That is, if today is the day you hear the debut album from MIKA.
I first heard of him around December/January on BBC News’ poll of the hot new talent of 2007 – I saw his photo, and his name, and instantly dismissed him as ‘another one of those faux indie-type bands’ that I detest so much. How wrong I was. I’d almost forgotten about him when Nikki started scouring the singles shelves for his single. I don’t know what possessed me, but I decided to seek out his MySpace. There it was – ‘Grace Kelly’. Catchy little ditty, surprised more that he wasn’t one of ‘those’ bands. But as I continued using my PC, I couldn’t get the song out of my head. So I returned and played it again. And again. And again. It’s so easy to spot similarities with other artists – Scissor Sisters, Elton John, and of course, Freddie Mercury – but MIKA is still his own artist and very fresh. Right there I preordered the album from Play.com and downloaded three songs from iTunes – ‘Grace Kelly’, ‘Relax (Take It Easy)’ and ‘Billy Brown’. I knew they were on the album, but I couldn’t wait for almost a month, having to navigate to MySpace for a fix of MIKA.
Word was still thin on the ground at the time, but ‘Grace Kelly’ was the obvious standout track. Low to high vocals, so effortlessly managed, a musical arrangement we haven’t heard for a long time, and very witty lyrics. Even the cringe-worthiness of his ‘ka-ching’ soon passed. It just seems so complete – so many levels and variation it’s a marvel to witness it accomplished in just over three minutes. Obviously most people will be aware of this track now, as it’s getting heavy airplay, but MIKA is not a one-trick pony. Far from it.
When the album arrived on Monday I couldn’t wait to play it – all day in work I was counting the hours, and when I finally got to play it it was such a relief, and pleasure to boot! It’s hard to remember the last time I was so excited about an album – this guy truly is special. A lyrical genius, he has tried many different styles on the album – which I’m sure will pay handsomely. From the medley of ‘Grace Kelly’, my other favourites include the following:
- ‘My Interpretation’ – a very melodic and uplifting song, despite its heavy lyrics.
- ‘Love Today’ – definitely a cheery song, with an anthemic chorus, great vocals and some excellent riffs.
- ‘Relax (Take It Easy)’ – one of the other songs I purchased about about a month ago, this is clear-cut material for dance remixes. In it’s original state it’s classic disco with a modern twist.
- ‘Billy Brown’ – more great writing in this track, quite big-band in places but not so old-fashioned. I wonder if it’s written about anyone in particular though.
- ‘Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)’ – how wonderful to see a positive body image being portrayed in a light-hearted, warm and caring light. I do hope this is released as a single – what with the ‘size 0’s’ upon us, girls need to be reminded they shouldn’t be ashamed of what size they are, as long as it’s not a health concern they are fine.
This list isn’t definitive – these are just the tracks that have struck gold with me so soon. I still need to give the others a proper listen, for example now I’m listening to ‘Happy Ending’ and it’s a very good track – full of hope in a time of despair.
I’ll end with a picture I snapped with my phone today, walking back to work from my lunch at home. Quite ironic that Lee has only just recently updated his photo blog too – I’m not trying to steal his thunder, honest! I only noticed the e-mail today Lee – I haven’t been on the PC much with all the room-moving. According to Mr T in work, it’s some sort of plant / ferryman thing (I can’t remember now), but it’s unique in that it looks quite intriguing and also foreboding at the same time. Enjoy.
I first heard of him around December/January on BBC News’ poll of the hot new talent of 2007 – I saw his photo, and his name, and instantly dismissed him as ‘another one of those faux indie-type bands’ that I detest so much. How wrong I was. I’d almost forgotten about him when Nikki started scouring the singles shelves for his single. I don’t know what possessed me, but I decided to seek out his MySpace. There it was – ‘Grace Kelly’. Catchy little ditty, surprised more that he wasn’t one of ‘those’ bands. But as I continued using my PC, I couldn’t get the song out of my head. So I returned and played it again. And again. And again. It’s so easy to spot similarities with other artists – Scissor Sisters, Elton John, and of course, Freddie Mercury – but MIKA is still his own artist and very fresh. Right there I preordered the album from Play.com and downloaded three songs from iTunes – ‘Grace Kelly’, ‘Relax (Take It Easy)’ and ‘Billy Brown’. I knew they were on the album, but I couldn’t wait for almost a month, having to navigate to MySpace for a fix of MIKA.
Word was still thin on the ground at the time, but ‘Grace Kelly’ was the obvious standout track. Low to high vocals, so effortlessly managed, a musical arrangement we haven’t heard for a long time, and very witty lyrics. Even the cringe-worthiness of his ‘ka-ching’ soon passed. It just seems so complete – so many levels and variation it’s a marvel to witness it accomplished in just over three minutes. Obviously most people will be aware of this track now, as it’s getting heavy airplay, but MIKA is not a one-trick pony. Far from it.
When the album arrived on Monday I couldn’t wait to play it – all day in work I was counting the hours, and when I finally got to play it it was such a relief, and pleasure to boot! It’s hard to remember the last time I was so excited about an album – this guy truly is special. A lyrical genius, he has tried many different styles on the album – which I’m sure will pay handsomely. From the medley of ‘Grace Kelly’, my other favourites include the following:
- ‘My Interpretation’ – a very melodic and uplifting song, despite its heavy lyrics.
- ‘Love Today’ – definitely a cheery song, with an anthemic chorus, great vocals and some excellent riffs.
- ‘Relax (Take It Easy)’ – one of the other songs I purchased about about a month ago, this is clear-cut material for dance remixes. In it’s original state it’s classic disco with a modern twist.
- ‘Billy Brown’ – more great writing in this track, quite big-band in places but not so old-fashioned. I wonder if it’s written about anyone in particular though.
- ‘Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)’ – how wonderful to see a positive body image being portrayed in a light-hearted, warm and caring light. I do hope this is released as a single – what with the ‘size 0’s’ upon us, girls need to be reminded they shouldn’t be ashamed of what size they are, as long as it’s not a health concern they are fine.
This list isn’t definitive – these are just the tracks that have struck gold with me so soon. I still need to give the others a proper listen, for example now I’m listening to ‘Happy Ending’ and it’s a very good track – full of hope in a time of despair.
I’ll end with a picture I snapped with my phone today, walking back to work from my lunch at home. Quite ironic that Lee has only just recently updated his photo blog too – I’m not trying to steal his thunder, honest! I only noticed the e-mail today Lee – I haven’t been on the PC much with all the room-moving. According to Mr T in work, it’s some sort of plant / ferryman thing (I can’t remember now), but it’s unique in that it looks quite intriguing and also foreboding at the same time. Enjoy.
On a nerdy note, I love the image quality. Despite digital being so instant and available, I don’t take as many photos as I used to. It seems a shame that I’m planning on upgrading my phone soon, when this one seems more than competent. But it’s a new gadget I want, so I new gadget I will try to get!
Until next time – Try to be like Grace Kelly, then try a little Freddie.
Post title inspired by MIKA – ‘Love Today’
