Thoughts on the Songs for Sorrow EP?

[Daisuke]

So I was just wondering what everyone is thinking about the EP.

 

Outside of apparently "losing" Blame it on the Girls, and Good Gone Girl, I'm verry excited about the release.

 

I also was wondering if anyone else(besides myself) was thinking that "Blame it on the Girls" and "Good Gone Girl" might actually be on the EP, and he's just not announcing them. If they were, they it would technically be, "Six Songs for Sorrow".

It seems odd that he would mention them in that UK music magazine, and then not release them.

 

 

I'm also glad that the two songs he's streaming (Lonely Alcoholic and Lady Jane) are actually acoustic. For a short period of time, I was sure if by Acoustic, he meant "short" or "acoustic" XDD

 

Thoughts?

[scg]

i bought the ep booklet cd & the downloadable mp3 ep without hearing Lonely Alcoholic and Lady Jane then when i did hear them i was very very shocked to what i was hearing from mika ! im now hoping the other 2 track r better than the other 2 cause i hate em both

[Kata]

I'm wondering if he chose from the reaction to the songs he played in LA? He can't release Toy Boy as a commercial single, but it can sure sell an EP to the fanbase even if the rest on it is absolute rubbish, so maybe that's what he's doing - and then saving the potential singles for the actual album

[scg]

I'm wondering if he chose from the reaction to the songs he played in LA? He can't release Toy Boy as a commercial single, but it can sure sell an EP to the fanbase even if the rest on it is absolute rubbish, so maybe that's what he's doing - and then saving the potential singles for the actual album

 

yip me think you`ve got it ! he know well buy any crap he spews out

[Gatagordinha]

It seems quite obvious to me that he is not having anything approaching a stab at the charts with this EP..which is kind of what I was expecting, deep down, but I'm still a little bit disappointed we aren't going to get any upbeat Mika in the charts and on our tv screens until late summer now at least

 

I quite like the songs (apart from the lyrics to Lonely Alcoholic ), and I like the fact he is doing something different and showing another side to his writing but I just prefer full-on Popstar Mika really, overall.

 

I'm still excited about seeing him sing these songs live in front of me next month though....

 

I'm a bit confused right now tbh..I think I am just tired and emotional from the day's events

[Sabine64]

I love both new songs, find them really powerful. And Blue Eyes touched my heart when I heard it for the first time. I can´t wait to hear the EP - version of Blue Eyes and Toy Boy.

[Ju.Thulc-girl]

I like the new songs a lot ! :wub2: I can't wait to see the different interpretations in the book.

 

I just hope I'll be able to save enough money and get a credit card to buy the EP...

[racinghorse83]

Lady Jane - umm, not a fan.

Toy Boy - still in LOVEEEE

Lonely Alcoholic - mikas voice is so good in this song that is makes me melt inside. Not my favorite, but overall i'm liking the sweet simplicity of it so far.

Blue Eyes - heeeck, I like this song. its very prettyful and i can't wait to hear a recorded version.

 

 

surprised at the puffin artwork. cutie perhaps, but i'm in love with the LICM stuff with the funky edge.

 

we'll wait and see what i say when i actualy get it..

[violet_sky]

Love Lonely Alcoholic, really, especially the doubled parts. Makes me think of one of the unmentionable pieces. It really does the trick.

Plus I love that new storytelling quality in everything new I heard of him so far. I think it's brilliant. The fact alone that he can come up with those lyrics. It's fun, I love it.

[lollipop_monkey]

My thoughts?

 

First, the "regular" fans, the "meh" fans -the ones who bought the vast majority of LICM's five million copies sold - are not going to "get" a lot of this album. In fact, I think even a lot of MFCers aren't going to fully embrace it like we have LICM.

 

As for the wider audience, the unwashed masses want Grace Kelly and Love Today. They want hyperactive, happy, radio-friendly bubblegum pop. They do not want Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic.

 

For regular fans who loved Grace Kelly, this EP is going to be out of left field. Think about it. If you only casually followed Mika's career, you'd be shocked that the guy behind the LICM hits is now singing songs like these.

 

That said, I think this EP is Mika's sandbox. He got this idea for "Songs for Sorrow" and created these little stories. This isn't a commercial foray. Mika doesn't expect to sell five million copies of this EP. Especially when you consider songs like Lady Jane. That's not a pop song. That's never going to see radio play. The only one of these that has any chance whatsoever at radio play is Blue Eyes, and that even depends on what the actual EP version sounds like. In fact, against the other three, Blue Eyes is the one that doesn't quite fit.

 

Then you've got the whole artwork thing. That again is totally self-indulgent play; this whole project is Mika playing around and spraying his brilliant, quirky artistic mind all over in the form of four whimsical songs and some star-studded artwork. He has all these amazing, colourful, wacky ideas, and this album affords him a platform to share these ideas with his fans without the pressures associated from the commercial expectations for the actual second album.

 

This all might sound quite critical - I don't mean it to be. I think it's a great project, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on a copy of that EP/book. I think it shows how multi-faceted Mika is, and that excites me.

 

As for the music, I'm on the I-think-it's-brilliant bandwagon. I'm quite biased, though, because I'm enamored with the tone of Mika's voice. Pretty much the only thing he could do to turn me off as a fan would be to mess with that tone; use a ton of synth distortion on the vocals, or switch to screaming death metal.

 

I interpret Lady Jane to be a total fable, a "dark fairy tale" as Mika likes to say. Maybe it is a satire directed at some other work I'm not familiar with; I'm not sure. I can't wait to see the artwork that comes with it. I love the way it ebbs and flows, musically. The "I order you to get that fish's head on my plate" line is this crazy intense crescendo. Then "They killed little lady Jane" is so mellow.

 

Lonely Alcoholic is interesting. I see it as more social commentary than the whimsy of Toy Boy and Lady Jane. I love the fact that it's mostly in his lower register, which contrasts so well with the falsetto of Lady Jane. The last minute of this song is so damn rich. Amazing for something so raw and acoustic. And I can't help but wonder about this line: "Well they say that I am doing my duty to the world; well you could say that that is onerous, I'm just craving to be heard." I would go so far as to say that line epitomizes the whole purpose behind this EP.

 

As for Blue Eyes and Toy Boy - both were out of this world live. And given that I was there at the Roxy, I'll always have a serious soft spot for those specific performances. So as for the EP recordings, well, we'll see when it's released.

 

Two final things: I can't wait to hear these songs performed live. I so hope he does Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic on this tour. Seeing his expression while singing makes all the difference. And secondly, I can't wait to see the credits in the liner notes. I'm curious if any of these were solely his efforts, or who the co-writers were.

 

Oh - and seriously. We thought he should write a musical before? This just seals the deal!!

Edited May 8, 2009 by lollipop_monkey

[sienna]

My thoughts?

 

First, the "regular" fans, the "meh" fans -the ones who bought the vast majority of LICM's five million copies sold - are not going to "get" a lot of this album. In fact, I think even a lot of MFCers aren't going to fully embrace it like we have LICM.

 

As for the wider audience, the unwashed masses want Grace Kelly and Love Today. They want hyperactive, happy, radio-friendly bubblegum pop. They do not want Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic.

 

For regular fans who loved Grace Kelly, this EP is going to be out of left field. Think about it. If you only casually followed Mika's career, you'd be shocked that the guy behind the LICM hits is now singing songs like these.

That said, I think this EP is Mika's sandbox. He got this idea for "Songs for Sorrow" and created these little stories. This isn't a commercial foray. Mika doesn't expect to sell five million copies of this EP. Especially when you consider songs like Lady Jane. That's not a pop song. That's never going to see radio play. The only one of these that has any chance whatsoever at radio play is Blue Eyes, and that even depends on what the actual EP version sounds like. In fact, against the other three, Blue Eyes is the one that doesn't quite fit.

 

Then you've got the whole artwork thing. That again is totally self-indulgent play; this whole project is Mika playing around and spraying his brilliant, quirky artistic mind all over in the form of four whimsical songs and some star-studded artwork. He has all these amazing, colourful, wacky ideas, and this album affords him a platform to share these ideas with his fans without the pressures associated from the commercial expectations for the actual second album.

 

This all might sound quite critical - I don't mean it to be. I think it's a great project, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on a copy of that EP/book. I think it shows how multi-faceted Mika is, and that excites me.

 

As for the music, I'm on the I-think-it's-brilliant bandwagon. I'm quite biased, though, because I'm enamored with the tone of Mika's voice. Pretty much the only thing he could do to turn me off as a fan would be to mess with that tone; use a ton of synth distortion on the vocals, or switch to screaming death metal.

 

I interpret Lady Jane to be a total fable, a "dark fairy tale" as Mika likes to say. Maybe it is a satire directed at some other work I'm not familiar with; I'm not sure. I can't wait to see the artwork that comes with it. I love the way it ebbs and flows, musically. The "I order you to get that fish's head on my plate" line is this crazy intense crescendo. Then "They killed little lady Jane" is so mellow.

 

Lonely Alcoholic is interesting. I see it as more social commentary than the whimsy of Toy Boy and Lady Jane. I love the fact that it's mostly in his lower register, which contrasts so well with the falsetto of Lady Jane. The last minute of this song is so damn rich. Amazing for something so raw and acoustic. And I can't help but wonder about this line: "Well they say that I am doing my duty to the world; well you could say that that is onerous, I'm just craving to be heard." I would go so far as to say that line epitomizes the whole purpose behind this EP.

 

As for Blue Eyes and Toy Boy - both were out of this world live. And given that I was there at the Roxy, I'll always have a serious soft spot for those specific performances. So as for the EP recordings, well, we'll see when it's released.

 

Two final things: I can't wait to hear these songs performed live. I so hope he does Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic on this tour. Seeing his expression while singing makes all the difference. And secondly, I can't wait to see the credits in the liner notes. I'm curious if any of these were solely his efforts, or who the co-writers were.

 

Oh - and seriously. We thought he should write a musical before? This just seals the deal!!

 

Wow, so many interesting angles!

 

I started to try to comment piece by piece but I had to give up.

Only your way of writing is so beautiful, and it’s stimulating to listen to your points of view on this!

 

Let me just say that I especially agree on the highlighted part and I see it as a privilege to be a part of it, to be able to have this insight? of a young musicians carrier(it sounds very strange in English, I hope you understand what I mean, arghh the lack of nuances!!!Sorry)

 

Musicals? Let’s wait just and see….

 

This boy is in the music business to stay.

[Naectegale]

 

As for the music, I'm on the I-think-it's-brilliant bandwagon. I'm quite biased, though, because I'm enamored with the tone of Mika's voice. Pretty much the only thing he could do to turn me off as a fan would be to mess with that tone; use a ton of synth distortion on the vocals, or switch to screaming death metal.

 

I interpret Lady Jane to be a total fable, a "dark fairy tale" as Mika likes to say. Maybe it is a satire directed at some other work I'm not familiar with; I'm not sure. I can't wait to see the artwork that comes with it. I love the way it ebbs and flows, musically. The "I order you to get that fish's head on my plate" line is this crazy intense crescendo. Then "They killed little lady Jane" is so mellow.

 

 

 

I agree with what you have said in your post - this is a non-commercial side project in advance of the more commercial album release. And I love these two songs for their originality and the simplicity of recording - just voice and piano is a brave decision, given the OTT production we normally expect. It shows him as a musician, not just a pop tart.

 

The bit I highlighted re musical ebb and flow shows it is not traditional pop. It reminds me of Lieder - classical art songs - which are usually just voice and piano, often tell stories (some quite dark) and are about expressive interpretation of the music. We know Mika knows Lieder (remember Norbert? and the first studio vlog where he jokes about his German accent?) Mika has clearly been influenced by the story telling in song idea

 

He got 1 thing badly wrong. He booked Sadlers Wells, when he should have booked the Wigmore Hall - the place for Lieder recitals in London

[Marilyn Mastin]

So I was just wondering what everyone is thinking about the EP.

 

Outside of apparently "losing" Blame it on the Girls, and Good Gone Girl, I'm verry excited about the release.

 

I also was wondering if anyone else(besides myself) was thinking that "Blame it on the Girls" and "Good Gone Girl" might actually be on the EP, and he's just not announcing them. If they were, they it would technically be, "Six Songs for Sorrow".

It seems odd that he would mention them in that UK music magazine, and then not release them.

 

 

I'm also glad that the two songs he's streaming (Lonely Alcoholic and Lady Jane) are actually acoustic. For a short period of time, I was sure if by Acoustic, he meant "short" or "acoustic" XDD

 

Thoughts?

The way I understand it, it's an acustic EP of sad songs. Lonely Alcoholic and Lady Jane are (I think) written for the EP, while Toy Boy will be acustic on the EP, and Disneyfied on the album. Blue Eyes; I don't know if it's on the album, but it IS on the EP.

BIOTG and GGG are not on the EP. They are songs from the album.

Hope that helps. I think that's right.

[suzie]

I'm wondering if he chose from the reaction to the songs he played in LA? He can't release Toy Boy as a commercial single, but it can sure sell an EP to the fanbase even if the rest on it is absolute rubbish, so maybe that's what he's doing - and then saving the potential singles for the actual album

 

You are being unusually sarcastic today

....

 

I do believe Toy Boy can be a single and it SHOULD BE... Perhaps at Xmas he can release it as a single in case it also appears on the next album.

 

TOY BOY IS SO BEAUTIFUL IT MUST BE RELEASED AS A SINGLE SO THAT PEOPLE NOT CURRENTLY DRAWN INTO HIS MUSIC WILL GET A CHANGE TO HEAR IT ON TV AND RADIO

[Marilyn Mastin]

I agree with what you have said in your post - this is a non-commercial side project in advance of the more commercial album release. And I love these two songs for their originality and the simplicity of recording - just voice and piano is a brave decision, given the OTT production we normally expect. It shows him as a musician, not just a pop tart.

 

The bit I highlighted re musical ebb and flow shows it is not traditional pop. It reminds me of Lieder - classical art songs - which are usually just voice and piano, often tell stories (some quite dark) and are about expressive interpretation of the music. We know Mika knows Lieder (remember Norbert? and the first studio vlog where he jokes about his German accent?) Mika has clearly been influenced by the story telling in song idea

 

He got 1 thing badly wrong. He booked Sadlers Wells, when he should have booked the Wigmore Hall - the place for Lieder recitals in London

I agree, this EP isn't to sell millions of copies and make lots of money. It's just something extra, and with different types of songs. I'm actually hoping the songs on the EP might help critics to take him more seriously as a brilliant singer and songwriter, instead of dissing him, like many did in 2007.

I don't think I can get the EP anyway, because I can't order it from mikasounds, as it says you need a password, and my mikasounds password doesn't work to order it. I Googled John Smith stores to get locations, and also Lavin, but couldn't find out if there are stores in Manchester, and couldn't find the EP listed anywhere. Has anyone else managed to order it okay?

Edited May 8, 2009 by Marilyn Mastin

[zoots14]

My thoughts?

 

First, the "regular" fans, the "meh" fans -the ones who bought the vast majority of LICM's five million copies sold - are not going to "get" a lot of this album. In fact, I think even a lot of MFCers aren't going to fully embrace it like we have LICM.

 

As for the wider audience, the unwashed masses want Grace Kelly and Love Today. They want hyperactive, happy, radio-friendly bubblegum pop. They do not want Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic.

 

For regular fans who loved Grace Kelly, this EP is going to be out of left field. Think about it. If you only casually followed Mika's career, you'd be shocked that the guy behind the LICM hits is now singing songs like these.

 

That said, I think this EP is Mika's sandbox. He got this idea for "Songs for Sorrow" and created these little stories. This isn't a commercial foray. Mika doesn't expect to sell five million copies of this EP. Especially when you consider songs like Lady Jane. That's not a pop song. That's never going to see radio play. The only one of these that has any chance whatsoever at radio play is Blue Eyes, and that even depends on what the actual EP version sounds like. In fact, against the other three, Blue Eyes is the one that doesn't quite fit.

 

Then you've got the whole artwork thing. That again is totally self-indulgent play; this whole project is Mika playing around and spraying his brilliant, quirky artistic mind all over in the form of four whimsical songs and some star-studded artwork. He has all these amazing, colourful, wacky ideas, and this album affords him a platform to share these ideas with his fans without the pressures associated from the commercial expectations for the actual second album.

 

This all might sound quite critical - I don't mean it to be. I think it's a great project, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on a copy of that EP/book. I think it shows how multi-faceted Mika is, and that excites me.

 

As for the music, I'm on the I-think-it's-brilliant bandwagon. I'm quite biased, though, because I'm enamored with the tone of Mika's voice. Pretty much the only thing he could do to turn me off as a fan would be to mess with that tone; use a ton of synth distortion on the vocals, or switch to screaming death metal.

 

I interpret Lady Jane to be a total fable, a "dark fairy tale" as Mika likes to say. Maybe it is a satire directed at some other work I'm not familiar with; I'm not sure. I can't wait to see the artwork that comes with it. I love the way it ebbs and flows, musically. The "I order you to get that fish's head on my plate" line is this crazy intense crescendo. Then "They killed little lady Jane" is so mellow.

 

Lonely Alcoholic is interesting. I see it as more social commentary than the whimsy of Toy Boy and Lady Jane. I love the fact that it's mostly in his lower register, which contrasts so well with the falsetto of Lady Jane. The last minute of this song is so damn rich. Amazing for something so raw and acoustic. And I can't help but wonder about this line: "Well they say that I am doing my duty to the world; well you could say that that is onerous, I'm just craving to be heard." I would go so far as to say that line epitomizes the whole purpose behind this EP.

 

As for Blue Eyes and Toy Boy - both were out of this world live. And given that I was there at the Roxy, I'll always have a serious soft spot for those specific performances. So as for the EP recordings, well, we'll see when it's released.

 

Two final things: I can't wait to hear these songs performed live. I so hope he does Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic on this tour. Seeing his expression while singing makes all the difference. And secondly, I can't wait to see the credits in the liner notes. I'm curious if any of these were solely his efforts, or who the co-writers were.

 

Oh - and seriously. We thought he should write a musical before? This just seals the deal!!

 

Mana, I agree with every word. In fact, this is what I was coming here to post (in a less articulate way I'm sure).

 

I love these songs - they showcase his voice so beautifully. What he does with his voice toward the end of Lady Jane is just astounding.

 

But I recognize that it's not what we're used to from him and therefore some people will be turned off it because they want more of the same, and this is not it.

 

These songs will be appreciated by those who truly love his vocal abilities, (ie, like him for more than just his fun songs and good looks), and who aren't put off by darker or more quirky lyrics. Personally I love the dark quirky stuff. There's nothing wrong with just loving his fun songs though - if this isn't your cup of tea that's fine! It's ok to just want to hear the fun stuff - he does it really well.

 

To each his own, and he may well lose interest from a lot of people, but he'll also gain other fans who are drawn to his real talent - his voice.

 

 

Ps - yeah, I do agree that at the moment I'm feeling like the lonely alcoholic lyrics are not his best, but I still like the song. I think Lady Jane is brilliant though.

Edited May 8, 2009 by zoots14

[Naectegale]

i bought the ep booklet cd & the downloadable mp3 ep without hearing Lonely Alcoholic and Lady Jane then when i did hear them i was very very shocked to what i was hearing from mika ! im now hoping the other 2 track r better than the other 2 cause i hate em both

 

I agree, this EP isn't to sell millions of copies and make lots of money. It's just something extra, and with different types of songs. I'm actually hoping the songs on the EP might help critics to take him more seriously as a brilliant singer and songwriter, instead of dissing him, like many did in 2007.

I don't think I can get the EP anyway, because I can't order it from mikasounds, as it says you need a password, and my mikasounds password doesn't work to order it. I Googled John Smith stores to get locations, and also Lavin, but couldn't find out if there are stores in Manchester, and couldn't find the EP listed anywhere. Has anyone else managed to order it okay?

 

maybe you two could get together and do a deal on the EP & booklet?

[John Alan]

i love Lady Jane and loving the falsetto in this, i dark mood of the piano and Lonely Alcoholic has some sort of Beatiful south feel to it also i can hear a little bit of 50's early 60's elements to which is a really good thing cus i grew up listening to Beautiful South and as young as i am the 50's and 60's is one of my favorite eras of music !!! and like Marilyn says i'm hoping that critic's now take Mika more seriously as a musician and not calling his music JUST bubblegum pop cus there's more to he's music than that also i'm hoping that they'll stop compareing him to Freddie Mercury all the time, although i love Freddie to peieces and it's quite an flattering to be compared to one of music's all time greats. I personally think Mika sounds like Mika and sound nothing like Freddie !!! and that the critics refer to Mika music as he's very own and not as Queen dipped in Bubblegum (sorry got abit off topic just for a second lol)

 

It's such a shame that not many people like these song's, it's like reading reviews from people that just love to moan all the time which is getting quite boring !!! it's a fact that most popstars don't like nit pickers i know for a fact that Elton John hates them. Remember guys Mika can't please EVERYONE all the time, he's doing his best it's not easy being a popular popstar also we all wanna think ourself lucky cus not every popstar comes out with EP before the album's release and when they do they never put much thought into them but Mika has cus not only has he given you new music but he's also giving you a book. Guys i love you all but come on he's trying he's hardest, why can't you just appreciate it ??? !!!

Edited May 8, 2009 by John Alan

[IngievV]

I'm not a big fan of Lady Jane, but Lonely Alcoholic is a song I really like. Toy boy ofcourse is brilliant and Blue eyes is nice as well.

 

I like the fact that Mika doesn't release this EP commercially, but just because he wants to. It makes me admire him more.

[suzie]

I like the fact that Mika doesn't release this EP commercially, but just because he wants to. It makes me admire him more.

 

...yes, he knows it wouldn't make sense commercially because if it failed, the press and even his record company would write him down...etc.

 

Besides, he is in control of the distribution, so you won't find it being sold with 70% off in a closing down sale in the high street in one country while in other parts of the world it is not released ..etc.

 

Also, it is not only music he is giving us but rather, an 'art project' - so the content is not the same as for just 'any musical CD' release. I love how he is experimenting with combining different forms of art:wub2: as well as the fact that he understands how to do it best to please both his fans and the hand that feeds him (i.e the record company)

Our boy is cleva

[sariflor]

I like the fact that Mika doesn't release this EP commercially, but just because he wants to. It makes me admire him more.

 

Exactly

 

...yes, he knows it wouldn't make sense commercially because if it failed, the press and even his record company would write him down...etc.

 

Besides, he is in control of the distribution, so you won't find it being sold with 70% off in a closing down sale in the high street in one country while in other parts of the world it is not released ..etc.

 

Also, it is not only music he is giving us but rather, an 'art project' - so the content is not the same as for just 'any musical CD' release. I love how he is experimenting with combining different forms of art:wub2: as well as the fact that he understands how to do it best to please both his fans and the hand that feeds him (i.e the record company)

 

Our boy is cleva

 

And exactly again .

Re the songs, I'm afraid that I will have to subscribe (letter by letter) to everything that Mana and Zoots have said, because they said the same things that I was thinking, but just put it a lot better than I could.

I started off liking Lonely Alkie () a lot more, but I am finding now that I am liking Lady Jane more.

The lyrics in LA don't really struck me as much as the fable in LJ, which I really like after I got over the initial shock of the whole fish mentions (I was wondering wtf is he going on about fish for, but after I listened again I can see where it fits, although that one line in the song I think he could have written differently and it would be nicer)

All in all, what I love about these songs is their simplicity with the piano+voice combo, and especially how he's working his voice. I love how he sings these songs, and how they show his voice in all its beauty. I am a sucker for Mika's voice, and I found that most of the LICM songs didn't actually let him use it in its full "glory".

I really can't wait to hear all these acoustic songs, I can't. I have no idea how I will ever go back to his normal shows instead of acoustic gigs in the future, LOL!!

[vanessa]

I'm not into Lady Jane sorry but it hurts my ears actually :boxed:but I love Lonely Alcoholic and it made me cry when I 1st heard it ,the lyrics are so interesting and Blue eyes is such an adorable and sad song .I really hope he releases Toy boy as a single that would be perfect and everyone here will be happy and pleased

And where is the song "We are golden" which he mentions in the Q mag ?

[mandilambi]

My thoughts?

 

First, the "regular" fans, the "meh" fans -the ones who bought the vast majority of LICM's five million copies sold - are not going to "get" a lot of this album. In fact, I think even a lot of MFCers aren't going to fully embrace it like we have LICM.

 

As for the wider audience, the unwashed masses want Grace Kelly and Love Today. They want hyperactive, happy, radio-friendly bubblegum pop. They do not want Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic.

 

For regular fans who loved Grace Kelly, this EP is going to be out of left field. Think about it. If you only casually followed Mika's career, you'd be shocked that the guy behind the LICM hits is now singing songs like these.

 

That said, I think this EP is Mika's sandbox. He got this idea for "Songs for Sorrow" and created these little stories. This isn't a commercial foray. Mika doesn't expect to sell five million copies of this EP. Especially when you consider songs like Lady Jane. That's not a pop song. That's never going to see radio play. The only one of these that has any chance whatsoever at radio play is Blue Eyes, and that even depends on what the actual EP version sounds like. In fact, against the other three, Blue Eyes is the one that doesn't quite fit.

 

Then you've got the whole artwork thing. That again is totally self-indulgent play; this whole project is Mika playing around and spraying his brilliant, quirky artistic mind all over in the form of four whimsical songs and some star-studded artwork. He has all these amazing, colourful, wacky ideas, and this album affords him a platform to share these ideas with his fans without the pressures associated from the commercial expectations for the actual second album.

 

This all might sound quite critical - I don't mean it to be. I think it's a great project, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on a copy of that EP/book. I think it shows how multi-faceted Mika is, and that excites me.

 

As for the music, I'm on the I-think-it's-brilliant bandwagon. I'm quite biased, though, because I'm enamored with the tone of Mika's voice. Pretty much the only thing he could do to turn me off as a fan would be to mess with that tone; use a ton of synth distortion on the vocals, or switch to screaming death metal.

 

I interpret Lady Jane to be a total fable, a "dark fairy tale" as Mika likes to say. Maybe it is a satire directed at some other work I'm not familiar with; I'm not sure. I can't wait to see the artwork that comes with it. I love the way it ebbs and flows, musically. The "I order you to get that fish's head on my plate" line is this crazy intense crescendo. Then "They killed little lady Jane" is so mellow.

 

Lonely Alcoholic is interesting. I see it as more social commentary than the whimsy of Toy Boy and Lady Jane. I love the fact that it's mostly in his lower register, which contrasts so well with the falsetto of Lady Jane. The last minute of this song is so damn rich. Amazing for something so raw and acoustic. And I can't help but wonder about this line: "Well they say that I am doing my duty to the world; well you could say that that is onerous, I'm just craving to be heard." I would go so far as to say that line epitomizes the whole purpose behind this EP.

 

As for Blue Eyes and Toy Boy - both were out of this world live. And given that I was there at the Roxy, I'll always have a serious soft spot for those specific performances. So as for the EP recordings, well, we'll see when it's released.

 

Two final things: I can't wait to hear these songs performed live. I so hope he does Lady Jane and Lonely Alcoholic on this tour. Seeing his expression while singing makes all the difference. And secondly, I can't wait to see the credits in the liner notes. I'm curious if any of these were solely his efforts, or who the co-writers were.

 

Oh - and seriously. We thought he should write a musical before? This just seals the deal!!

 

Very well put, Mana. I agree!

[violet_sky]

I think I said it before. Feel the urge to say it again. I do embrace it in its entirety. It's exactly what I want from Mika. As much as I tried, I can't find anything to complain about here.

[A. Clay]

"One thing this guy can do is paint fantasy better than Sherwin Williams."

http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2009/05/new_mika_songs.html

Edited May 8, 2009 by A. Clay