Cartoon Motion' OMG!!! I couldn't stand it! What torture!!! Anyhow... Was I wrong? Only you guys can answer that. Mika's first album has now sold 6 million copies world wide. Okay I guess, for a 'One Hit Wonder'. His latest album has garnered record pre-release sales, and is now on the top of world wide charts. In addition you guys have this fan club going populated by a bunch of dedicated, FAN-atics highly trained in the Mika based martial art of 'Mika-Jitsu' . The future looks bright...

Have I heard the first album? OMG! How is it possible in my house NOT to have heard the first album? :shocked: I can't believe you asked my that question!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. I don't care what you guys think. I am not hooked...

Yes. Wells is very talented. The artists he has produced read like a Who's Who of popular music. Blue eyes is certainly my favorite track on the album. It's interesting that Mika is so keen to perform his music live without resorting to lip-synching. A warts and all approach. That's very honest. I have heard quite a few name acts where they have been very disappointing live. In fact some have been so ordinary I don't doubt their voices have been 'tricked up' on their recordings to sound as though they're singing in key.

I didn't leave her without it. I would have been torn limb from limb! So we now have 2 copies of the album.

LOL!!! I don't think I'll be a convert. No disrespect to you guys, but I've never been an avid 'fan' of any particular artist as such. I have some favorites though - like Jason Mraz, Michael Buble and Elvis. I like a lot of classical music too. I just love really good music. Compression as used in the context of recorded music is pretty much the difference between the softest and loudest parts of the music. If you have true full range music without compression, you have to turn the music up too loud to hear the quiet notes, and then when Mika, for example, hits a loud note - it'll be so loud it could damage your speakers and even your hearing if you have a really good sound system. So compression is okay. In fact some kind of compression is pretty much essential in a lot of recorded music. it's just that some artists use more compression then others. And many artists use compression as a tool to give their music a certain 'sound'. I don't want you guys to think I'm some kind of musical guru. I'm not. Real experts would explain compression and mixing and other stuff much better than me. And to the rest of you guys, thanks for being so welcoming and your kind comments about my album review. As to whether Mika would like to sit down with me and have a chat... maybe. I reckon we'd have a lot in common. Except he's a bit better looking than me! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this guy, Mika, has a new album? I am not a Mika fan. More like an un-fan. But I love good music. It's been part of my life since I can remember. I used to work for a radio station, and I have met some of the worlds biggest artists. Now on to Mika's new CD. I remember the first one - my wife couldn't stop playing it. Some of the songs were okay. But it was a little too sugary for me. I bought Mika's new album for my wife the other day. I still have scratch marks where she tore the album from my grasp before hurliing it into the CD player. It wouldn't work the first time. I suggested she remove the CD from the case first... After that the album started playing - she stopped breathing for a while, and she had a glazed look about her. But you long suffering husbands and boyfriends know what I'm talking about. Anyhow, yesterday I had a chance to have a listen. Just for you techno heads out there, I have a studio quality sound system with ATC SCM50 ASL speakers with a Classe preamp and a CEC belt drive CD player, all connected via balanced cables. It's pretty much the same stuff that Mika would have used to mix his new album. Firstly, I played the album in one go. Just to get an idea. First impressions were okay. The recording quality is good, the soundstaging wide and encompassing, and the mix was excellent. I thought the voice layering was good too and and the use of real instruments thrown in with the usual synthesised instruments was well executed. There was a fair bit of compression used in several tracks. But that's accepted practice. Without some compression, popular music and rock can lack punch and projection. Soooo. What do I think? Hmmmm. I'm not sure about track 1 'We Are Golden'. Too sugary for me, but a good chart release. Things start getting better with track 2 'Blame it on the Girl'. In fact I punched the repeat button and gave my speakers some loudness. The bass drum kicked in and rattled my windows. Nice tune. Great chorus.. Excellent layering. Not bad. Not bad at all. Now where's that repeat button again? Track 3, 'Rain' is okay. My wife said she thought the chorus was a bit repetitive. But I don't think so. The song builds nicely and finished just right. A good effort there, Mika. Moving on to Track 4, 'Dr John'. A bit too sugary and 'pop' for me. But an okay album track, Track 5, 'I See You' is quite a nice tune. Well written, good production. Some very substantial low frequencies kicking in on some of these tracks. In fact I felt my tummy shake in sympathy with the windows when I gave my system a tickle. Now track 6, 'Blue Eyes'. Very punchy sound, excellent bass and a catchy tune. Mika is in a particularly fine voice for this one. The song builds nicely and I found myself looking for that repeat button and the volume control. Nice mix. I hit the repeat button a couple more times. Not bad at all. Maybe just one more listen before I move on... Track 7 'Good Gone Girl and Track 8 'Touches You' are good album tracks, but Track 9 'By The Time' is very nice. I hit the repeat button a couple of times and on each listen the song got better. 'By The Time' could end up being another favourite. Track 10 'One Foot Boy' continues the good variety of music offered on this album. Track 11 'Toy Boy' offers something a little different, with Mika digging just a little deeper with his lyrics. Perhaps an indication that Mika's writing is a little more substantial than some would believe. The last Track 'Pick up off the Floor' finished the album off nicely. Mika's new album is not a 'concept' album as such. But it seems to follow a theme reflecting some of the things that have happened to Mika as he has grown up. I think 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much' is a better album than Mika's first album. It's better recorded and offers much more depth than the first. I can't stop playing 'Blue Eyes'. The lyrics in this song have a lot of relevancy to me. Actually it feels as though Mika has written this song just for me. I work a few hundred kilometres from home and I return home on my days off every few days. I have to admit I didn't remove the Mika album from my car during the drive back to work this morning. I kept hitting the repeat button on 'Blue Eyes' and then just for a break I'd listen to 'Blame it on the Girls' again. So Mika, if you're reading this... Nice album. It's quite clear to me that you've shed a lot of 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' producing this album. You must be very proud. And it's rare that I like more than two songs on any album I buy. You've scored pretty well in my book. I won't see you in concert when you come to Australia, but if you want to catch up backstage or something, let me know. I know there will be lots of competition from your female fans. But I don't care. I'm in it just to kick back and enjoy the music. Kind regards to all.

This is my first post. I have read all the posts on this thread and it's obvious you guys are going to have a really good time. My wife is a forum member here, so it's really weird I'm posting here. Unfortunately I won't be going to the concert, but that's okay. I would probably be a wet blanket LOL!!! I have Listened to the new Mika album. I will consider posting my thoughts on it in this forum.