My Name Is Michael Holbrook - Mika's new album 2019

[Ellys]

 

2 hours ago, giraffeandy said:

I have to say I partly agree with some of them saying the album doesn't feel as cohesive. [...] Don't know if someone here feels the same when hearing the album from start to finish. I really enjoy the majority of the songs on this album but as an album, it feels a bit all over the place. 

 

and I agree with others, I feel like "Cry" doesn't belong to the album, even though it's growing on me listening after listening.

I also find the album more mainstream pop than the previous ones, maybe it will sell more ? Will we hear it more on the radio? I hope so.

 

As of the new songs, I LOVE Tiny Love Reprise , I admit I was very emotional when I first listened to it, especially  when I heard Joannie and Paloma singing. Also I really loved the live version of Blue, and I didn't expect to like the studio version, but I do, even though I still prefer the live one.

To sum up, I like most of the song; for some ones  it was love at first listening (es. Dear Jealousy, Paloma, Blue...), for others  I needed (and still need) more time.

Those are my  thoughts after the first few listening.  I don't think I can rank them right now. I might add more in the future.

[giraffeandy]

MNIMH, day 2, new thoughts:

 

Cry really grew on me a lot! I was indifferent about it first but now it's probably a top 5 song for me. It's not a typical Mika song but it gets better with more listenings. An unexpected favourite of mine. On the other hand, it's hard to choose a least favourite but I have to say Ready To Call This Love feels a bit basic to me. It's a sweet love song but for me it's a filler on the album, the lyrics are quite simple and it doesn't hit me (yet). Overall I like the production of most of the tracks, there are many interesting twists and I like the instruments there, also some great bridges and intros/outros, that makes the songs even more enjoyable, all the songs develop in a way. And I also always loved Mika's songs with choirs.

Edited October 5, 2019 by giraffeandy

[Dominika]

Mika's voice on this album is different than on the previous ones but still heavenly sounding. I really love most of the songs and it's hard to choose my favourite ones. Sweet melodies bringing warmth and thought provoking lyrics that's Mika's speciality which intrigue me always. I'm only disappointed by the song Blue, maybe because it didn't hit me straight away just like others songs did. I hope it's just a matter of time to used to this song and maybe understand it better. Meanwhile I'm trying to learn new lyrics of the songs and I have to say that some verses sounds to me like that...

[Lucyndaria]

After listening to the whole album about ten times (some songs more, some a bit less) I can say while I wasn't too fond of several songs most have now grown on me.

 

Tiny Love didn't click for me in the beginning- something about it's unusual structure just didn't work for me- but after listening to it some more I actually really love it. Still not my favourite, but better than average

Ice Cream is okay, I guess. Not bad, but also not particularly great, and probably the song that gets skipped the most.

Dear Jealousy is great, definitely in the top 3, and the first one that gets sometimes played on repeat.

Paloma is so, so beautiful, I love everything about this song so much. The lyrics are beautiful (and the "fly against the wind even with a broken wing" is very relatable), the chorus is catchy but not too upbeat, and the melody is also really pretty. ❤️

Sanremo is fun, but not one of my favourites. Still good, though, and very catchy and I think it may still grow on me.

I instantly fell in love with Tomorrow when I first listened to it, it's a strong contender for favourite song, for the times when Paloma is too melancholic. I like the story it tells, and I loved the melody.

Ready To Call It Home is good, I like it, it sounds sweet, but there's just nothing really special about it (except that it's a love duet between two men!), just a kinda basic love song.

Cry needed some time to grow on me, and it still gets skipped sometimes. But I like it more every time I listen to it, it might still get one of my favourites.

I really dislike the first few seconds of Platform Ballerinas, but the chorus is really catchy and fun. But the lyrics don't really make too much sense- why should dancing etc make someone less of a girl? So it's an okay song, but I get startled by the beginning every time.

I Went To Hell Last Night is the opposite of Platform Ballerinas- I love the beginning, and the lyrics are nice, but the chorus is so boring and the Beatles-like music doesn't really fit the lyrics.

Blue is something? I don't love it, even though I usually like calmer songs, but something just isn't working for me. It feels kinda forgettable. So I don't actively dislike it, it doesn't get skipped, but that's all.

Stay High is another one I don't like that much, but I think this one might still grow on me. But after the calm Blue it feels too upbeat, too loud, so maybe I like it better when I listen to it on its own.

I have to admit I'm not as much in love with Tiny Love Reprise as most people seem to be. Yeah, it's really touching when you know who the people singing are, but I feel like it can't really on its own (but maybe it's not supposed to, it is a reprise after all.

 

Overall it's a decent album with some really, really beautiful songs, but also some mediocre ones  (but no really bad ones). I have to agree with the people saying that it doesn't actually feel all that personal (except Tiny Love + Reprise and Paloma) and it feels a bit all over the place, though I think some rearranging of the songs would help with that, I really dislike the transition from Cry to Platform Ballerinas) (I might be too used to the flowing transitions in Owen Pallett's albums- you can almost hear the whole album as one song!) . Maybe I will actually make a playlist with a different song order and see if the album as a whole works better for me that way. For now, I think NPIH will stay my favourite album- and that one does feel more personal- but Tomorrow, Paloma and Dear Jealousy go on the "best songs ever" list.

 

[MatanBenYosef224]

1 hour ago, giraffeandy said:

MNIMH, day 2, new thoughts:

 

Cry really grew on me a lot! I was indifferent about it first but now it's probably a top 5 song for me. It's not a typical Mika song but it gets better with more listenings. An unexpected favourite of mine. On the other hand, it's hard to choose a least favourite but I have to say Ready To Call This Love feels a bit basic to me. It's a sweet love song but for me it's a filler on the album, the lyrics are quite simple and it doesn't hit me (yet). Overall I like the production of most of the tracks, there are many interesting twists and I like the instruments there, also some great bridges and intros/outros, that makes the songs even more enjoyable, all the songs develop in a way. And I also always loved Mika's songs with choirs.

 

I Must agree about cry  & ready to call this love. 

Cry is growing on me and i'm starting to like it more while Ready to call this love is just basic love duet, Which seems a bit "I Heard it before" in some way...

I Agree about the instruments Also

 

[Irem Aytepe]

BLUE IS FEMININE COLOUR!

Blue is deep and bold

 Blue is like no other

 A secret as it's sold

[giraffeandy]

39 minutes ago, Dominika said:

I'm only disappointed by the song Blue, maybe because it didn't hit me straight away just like others songs did.

 

I feel the same about Blue, I like the lyrics but it didn't hit me yet.

 

33 minutes ago, Lucyndaria said:

Maybe I will actually make a playlist with a different song order and see if the album as a whole works better for me that way. For now, I think NPIH will stay my favourite album- and that one does feel more personal- but Tomorrow, Paloma and Dear Jealousy go on the "best songs ever" list.

 

Wow, I have to say I have the exact same opinion on most of the songs and even the album as a whole, I agree with you on NPIH and I also thought of making my own playlist with a different track order! 

 

17 minutes ago, MatanBenYosef224 said:

Ready to call this love is just basic love duet, Which seems a bit "I Heard it before" in some way...

 

Exactly, especially for Mika who writes so specific lyrics most of the time this one seems to be too general...

[Florine]

Day 2.

 

I have to admit it : My Name Is Michael Holbrook is something beautiful. It has is ups and downs,, there's some reaaaally good songs. I'm a BIG fan of NPIH and I was scared about the new album because, for me, it was hard to be better. And it's not... But it's SOMETHING.

 

I'm addicted to Platform Ballerinas. It's so cool to dance, jump, sing-along and just be ourselves while listening to the song. Cry was the less good one for me but after a little while I like it. it's an ""ok" song. I'm not a fan of Blue. The lyrics are beautiful and it probably tells a story but I don't know why, I have a hard time enjoying the song.

 

Tomorrow is, for me one of the best song of the last decade. Paloma is beautiful and even more when we know the story.

 

Well, I think MNIMH is a really really good album. Mika trust us enough to made this album and tell some stories close to his heart. I thank him for everything, more and more day after day.

It's been a while, but I still feel happy when I hear his voice. I can't explain, but I just feel the need to thank him for all those little treasures he keeps offering us.

 

[mellody]

5 hours ago, giraffeandy said:

Some reviews so far:

 

https://www.gigwise.com/reviews/3361309/album-review-mika-my-name-is-michael-holbrook (8/10)

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/wilco-review-ode-to-joy-tracklist-release-date-mika-my-name-is-michael-holbrook-a9137536.html (3/5)

https://www.riffmagazine.com/album-reviews/mika-my-name-is-michael-holbrook/

https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-name-is-michael-holbrook-mw0003311612 (3,5/5)

https://www.unionjournalism.com/2019/10/03/review-on-album-ode-to-joy-by-wilco-and-mikas-my-name-is-michael-holbrook/

 

I have to say I partly agree with some of them saying the album doesn't feel as cohesive. For example NPIH tells a story for me, I even prefer some of the songs when hearing them on the album than separately because the whole album has a concept. Even though MNIMH has songs like Tiny Love, Paloma and Tiny Love Reprise that fit together, sometimes I feel the flow of the album isn't working as well, the mood and style is changing a lot throughout the songs, for example right after Blue there's Stay High, it's always a big shock for me to hear such an energetic song after the ballad, which is rather melancholic. Don't know if someone here feels the same when hearing the album from start to finish. I really enjoy the majority of the songs on this album but as an album, it feels a bit all over the place. 

 

I think the concept of it IS this jumping between moods. Yes, it doesn't always please your ears, it shocks you at times (Blue ➡️ Stay High), but I think that's what Mika means when he says he wanted to make an album about life as it happens. The listener might not always be ready to jump through all the moods of Mika's life within 13 songs, but I think the concept is exactly what Mika intended with it. He didn't do this album to please.

 

About the songs being more radio-friendly, I don't know - maybe some of them. Ice Cream, tho that didn't get played on the radio much, not even in France and Italy. Tiny Love surely isn't radio friendly. And many of the other songs also sound like the great music from the past century - unfortunately that's not what gets played on the radio today.

 

About it being personal or not... I indeed think he's more explicit than he used to be. Although yes, he did use personal topics before, but he often didn't make it clear for the listeners. For example, take Rio. I still think it's about him leaving Andy. But Mika never talked about the song in interviews, he also never played it live. Now if I compare that with "Tomorrow", which very likely is about them getting back together... Mika indicated that in an interview, and the lyrics don't leave much room for interpretations, it's about Mika having s*x. He even put that song out as a single. Now if that isn't personal, I don't know what is.

 

And also for Tiny Love (& Reprise), Dear Jealousy, Paloma, I went to hell last night, Ready to call this love, Blue, Stay High - I can feel him in these songs, his feelings towards himself and his loved ones. It's hard to describe, and some random music journalist who doesn't know much about Mika might not notice. But indeed the album feels very personal to me.

[Szara.]

 

As I mentioned before, this album is important to me because I feel its emotions gathered on the album. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe this is my first album I've been waiting for.

 

Mika's voice is different than on previous albums but it still sounds heavenly. I like all songs but probably Tomorrow my favorite and Platform Balerinas most. Tine Love Reprise is wonderful.

[ladyolivier]

I knew I had a fairly lengthy drive last night, and resisted the midnight urge to listen to it and took the whole thing in in order while I drove.

it's I liked Ice Cream when I heard it as a single, Tiny Love is a masterpiece. But I will admit to being...unsure about the album.

I am not unsure any more.

 

I have notes on every song but I'll save my breath for the one that overwhelmed me: Blue is a magnum opus. I keep coming back to that phrase. It's art and perfection and so much else. It also kind of reminds me of A Case Of You? I was completely unprepared for it and ended up weeping in my car. Between Blue and Tiny Love (Reprise), I feel like this key to this album is that, to me, it is more than the sum of its parts. It's best taken together, as a single concept. All the songs seem to have common themes when viewed together. The whole thing reminds me of Passion Pit's masterpiece "Gossamer", especially the orchestral sections in Tiny Love Reprise. That song took the album to new heights entirely and I am infatuated.

 

The album is spectacular. I am so happy.

[Poisonyoulove]

29 minutes ago, mellody said:

 

 He didn't do this album to please.

 

 

 

Does that mean I don't have to feel sick with guilt over how much I hate it?

[Irem Aytepe]

On 10/4/2019 at 6:48 AM, BiaIchihara said:

STAY HIGH

What comes up must come down
I learned it in my science class so I'm not that dumb
Your finger tips upon my skin
You bring the sunshine to my window baby let it in

 

Wherever we go
I wanna stay high not low
Wherever we go
We're gonna get higher than the sun my baby
Wherever we go
I wanna stay high not low
Wherever we go
We're gonna stay High

 

What comes up must come down
But you and me we're floating above the ground
Our generation, has so much gloom
Cause there ain't no money left to alter the baby boom

 

Don't let me down now now, cause
I've been high for so long
That I don't know how to come down
Don't try, I don't even care if you lie
You, me
We're gonna stay high

 

 

[ellie]

45 minutes ago, mellody said:

He didn't do this album to please.

 

 

Self-indulgent artiste album? I can see that

 

46 minutes ago, mellody said:

About the songs being more radio-friendly, I don't know - maybe some of them. Ice Cream, tho that didn't get played on the radio much, not even in France and Italy. Tiny Love surely isn't radio friendly. And many of the other songs also sound like the great music from the past century - unfortunately that's not what gets played on the radio today.

 

Dunno, I think many of the songs are very accesible both in terms of arrangements/production and lyrically/thematically. The lack of air-play may not have anything to do with the actual songs but with his label? Mika himself?

 

52 minutes ago, mellody said:

About it being personal or not... I indeed think he's more explicit than he used to be. Although yes, he did use personal topics before, but he often didn't make it clear for the listeners. For example, take Rio. I still think it's about him leaving Andy. But Mika never talked about the song in interviews, he also never played it live. Now if I compare that with "Tomorrow", which very likely is about them getting back together... Mika indicated that in an interview, and the lyrics don't leave much room for interpretations, it's about Mika having s*x. He even put that song out as a single. Now if that isn't personal, I don't know what is.

 

And also for Tiny Love (& Reprise), Dear Jealousy, Paloma, I went to hell last night, Ready to call this love, Blue, Stay High - I can feel him in these songs, his feelings towards himself and his loved ones. It's hard to describe, and some random music journalist who doesn't know much about Mika might not notice. But indeed the album feels very personal to me.

 

I think we have different definitions of personal lol. Attaching a personal story to a song doesnt make the song 'personal' to me but its a certain type of introspective songwriting that I was thinking of and that I feel its laking here imo. He is approaching most of the songs from an universal point of view which may be or may not be personal to him, and the songs became personal just because he says so. Actually, I almost feel like his stories and explanations are overpowering the actual songs and I would rather listen to his interviews than the album

 

Anyway, I like most of the songs at a superficial level because theyre super catchy and sound nice but I wouldve expected something more than basic bops and 'been there, done that' ballads from the album title and concept.

[NancylovesM]

I'm just realizing Platform Ballerinas has a few Ricky Martin "She Bangs" moments in it.  Or is it just me? 😃

Edited October 5, 2019 by NancylovesM

[ellie]

58 minutes ago, NancylovesM said:

I'm just realizing Platform Ballerinas had a few Ricky Martin "She Bangs" moments in it.  Or is it just me? 😃

 

Yup, I hear that too

[MatanBenYosef224]

1 hour ago, NancylovesM said:

I'm just realizing Platform Ballerinas had a few Ricky Martin "She Bangs" moments in it.  Or is it just me? 😃

 

I Think that Platform Ballerinas sounds a bit like a song from High School Musical  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0tHWJ6PDKA

 

 

 or this 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfsc5blh3RE

 

 

Edited October 5, 2019 by MatanBenYosef224

[MatanBenYosef224]

5 hours ago, Lucyndaria said:

Stay High is another one I don't like that much, but I think this one might still grow on me. But after the calm Blue it feels too upbeat, too loud, so maybe I like it better when I listen to it on its own.

 

 

Must agree about this. I Feel like Tiny Love Reprise should come after Blue, but I Guess Mika has  its own intentions when it comes to the order of the songs, for me Stay High is indeed a bit shocking after Blue

[Mousetrap]

8 hours ago, Poisonyoulove said:

 

Does that mean I don't have to feel sick with guilt over how much I hate it?

 

This album has two really great songs, a couple of nice songs, all the rest is commercial, mainstream, mediocre or just boring music. Do I feel guilty about what I think of the album while 99 percent of fans believe it's a masterpiece? No, I feel disappointment. I'm not disappointed in my reaction to the album, I'm disappointed in Mika. Yes, it's a bit sad, but that's OK.

Yesterday I listened to Origin Of Love (song). I asked myself how Mika could record something like Cry or Stay High and call it authentic? Origin Of Love is authentic. Cry for instance is just 100% George Michael and 0% Mika. It's still nice song, but I expect Mika's music to be outstanding. Well, it's not anymore.

[carafon]

8 hours ago, MatanBenYosef224 said:

 

Must agree about this. I Feel like Tiny Love Reprise should come after Blue, but I Guess Mika has  its own intentions when it comes to the order of the songs, for me Stay High is indeed a bit shocking after Blue

I think that you've got this feeling  because of the music being so different

But if you take it from a mood's perspective I think it's more understable

It comes from deep sadeness to a kind of rage then resilience …...probably the feelings he went through after having his mother desease diagnostic

Edited October 6, 2019 by carafon

[Kumazzz]

CHART POSITION

https://kworb.net/itunes/artist/mika.html

Album: My Name Is Michael Holbrook

 

iTunes:

#1 Cyprus

#1 France

#2 Lebanon

#3 Hong Kong

#4 Belgium

#5 Luxembourg

#6 Italy

#7 Switzerland

#10 Mexico

#10 Spain

#10 Turkey

#11 United Kingdom

#13 Canada

#15 Portugal

#22 India

#24 Australia

#24 New Zealand

#26 Netherlands

#27 Thailand

#38 Russia

#39 United States

#45 Vietnam

#49 Japan

#66 Austria

#90 Saudi Arabia

#95 Germany

 

[Lucyndaria]

12 hours ago, ellie said:

Anyway, I like most of the songs at a superficial level because theyre super catchy and sound nice but I wouldve expected something more than basic bops and 'been there, done that' ballads from the album title and concept.

Yeah, that's how I feel as well- I like all the songs well enough, but the album as a whole is just not what I expected.

 

I did some rearranging, and I feel like the songs "flow" better like this–

 

Tiny Love

Dear Jealousy

Sanremo

Ice Cream

Platform Ballerinas

Stay High

I Went To Hell Last Night

Cry

Ready To Call This Love

Tomorrow

Paloma

Blue

Tiny Love Reprise

[lolo101]

On 10/4/2019 at 6:50 AM, cat_loves_mika said:

My immediate reaction when I listened to I Went to Hell Last Night was... This sounds like it could be a Beatles song. I was a little shocked hearing the sound from Mika, not that I don't like it. It's just so interesting. The Ooohs and Aaahs in the song are very reminiscent of the songs from I think Rubber Soul and Revolver and the beginning really made me thing of A Day in the Life. Such a different sound!

I had the same reaction, so John Lennon, but I really like it. ❤️

[giraffeandy]

5 hours ago, Mousetrap said:

I asked myself how Mika could record something like Cry or Stay High and call it authentic? Origin Of Love is authentic. Cry for instance is just 100% George Michael and 0% Mika. It's still nice song, but I expect Mika's music to be outstanding. Well, it's not anymore.

 

I don't get the general "hate" among fans for Cry tbh, I don't think it's the best song Mika has ever done but it's really one of the most enjoyable tracks on this record. Maybe it reminds of George Michael but Mika always had songs like that on his albums, just think of Touches You from TBWKTM, that's 100 % inspired by George Michael too (Faith & Father Figure) and still sounds like a Mika song. Cry also kind of gives me Tah Dah vibes, which is one of my favourite tracks from TOOL (deluxe). I have to say I'm rather kind of underwhelmed by some of the ballads on this record as I always thought ballads are Mika's strenght, even though Blue really grew on me after more listenings and I like it now. However, I think this album has some of Mika's best dance pop songs, which is kind of unexpected but I think I will enjoy this album for what it is. I actually have a quite similar feeling about MNIMH as I had about TBWKTM, many great songs I will definitely play a lot, it just doesn't have the flow of an album for me like for example NPIH had. 

[ellie]

Cry is my favourite but I liked it cuz it reminded me of Ocean Drive by Duke Dumont which I used to be obsessed with, not cuz its a Mika song. Its bizzare how imitative he is of other artists on this album and while thats not new, I didnt use to guess the exact song that inspired him after 30 seconds Dunno, maybe he's always been like this and Greg Wells was better at hiding his limitations lol. I have a feeling I wouldve appreciate this album more with a different production.