MIKA in UK & Ireland Press - 2015

[CarolinaAsh]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying. When I heard some of the songs from the OSM concerts I thought maybe Mika has missed his calling and should have gone down the Josh Groban route. Especially since he can write his own music which would set him apart from others who sing that type of music.

 

I think whatever he is interested in doing he should just commit to it 100%. I really liked the electronic music and the efforts to modernize his sound with TOOL but it seems like he abandoned it because it didn't work. For me it didn't quite work because he didn't go all the way with it and it's only Make You Happy, Stardust and Overrated that were proper electronic songs with modern mixes. I mean what is the point of collaborating with Pharrell if you're not going to come out with a Pharrell song at the end of it? It's all well and good blaming the record company for a weak lead single but why was the song weak in the first place? Of course they are going to place all their bets on a Pharrell collaboration. But Mika and Pharrell needed deliver something worth promoting ie a full blown Pharrell song and not a watered down version of what you would find on one of Mika's first 2 albums.

 

And with the French songs - I want to listen to bad 1970s-sounding French music like I want to undergo a root canal, but if this is what Mika wants to do why not commit to it by making an album of these songs instead of polluting what is ostensibly a modern pop album with them?

 

It feels to me at this point that the only market for Mika's album is people who like "Mika music" and not people who like modern pop or quasi-classical or dance or chansons, etc. "Mika music" is a very small niche to say the least and it will just get smaller as the years pass.

 

 

Err...I think the only projecting going on here is you projecting my comments onto yourself. I specifically said I was referring to the comments on the blog. I'm sorry if it wasn't clear.

 

 

The reason I referenced the blog is because people have said the same things to/about me (and others for that matter) in the past for the same reasons they are attacking the blogger. I am not projecting or imagining anything. It's all there in black and white.

 

 

That is not true. Since they are not fine in sharing opinions people have deemed "negative" you are not going to hear about it. I am guessing you didn't know I felt that way until yesterday...non?

 

 

Well not really. What I had meant to say (and not sure that I did) is that I don't engage in detailed discussions about the songs I don't love. I think the only one I talked about was Porcelain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think I agreed with this part more than anything else in that review (or any review). But also something I can't talk about on the forum in detail.

 

 

It is a better song live. In many cases his great tracks aren't quite so great live but the reverse is also true.

 

 

Well we are in complete agreement there!

I must have missed the part about it being the blog comments. I'm so sorry! Yeah some places online, news and blogs in particular, breed a specific variety of troll that just needs to be exterminated. I hadn't seen that here so I was shocked. And nope, didn't know til yesterday. I hope we're good still Christine? Anytime you need to share anything you can message me. I promise not to hold it against you or call you a bad fan. I actually enjoy thoughtful debate and discussion because it helps me see things differently and often, clearer.

[mellody]

actually i like the fact that mika still keeps making pop music. pop is declared to be dead every few years, and then it comes back. plus, mika has always been somewhere between pop and indie, not really fitting in either, and still his first album was a huge success. i'm glad he doesn't just follow trends.

 

although in fact he does it a bit too much, with the lead singles of his albums. neither celebrate nor talk about you are the highlights of the respective albums. they might be the most mainstream songs on those albums, the ones with the lyrics that will cause as little trouble as possible. or, to say it more clearly, i find those lyrics boring. and the songs as well (tho they're okay live). mika has so many interesting things to say, and does it in many of his other songs. grace kelly was daring. it was a middle finger to the music industry, and mika had to say sth about it in every interview. sure, that's not the only reason why gk was so successful, but imo it's one reason. i just wish mika would release something as a lead single, that is less mainstream, less boring, but instead interesting in every way. he has lots of those songs. but i guess he has too much to lose now - when he was still unknown in 2006/07, he had nothing to lose, and he had a certain "FU" attitude that i'm sometimes missing now. it's still there tho, for example in promiseland.

 

that's the problem i see, not the fact that he keeps making pop music. but he's said in an interview that he wants his next album to sound "cinematographic", evolving from ordinary man - so that would be a bit more in the direction of classical music. i like the idea, hope he follows through with it, instead of adding more boring mainstream songs like celebrate or tay to his portfolio.

[Christine]

actually i like the fact that mika still keeps making pop music. pop is declared to be dead every few years, and then it comes back. plus, mika has always been somewhere between pop and indie, not really fitting in either, and still his first album was a huge success. i'm glad he doesn't just follow trends.

 

There is tons of successful pop still out there but Mika's sound on this album is 40 years old. Which isn't a problem in and of itself (many British singers have been hugely successful with a 60s/70s R&B sound) but Mika's particular sound wasn't even cool in 1972 unless you liked boy bands on comedy TV shows My point is not that he should stop making pop, but that he is not making music that appeals to pop fans at the moment. It sounds like "Mika music", not contemporary pop. Obviously his hardcore fans love "Mika music" but it should come as no surprise to anyone that no one else gets it - including reviewers, radio station programmers, the average person listening to top 40 radio, his own record company, etc.

 

It seems like people want it both ways. They want Mika to remain this sort of oddball off in his own little musical world. And then are frustrated that he doesn't appeal to people who like modern pop music (or any other genre). TOOL seemed like an attempt by Mika to actually move forward into a more contemporary sound and I have to agree with the reviewer who sees NPIH as a regression in that sense. I don't think his songwriting is regressing because even some of these tracks that are weak IMO still have potential. Good Guys for example sounds so bland and dated to me but I actually enjoy the remix. I'd really like to hear the original production of this album before he made Greg gut it and start over. 

[CarolinaAsh]

There is tons of successful pop still out there but Mika's sound on this album is 40 years old. Which isn't a problem in and of itself (many British singers have been hugely successful with a 60s/70s R&B sound) but Mika's particular sound wasn't even cool in 1972 unless you liked boy bands on comedy TV shows My point is not that he should stop making pop, but that he is not making music that appeals to pop fans at the moment. It sounds like "Mika music", not contemporary pop. Obviously his hardcore fans love "Mika music" but it should come as no surprise to anyone that no one else gets it - including reviewers, radio station programmers, the average person listening to top 40 radio, his own record company, etc.

 

It seems like people want it both ways. They want Mika to remain this sort of oddball off in his own little musical world. And then are frustrated that he doesn't appeal to people who like modern pop music (or any other genre). TOOL seemed like an attempt by Mika to actually move forward into a more contemporary sound and I have to agree with the reviewer who sees NPIH as a regression in that sense. I don't think his songwriting is regressing because even some of these tracks that are weak IMO still have potential. Good Guys for example sounds so bland and dated to me but I actually enjoy the remix. I'd really like to hear the original production of this album before he made Greg gut it and start over.

Ha I agree! Something about the remix is a little slicker and makes me move. I also agree with the bit about the 60s/70s music wrong choice. He mentions these great singer-songwriters as inspiration but I don't see it very much. Once in a while a little hint but not as much as I expected. I really expected some more Carly Simon feel and Fleetwood Mac maybe in the ballads. I think he actually should have looked more towards those who straddled the line of pop and rock back then, like Journey and Boston with a bit of a modern twist.

 

I did however notice something about the current state of "pop music" in the US yesterday while I was running errands, maybe some of you can tell me if it's the same over there. I've noticed most of the top songs right now have a rap aspect. Almost like... soft rap? Not so hard as straight up rap but still with a lot of spoken flow and features of rappers. In fact one song started on the radio and I went, holy crud a Mika song? But no, just the beginning sounded like Mika with horns and a lovely piano melody but it ended up being OMI's Cheerleader, which isn't really rap, but is kinda close.

 

Oddly I think something like Toy Boy would have done decently about now, and Lola maybe. And Lollipop of course but that may be why it's starting to get good exposure here. And even though I like the version with Ariana Grande better the original Popular Song would too. Maybe Mika is ahead of the curve in some ways?

 

Edit: Also just occurred to me in the same vein as British artists doing well with retro sounds so are some here, like Meghan Trainer and Bruno Mars. They had huge hits that were throwbacks to a retro style.

Edited July 24, 2015 by CarolinaAsh

[Christine]

Ha I agree! Something about the remix is a little slicker and makes me move. I also agree with the bit about the 60s/70s music wrong choice. He mentions these great singer-songwriters as inspiration but I don't see it very much. Once in a while a little hint but not as much as I expected. I really expected some more Carly Simon feel and Fleetwood Mac maybe in the ballads. 

 

Yes exactly. What I am hearing is the Monkees and a bad George Harrison impression (which is also kind of what the Monkees were doing). This is not contemporary pop or timeless pop (like Fleetwood Mac for example) but a very particular sound that no one has listened to for 40 years. I appreciate what Mellody is saying about not following trends. Like Mika doesn't need Pitbull rapping in the middle of his songs because that's what people are doing this year. But I think Promiseland is such a standout track on this album because it sounds like it was produced in the 21st century at least and not in 1975.

 

In fact one song started on the radio and I went, holy crud a Mika song? But no, just the beginning sounded like Mika with horns and a lovely piano melody but it ended up being OMI's Cheerleader, which isn't really rap, but is kinda close.

 

This is what I mean about Mika's songwriting not being the problem but more the old fashioned sound on the tracks. Have you heard the original version of Cheerleader? Its sound is also dated and it comes across as this sort of this mid-tempo silly song. But a couple of years later someone remixes it to make it more rhythmic and dancey and modern sounding and it's a massive hit. The same thing happened with One Republic's Apologize. The original was slow and dull. But Timbaland (and Greg Wells) remixed it and it became one of the top songs of last decade.

 

Edit: Also just occurred to me in the same vein as British artists doing well with retro sounds so are some here, like Meghan Trainer and Bruno Mars. They had huge hits that were throwbacks to a retro style.

 

Well Mark Ronson is from London and produced Amy Winehouse's Back to Black so you can thank another Brit for Uptown Funk.

[Marilyn Mastin]

actually i like the fact that mika still keeps making pop music. pop is declared to be dead every few years, and then it comes back. plus, mika has always been somewhere between pop and indie, not really fitting in either, and still his first album was a huge success. i'm glad he doesn't just follow trends.

 

although in fact he does it a bit too much, with the lead singles of his albums. neither celebrate nor talk about you are the highlights of the respective albums. they might be the most mainstream songs on those albums, the ones with the lyrics that will cause as little trouble as possible. or, to say it more clearly, i find those lyrics boring. and the songs as well (tho they're okay live). mika has so many interesting things to say, and does it in many of his other songs. grace kelly was daring. it was a middle finger to the music industry, and mika had to say sth about it in every interview. sure, that's not the only reason why gk was so successful, but imo it's one reason. i just wish mika would release something as a lead single, that is less mainstream, less boring, but instead interesting in every way. he has lots of those songs. but i guess he has too much to lose now - when he was still unknown in 2006/07, he had nothing to lose, and he had a certain "FU" attitude that i'm sometimes missing now. it's still there tho, for example in promiseland.

 

that's the problem i see, not the fact that he keeps making pop music. but he's said in an interview that he wants his next album to sound "cinematographic", evolving from ordinary man - so that would be a bit more in the direction of classical music. i like the idea, hope he follows through with it, instead of adding more boring mainstream songs like celebrate or tay to his portfolio.

I agree with what you say about the singles, but I don't think he has much of a say in the singles with his record company. For example. When he did his New Years Eve show on Radio 2 (can't remember the exact year) he played Good Gone Girl and said he wanted it to be on the radio, but it wasn't a single (words to that effect) this said to me that he didn't have a choice. Actually, I'd have loved GGG as a single. It was definitely better than BIOTG, and, I think, better than Rain. 

 

There is tons of successful pop still out there but Mika's sound on this album is 40 years old. Which isn't a problem in and of itself (many British singers have been hugely successful with a 60s/70s R&B sound) but Mika's particular sound wasn't even cool in 1972 unless you liked boy bands on comedy TV shows My point is not that he should stop making pop, but that he is not making music that appeals to pop fans at the moment. It sounds like "Mika music", not contemporary pop. Obviously his hardcore fans love "Mika music" but it should come as no surprise to anyone that no one else gets it - including reviewers, radio station programmers, the average person listening to top 40 radio, his own record company, etc.

 

It seems like people want it both ways. They want Mika to remain this sort of oddball off in his own little musical world. And then are frustrated that he doesn't appeal to people who like modern pop music (or any other genre). TOOL seemed like an attempt by Mika to actually move forward into a more contemporary sound and I have to agree with the reviewer who sees NPIH as a regression in that sense. I don't think his songwriting is regressing because even some of these tracks that are weak IMO still have potential. Good Guys for example sounds so bland and dated to me but I actually enjoy the remix. I'd really like to hear the original production of this album before he made Greg gut it and start over. 

Yes, I think he has tried to experiment with different sounds over the time, even though it hasn't necessarily worked out for him. I'm hopeful though, about things like, his music in the movies. It could be that Mika's music might gain momentum because of people being exposed to it on TV and the films. His songs might turn out to be slow-burners, and become hits in other ways than straight-forward album sales, as Popular Song has done.

I just hope the people who are picking his music for the movies, listen to all his songs as he has a great range of work to choose from now. At least one song that could fit with any film they are making. So I hope it works out for him.

[CarolinaAsh]

 

Yes exactly. What I am hearing is the Monkees and a bad George Harrison impression (which is also kind of what the Monkees were doing). This is not contemporary pop or timeless pop (like Fleetwood Mac for example) but a very particular sound that no one has listened to for 40 years. I appreciate what Mellody is saying about not following trends. Like Mika doesn't need Pitbull rapping in the middle of his songs because that's what people are doing this year. But I think Promiseland is such a standout track on this album because it sounds like it was produced in the 21st century at least and not in 1975.

 

 

This is what I mean about Mika's songwriting not being the problem but more the old fashioned sound on the tracks. Have you heard the original version of Cheerleader? Its sound is also dated and it comes across as this sort of this mid-tempo silly song. But a couple of years later someone remixes it to make it more rhythmic and dancey and modern sounding and it's a massive hit. The same thing happened with One Republic's Apologize. The original was slow and dull. But Timbaland (and Greg Wells) remixed it and it became one of the top songs of last decade.

 

 

Well Mark Ronson is from London and produced Amy Winehouse's Back to Black so you can thank another Brit for Uptown Funk.

 

 

Yes! I love Promiseland, it's my favorite. But I am also partial to the bottom part of Mika's range... no pun intended?   I have not heard the original version of Cheerleader but I am sure about to look it up. Also I'm pretty sure I can usually thank the Brits for most of the things I like.  I mean, I prefer their news, they have great music, great style, their TV shows are great. I like Canada too but, they gave us Bieber so right now they're in my dog house lol.

[Christine]

I have not heard the original version of Cheerleader but I am sure about to look it up.

 

One song, two completely different tracks. One hugely successful and one not. No prizes for guessing which one is which How great is that trumpet?

 

 

 

 

I like Canada too but, they gave us Bieber so right now they're in my dog house lol.

 

Hey he was a sweet little boy when we dropped him of with you. A few years in the US and he turns into a monster. We're not taking the blame for that

[Poisonyoulove]

One song, two completely different tracks. One hugely successful and one not. No prizes for guessing which one is which How great is that trumpet?

 

 

I'm guessing the hugely successful one is the one I find unlistenable because of the weird autotune effect on his voice? If that's what's needed for success, why bother?  I mean, if that's the sound one wants to go for, fine. I am just glad that there's a huge variety of music out there to choose from. Plenty of stuff you hate, so I can have stuff I like. 

[Christine]

I'm guessing the hugely successful one is the one I find unlistenable because of the weird autotune effect on his voice?

 

There is auto tune on his voice in both versions. The difference isn't in the vocals but in the tempo and the rhythm and musical elements like swapping the lame sax for the trumpet. One sounds like some pseudo reggae a la UB40 times (ie circa 1983) and the other sounds like a current pop song. If Mika fans prefer the sound of the Monkees or Bay City Rollers, whatever. But don't expect anyone in the UK in 2015 to give it 5 star reviews and play it on BBC1.

 

Rufus Wainwright couldn't/wouldn't ever make a contemporary pop song. But I would imagine his fans just accept the consequences of that and there isn't incessant moaning on his fan club about how awful his record company, reviewers and radio programmers are for not supporting/promoting him like he's Katy Perry or Sam Smith.

[mellody]

i wonder how much influence the video had in that 2nd cheerleader version being a success. i guess it's the 2nd one that's a hit? sexy girls dancing, palm trees, nice cars, a beach... that video is way cooler than the other one, but i don't think the faster version of the song is much better. just different. the difference is like mika's version of popular with ariana. and that wasn't a huge hit either (just on yt).

 

btw i guess no one on mfc would have anything against promiseland being a single... maybe we should start a petition.

[Christine]

i wonder how much influence the video had in that 2nd cheerleader version being a success. i guess it's the 2nd one that's a hit? sexy girls dancing, palm trees, nice cars, a beach... that video is way cooler than the other one, but i don't think the faster version of the song is much better. just different. the difference is like mika's version of popular with ariana. and that wasn't a huge hit either (just on yt).

 

I don't know. I never even saw the sexy girls dancing video until today. I loved this song as soon as I heard it. And incidentally Mika also likes it because he put it on his streaming play list awhile ago. Was he swayed by the sexy girls? Or maybe the dude in jeans and a t-shirt instead of looking like a banker in a bad suit

 

EDIT: I found an earlier video of the remix that has almost 200 million views and just used some clips from the 2012 video. So it wasn't the sexy ladies that made the song a hit

 

btw i guess no one on mfc would have anything against promiseland being a single... maybe we should start a petition. 

 

Ha, I'll sign it!

Edited July 26, 2015 by Christine

[CarolinaAsh]

 

I don't know. I never even saw the sexy girls dancing video until today. I loved this song as soon as I heard it. And incidentally Mika also likes it because he put it on his streaming play list awhile ago. Was he swayed by the sexy girls? Or maybe the dude in jeans and a t-shirt instead of looking like a banker in a bad suit

 

 

Ha, I'll sign it!

Whoa hold up. Mika has a playlist? Where? Spotify? I know there's one on there on his official account that claims to bee all his stuff but it so isn't.

 

Also I will sign as well.

[cathouzouf]

Whoa hold up. Mika has a playlist? Where? Spotify? I know there's one on there on his official account that claims to bee all his stuff but it so isn't.

 

Also I will sign as well.

Deezer

[Marilyn Mastin]

i wonder how much influence the video had in that 2nd cheerleader version being a success. i guess it's the 2nd one that's a hit? sexy girls dancing, palm trees, nice cars, a beach... that video is way cooler than the other one, but i don't think the faster version of the song is much better. just different. the difference is like mika's version of popular with ariana. and that wasn't a huge hit either (just on yt).

 

btw i guess no one on mfc would have anything against promiseland being a single... maybe we should start a petition.

That's a good idea. I do think the fans have a better idea of what would make a decent single. Promiseland would be wonderful, just as Overrated would have been on his last album. Both songs are more edgy and sound more like they belong in the charts of 2015, rather than (as Christine said) in the charts of yesteryear.

I don't discount the yesteryear songs. I think, as I said before, they are hidden treasures waiting for the right film to be in, or the right time to shine.

But I'd sign the Promiseland petition. I wish we could get millions of signatures, to shake up the record company.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Marilyn Mastin

[Christine]

Whoa hold up. Mika has a playlist? Where? Spotify? I know there's one on there on his official account that claims to bee all his stuff but it so isn't.

 

http://www.mikafanclub.com/topic/31918-mika-has-taken-over-the-this-is-pop-playlist-on-deezer-mikas-selection-for-mixradio-uscanada/?p=4005012

[mamiam]

Some thoughts about the latest discussion here re. NPIH.  Christine says that MIKA sounds like Monkees, and "this is not contemporary pop or timeless pop, but a very particular sound that no one has listened to for 40 years"  

The Monkees was my first real music love    I was 15 y.o. and loved both the TV episodes, shown every Sat. night here, and all the smashing hits, like "I'm a believer", "A little bit me, a little bit you" ( both written by Neil Diamond ) "Last train to Clarksville", "Daydream believer" and many more  They got stuck in my head, and still owe a little place there.  So to be compared with Monkees, isn't a bad thing for me.  In fact they're not totally forgotten after all these years either, and still get some radioplay, at least here.  Last Friday, the 24.7, BBC News writes: "Lost material by Monkees star Micky Dolenz released" - and further: "on sale last week as a MD single collection"  There's even a track called "Daybreak", which was written and produced by Harry Nilsson!  So this might be interesting for MIKA!  Further BBC News writes, among others:  "Dolenz owed the third ever Moog synthesizer.  And the track "Easy on you" is a weird song, not pop, not rock.  It's kind of electronica, before electronica"

 

Christine also says that:  "if fans prefer the sound of Monkees & Bay City Rollers, whatever.  But don't expect anyone in the UK in 2015 to give it 5 star reviews, and play it on BBC 1"  Imo, this is quite an arrogant attitude towards the big amount of us fans, who love NPIH,  and think the alb. is a masterpiece!  It's like saying that our tastes and opinions are old-fashioned and not valid in 2015.  That we can't even count on good/fair reviews, or radioplay!?   Imo, this is wrong.  Retro is in.  The styles from the 70ies, in both music and fashion, is again hot.  And 40 y.o. music is still loved,  and used, like for example ABBA  I often read about young artists, being inspired by the 70ies.  This I understand well.  Imo, it was a golden decade re. music   Like Mellody, and others, I'm very happy that MIKA isn't desperate to follow mainstream, but has his own style, even it might be considered only as "MIKA music"   The latest concerts this summer, also prove that his new ( old-fashioned )  music is perfect for live performances - and that it gives a huge amount of people a really good experience, and a time to remember,  with joy and happiness   

 

Love,love

me

[Pascale]

If you really want to discuss the songs maybe we could do it in private.

 

I'll be happy to discuss songs or the album in private if necessary but I'd prefer doing it on the public threads because of all the different opinions and general discussions that are possible there. Reading the thoughts of other fans has often given me all kinds of insights even (or even more) if I don't share them

  

Let's start: my "problem" with No place in heaven is this. I like the album as a whole, it has a lot of nice songs and listening to it makes me happy and joyful. But I''m not thrilled by any of the songs in particular. I like Ordinary man the most because I love Mika's low voice in that song but even there's something missing for me. It's difficult to describe (in musical terms) what it is because i'm not an experienced listener of pop.  Maybe the production of the songs is dated as you said. I can't judge that. I would rather describe it in emotional terms as lack of urgency or intensity. It all feels a bit bland. The more I listen to the songs the more I get used to them and the more they stay in my head and I like them. But I'm afraid I wouldn't have given it a second try if it hadn't been Mika.  Of course this is a very personal opinion. I'm not saying that to Mika or other listeners this album isn't intense and important. But I can understand the use of the term "regression".  I don't see much progress when I compare NPIH to earlier albums. In fact i prefer most songs of his earlier albums although at the moment I listen more to NPIH because it's nice to hear something new. By the way I'm talking about the music now, not about the lyrics. His themes are still interesting to me.

 

I personally do not need Mika to go in any special or other direction.  I don't like Andre Rieu (although dutch and a great performer) and I don't like musicals (or the mixing of classical and pop) very much. Pop is fine by me. More interesting arrangements and rythms or more use of special vocal combinations and instruments would be nice though. I don't think it has to be "modern" for me, just more "different" or edgy. I like some of the live performances a lot because they are a bit more playful or jazzy or less "correct" than the recorded versions. 

 

But writing this I realise that I actually don't want much else from Mika than what he is doing now. He seems to enjoy himself immensely at the moment. I love seeing that.  Okay, his new album doesn't move me like his earlier music does but it's still fun and very enjoyable. Perhaps there are no potential hits on it. To be honest I wonder if Promiseland is strong (or mainstream) enough to be a big hit either. I could very well be wrong in that though since there are many many songs in the hitlists that I do not find special at all. (I'm not saying that Promiseland isn't special but that i'm not a good judge)  

However he's doing very well in the countries in which he is a tv star and in some other places (Korea!!). His concerts sell out and his public loves him. People buy the album, he has lots of fans and -most important- he seems to like his own new songs a lot. He experiments with things like a symphony orchestra and with the tv shows, so there's still plenty of new stuff for him to keep him busy and interested. I don't think he wants more fame than he already has. So unless you want world domination , he's doing great.

 

I do think you are probably right that he should focus more on his music to make it "better". On the other side, it's very hard to renew yourself as an artist all the time. Most writers/ comedians/ singers etc. create one (or if they are lucky a few) good products and after that, it's often more of the same .

Mika keeps me interested more (and longer) than any artist ever did. That's not only because of the music but I still like listening to his songs and they give me energy. I would love to be as enthousiastic about NPIH as about his earlier albums but I guess the shock and pleasure of the first discovery will never happen again, Hopefully he will surprise me sometime. But if not, I've had great fun until now and i still do. And I haven't even been to one of his concerts yet!!!

Edited July 27, 2015 by Pascale

[Christine]

Christine also says that: "if fans prefer the sound of Monkees & Bay City Rollers, whatever. But don't expect anyone in the UK in 2015 to give it 5 star reviews, and play it on BBC 1" Imo, this is quite an arrogant attitude towards the big amount of us fans, who love NPIH, and think the alb. is a masterpiece! It's like saying that our tastes and opinions are old-fashioned and not valid in 2015. That we can't even count on good/fair reviews, or radioplay!? Imo, this is wrong. Retro is in.

It is not an attitude, it is simply a fact. When you find some 5* reviews from the UK or hear tracks from this album being played on BBC1 then you can tell me I'm wrong. What Mika's fans in Timbuktu think has no bearing on what is happening in the British music scene. You can disagree or be offended by it all you want but it doesn't change reality.

 

I thought I was very clear before but apparently not so I will say it again. I am talking about a very particular sound. "Retro" being in fashion does not mean this particular sound is in fashion. There are tracks on Paolo Nutini's album that sound like long lost Sam Cooke songs but that's not what NPIH sounds like. NPIH doesn't sound like Uptown Funk. Just because some current music sounds like some music that was created in the 70s doesn't mean that all sounds and genres from the 70s are now fashionable. Every time flared pants and big sunglasses make a comeback it doesn't mean it's time to break out the powder blue eyeshadow and polyester neckties that are as wide as they are long. Some things died 40 years ago and will never be revived.

 

But I'm afraid I wouldn't have given it a second try if it hadn't been Mika. Of course this is a very personal opinion. I'm not saying that to Mika or other listeners this album isn't intense and important. But I can understand the use of the term "regression". I don't see much progress when I compare NPIH to earlier albums. In fact i prefer most songs of his earlier albums although at the moment I listen more to NPIH because it's nice to hear something new. By the way I'm talking about the music now, not about the lyrics. His themes are still interesting to me.

That's how I feel. Especially the first and last sentences. I also think it's hard to recapture early days and that's why I went so overboard in seeing Mika perform as often as possible years ago. I knew it would end (for me) as time went on and wanted to experience the magic as much as I could.

 

I personally do not need Mika to go in any special or other direction.

Neither do I. I only got involved in this conversation because I find it strange that people want Mika to be so different from the mainstream music scene and then blame the mainstream music scene for not embracing him. If he's going to make quirky Mika music he is only going to appeal to Mika fans. This should be self evident and I can't believe people are still acting outraged about it 3 years after the same thing happened with TOOL. Especially since NPIH is far far more distant from current trends than TOOL was.

 

You just can't have it both ways. If you hate OMI's music and all the other #1 songs on the 2015 charts and Mika makes music that is on the opposite end of the spectrum then he's not going to have a #1 song. Whether Mika cares about having a #1 song or is perfectly happy doing what he's doing is a whole different discussion.

[mamiam]

I never expected 5 stars from the British press for MIKAs new alb . If so happened, it would have been a sensation, imo. I'm pleased if he gets decent and respectful reviews, from both the UK and elsewhere.  Needless to say, everybody has the right to like, or dislike, his work.   But I don't understand why you're talking about fans in Timbuktu!? I'm talking about fans here at MFC, from all over the world.  When they share great gig reports, from everywhere, we get a good impression of what MIKA offers live in concerts,  of both old and new songs, and how it's received by the crowds, which necessarly are not only fans.

 

I don't know Paolo Nutini's alb. and I've never said that NPIH sound like Uptown Funk.  I NPIH I hear a lot of elements from the music from the 70ies, and I love it!   But I'm sad that a lot of countries still don't get the opportunity to hear it, and that the radiostations keep playing "Grace Kelly" and "Relax" - when there's so much good stuff released after these hits I also think that it's strange to let "Promiseland" be a bonustrack - when it could/should have been a well promoted single, imo...        

 

Love,love

me 

[Marilyn Mastin]

I think, the only answer at the moment, is for us to not think of Mika's career in terms of Chart positions and album sales, at least, in countries like the UK.

In my own opinion, it's depressing to do that at the moment. There doesn't seem to be a way out of the slump. The mere mention of his name seems to say to people in the UK, that he's finished, he's old-fashioned, or any other cliché they can think of.

Yes, he has lots of fans in other countries. He's a big star there, but not here. Once again, it's depressing to think of that.

So, this is what I think. We just need to think of what might be on the horizon, in terms of Mika's career. We don't know what he has in mind or if there is a plan for some project in the UK that could raise his profile here in some way.

I see him, perhaps, as a force behind music. Still making music himself, maybe more like Andrew Lloyd Webber is.

I hope for the best. It's all we can do. 

[Christine]

I never expected 5 stars from the British press for MIKAs new alb .

 

So why did you say it is arrogant to point out that he is not getting any and that it's an insult to fans who think the album is a masterpiece?

 

 

But I don't understand why you're talking about fans in Timbuktu!?   I'm talking about fans here at MFC, from all over the world.  When they share great gig reports, from everywhere, we get a good impression of what MIKA offers live in concerts,  of both old and new songs, and how it's received by the crowds, which necessarly are not only fans.

 

And I don't understand why you are talking about live performances as if I am criticizing his live performances. We're not talking about gigs. We're talking about the album and why people in the UK do not embrace it. The album is an unchanging recorded piece of music and people do not critique it or put it on a radio playlist based on how great the songs sound at gigs. I have already said that I think the songs have a lot of potential but the production/arrangements on the album sound out of date. And by "out of date" I do not mean similar to music from the 1970s per se, I mean it sounds like music that no one is listening to on the radio in 2015.

 

If UK reviewers gave Mika a poor review on his performances then I would think they were being unfair. But some of the things they say about album are fair...at the very least they are understandable. All you have to do is listen to music on the charts to understand why. It is not because Mika doesn't do enough promo. It is not because the Brits are horrible mean people. It's because this album does not sound anything at all like something that could be in the top 40 charts in the UK.

 

If Mika was in a different genre - let's say doing quasi classical music like Josh Groban - the attitude would be different. If Mika is being reviewed in a different country - let's say the US where he is known as a non-mainstream foreign artist - the attitude would be different. But in the UK he was a top 40 artist. He had a #1 single and a #1 album. If he makes a pop record that couldn't possibly get top 40 airplay he is going to be perceived as not keeping up with the times. It is inevitable and totally understandable. As the guy on BBC said, pop music has moved on without Mika. I don't care how much Mika's fans love this record, that is the reality and it can't be denied. If the situation is different in Italy or France or South Korea, that's great. But we're talking about the UK. 

 

I think, the only answer at the moment, is for us to not think of Mika's career in terms of Chart positions and album sales, at least, in countries like the UK.

 

I agree.

[Yuna]

IMO, Each country has its own mainstream music scene reflecting its culture and the trend flowing from past to present throughout the history. Maybe one album suits very good on this and it becomes 'trendy' or 'mainstream' on that certain music scene. Or if not, that album suits better on other music scene in other country because it just suits there. Mika's music just suits "current trend" and  "cultural sentiment" in countries like France, Italy, and thankfully South Korea. That's why his music is so much loved in those countries. 

 

Actually, Now I can see that Mika's music sounds far from things of mainstream in huge markets, like UK, US, and it is apparently hurtful for fans from that "Huge Market" and of course, for Mika himself. If I were a musician and could choose to be a mainstream in several countries, my choice would be US and UK, not South Korea. Thankfully France and Italy is big enough and we worldwide fans should be relieved as those countries works as "basecamp" for Mika's career.

"Not mainstream" in UK and US doesn't mean end of his career and of course doesn't mean that his music is not good enough.  It just doesn't suit on those countries, but Mika has pretty big altanatives. Mika's 4th album goes very well on several countries and it shows that he made a great album!  Mika knew which country has a potential to adore him, and he found right places and we worldwide fans should should be happy for that (even though his right places are not my home country) If years goes by, there could be a moment that Mika's music could be kinda suit on the music scene of certain moment in UK, and that's the best we hope to have again. 

UK fans... you still can travel to any place in France/Italy with (relatively) small amount of money and time... 

 

Edit : Taylor Swift or other unfamiliar names in UK chart top 10 is not doing good here in Korea, never could fill Olympic Arena as Mika did, but that doesn't mean that their album is not good enough. Their albums are best and suits on current UK scene, but doesn't suit here in Korea. I fully understand how fans are frustrated when their fave musician doesn't good in homecountry, while he/she's big in other countries.. as that means they rarely have chance to see their fave musician's concert. It hurts.... 

Edited July 28, 2015 by Yuna

[mamiam]

I think it's quite difficult to go on with this discussion Christine, because you always seem to twist my words  I'm pretty sure that you understand what I say/write, if you want to.  So it's pointless to try to explain it any further...

 

Now I'm just very happy to have read here on MFC today,  that MIKA is already working with his next album!   I hope it's right, and if so - only time will show what we'll get this time - maybe something totally different from NPIH 

With our multitalented MIKA we never know, everything is possible ...

 

Love,love

me

[RAK1]

i wonder how much influence the video had in that 2nd cheerleader version being a success. i guess it's the 2nd one that's a hit? sexy girls dancing, palm trees, nice cars, a beach... that video is way cooler than the other one, but i don't think the faster version of the song is much better. just different. the difference is like mika's version of popular with ariana. and that wasn't a huge hit either (just on yt).

btw i guess no one on mfc would have anything against promiseland being a single... maybe we should start a petition.

I already tweeted the record company about making it the next single, and perhaps they should trust the fans judgement a bit more, as far as what makes a good single.