"The Boy Who Knew Too Much" Review - Consequence of Sound

[Miro]

For anyone else (other than me ) who doesn't know what Consequence of Sound is I looked at their site and apparently it's a New York and Chicago based online music publication.

http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/28/album-review-mika-the-boy-who-knew-too-much/

 

 

By Megan Ritt on September 28th, 2009

 

(3 out of 5)

 

If you’ve never heard of Mika, do yourself a favor and look up “Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)” on YouTube. The young man you’ll see cavorting there (amongst a bevy of beautiful, busty women) has an irresistibly innocent smile, a tousled mop of hair, and a spring, asparagus-like build that allows him to turn mid-song cartwheels in videos that are a multi-colored feast for the eyes. His voice shoots up and down the octaves, sounding like auto-tuning, except that it feels so genuine. There are some pretty obvious Freddy Mercury comparisons available here, but Mika’s youth and earnest nature set him apart among modern artists. His first major release, 2007’s Life in Cartoon Motion, is irreverent, joyful, funny, and sexy, much like Mika himself. It was with great anticipation, then, that I awaited the release date of his second release, The Boy Who Knew Too Much.

 

Unfortunately, the work on this album doesn’t quite live up to the standard set by the first. It’s still utterly danceable, but missing is the insouciant genius of Life in Cartoon Motion, particularly tracks such as “Grace Kelly” and “Lollipop”, which hinted at a larger well of potential. Mika’s lyrics are always full of attitude– “Anyway you want to– anyway you’ve got to/love, love me!” he squeals joyfully on earlier single “Love Today”– and lyrics on The Boy are no exception. Sadly, many tracks still lack the depth of wit that gave other songs staying power.

 

The first single, “We Are Golden”, is quick-paced and will worm its way into your brain easily. The problem is that once it’s there, you may begin to listen to it closely– try not to. The song is a bit vapid, but if you can ignore that, it’s incredibly catchy. Backing singers (who sound like a chorus of angry teenagers, entirely appropriate to the song) scream the chorus along with Mika, and just see if you can help singing along.

 

Track two, and likely second single, “Blame it on the Girls” showcases Mika’s wide vocal range and silky tone a bit more. The fast-paced piano and charmingly repetitive chorus (”Blame it on the girls who know what to do/ blame it on the boys who keep hitting on you”) have this song begging to be remixed and pumped into every dance club in the country at high volume.

 

Imagine my disappointment, then, when track three, “Rain”, came out sounding almost exactly like Life in Cartoon Motion’s “Ring Ring”. The two are melodic twins, and sadly, the original was better. The best thing about the track is the fake rain sound effects at the end. The next two tracks are similar– “Dr John” is inconsequential, and “I See You” overuses the piano and handclaps, which are employed to such lovely effect on so many other tracks. Here, they entirely overshadow the song, making the whole thing an exercise in cheese. “Touches You”, a later track, is the last of the phoned-in bits. The song is catchy, which is good, because if you focus on the rhythm, you might miss the totally creepy lyrics.

 

At this point, the avid listener begins to despair. Luckily, here is “Blue Eyes”, a Caribbean-rhythmed little confection that features much lighter piano and backing effects, giving Mika’s voice the emphasis it deserves. The next track, “Good Girl Gone”, is wildly catchy, fast and sassy. You’d need to hear it about five times to understand any of the lyrics. Fortunately, you scarcely need them. “Hanging out in the fancy bars/ with the boys who can play guitar”– what else do you really need to know? This song is pure fun. Similarly, “One Foot Boy” is sassy and light, and “Toy Boy”, whose protagonist is “accidentally tragic”, is a fantastical fairy-tale of a song with a flair for the theatrical– Mika at his very best.

 

Darker tracks “By the Time” and “Pick Up Off the Floor” round out the end of the album, showing off Mika’s lovely voice and depth of emotion in a way that’s not possible on the faster songs. At 12 tracks and 41 minutes long, this album feels over almost before it begins. It’s a surprising follow-up to his first release; Mika had a ton of singles off that album, and it’s disappointing to see that he didn’t manage to top his success there. Comparisons aside, though, The Boy Who Knew Too Much is a very solid, fast-paced album for anyone who enjoys quirky, quick-witted pop music, and is definitely worth a listen.

Edited September 28, 2009 by Miro

[CalicoSkies]

I think that is one of the better review Thanks for posting!

[chickadee]

Hmmmm... I think this is a better crop of songs than LICM myself, so I don't agree with this review. But that's just me.

[Mika4Life13]

Yeah I prefer LiCM to this CD I'm afraid, but honestly, with a CD like LiCM nothing will ever be as good as that, it's hard to live up too.

[mari62]

T4P Miro! Interesting review!

[Blue Sky]

Handclaps in I see you? Have they got the right track?

[Fmbm]

Handclaps in I see you? Have they got the right track?

 

There are handclaps. It's during the "I'm standing across from you..." part.

[Blue Eyes]

 

...and a spring, asparagus-like build that allows him to turn mid-song cartwheels in videos that are a multi-colored feast for the eyes.

 

Asparagus-like build

 

There are some pretty obvious Freddy Mercury comparisons available here

 

Arghhhhhhh - not again! AND SPELL HIS BLOODY NAME RIGHT! It's FREDDIE

 

The next track, “Good Girl Gone”, is wildly catchy, fast and sassy. You’d need to hear it about five times to understand any of the lyrics.

 

..and you'd probably have to repeat the name of the song 5 times to get it right

 

This should have been 4/5 - not a bad review though...

[FREDDIESDOUBLE]

Imagine my disappointment, then, when track three, “Rain”, came out sounding almost exactly like Life in Cartoon Motion’s “Ring Ring”.

 

No way!! :roftl:

[tiibet]

Imagine my disappointment, then, when track three, “Rain”, came out sounding almost exactly like Life in Cartoon Motion’s “Ring Ring”.

 

No way!! :roftl:

 

I was thinking "WHAT???" Ring Ring is not the first thing to think when you hear Rain

[robertina]

what can i say? i partly agree with this one.

but it's time to move on, and mika is developing fast.

probably too fast to be percieved by critics and, sometimes, by fans themselves.

 

thanks for posting

[FREDDIESDOUBLE]

I was thinking "WHAT???" Ring Ring is not the first thing to think when you hear Rain

 

Thats so so far off

 

I would if anything compare Rain to a more developed Relax , but even then its stands alone

 

3/4 not bad,havent seen a bad bad review yet

[Louiza]

Imagine my disappointment, then, when track three, “Rain”, came out sounding almost exactly like Life in Cartoon Motion’s “Ring Ring”.

 

No way!! :roftl:

 

Rain doesnt sound AT ALL like Ring Ring:roftl:

[Soaring Simpson]

It's a weird review though- disappointed by Rain (which is nothing like Ring Ring!), thinks Touches You is "phoned in" doesn't like I See You- goes for GGG instead, or Blue Eyes... But then he loves Big Girl rather than GK...

 

Just plain wierd!

 

I think this is a much stronger album than LICM, It could do with a GK but there's no Ring Ring or My Interpretation either,.

[chickadee]

It's a weird review though- disappointed by Rain (which is nothing like Ring Ring!), thinks Touches You is "phoned in" doesn't like I See You- goes for GGG instead, or Blue Eyes... But then he loves Big Girl rather than GK...

 

Just plain wierd!

 

I think this is a much stronger album than LICM, It could do with a GK but there's no Ring Ring or My Interpretation either,.

 

Wash your mouth out with soap young lady!

 

I agree with everything you've said... except for the part about MI.

 

I:fangurl:MI

 

[vanessa]

The two are melodic twins

Are they confusing the tracks ?I think the person who wrote the review wanted to say Relax not Ring ring

[CazGirl]

Imagine my disappointment, then, when track three, “Rain”, came out sounding almost exactly like Life in Cartoon Motion’s “Ring Ring”.

 

No way!! :roftl:

 

ROFL WTF?!

 

what was this man smoking when he wrote this review?

[chickadee]

ROFL WTF?!

 

what was this man smoking when he wrote this review?

 

I dunno, but I could use some. Might help mellow away the flu:rasta:

[Miro]

Imagine my disappointment, then, when track three, “Rain”, came out sounding almost exactly like Life in Cartoon Motion’s “Ring Ring”.

 

No way!! :roftl:

Exactly I've never seen anybody comparing it to Ring Ring before

[sienna]

"the totally creepy lyrics.":naughty:

 

We know....and we love them!

[sienna]

ROFL WTF?!

 

what was this man smoking when he wrote this review?

 

To me it sounded like a feminine interview!?

[Kodes100]

Thank you Miro!

I don't agree with this critic.

But at least I get what he is aying.

Some of the rare bad reviews sound like those guys don't like Mika & will say anything to review badly TBWKTM therefore my comments about them talking out of their arses.

This guy - I don't know.