mika’s life in cartoon motion is finally released in the u.s. today, so all you american “grace kelly” lovers can finally legally acquire the album in its entirety!
it was five long months ago that i gave you the heads-up on the queen-loving (!) pop phenom. although the album came out in the u.k. a few months ago, i never really commented on cartoon motion as a whole.
well, i think mika was right when he dubbed his debut a ‘marmite’ record. for those of you unfamiliar with the savory spread, it often elicits a strong response, either positive or negative. and i can understand how anyone could either love or hate this record. one could assume by the way i’ve carried on that i’m of the former persuasion, yet that’s not a completely accurate conclusion.
while the disc offers several glorious triumphs — “billy brown,” “relax (take it easy),” “grace kelly” and “happy ending” — there is plenty of mediocrity mucking up the rest of it. and one track that for some reason annoys me to no end.
in the moments of second single “love today” where mika’s falsetto reaches an unflattering shriek, i can suddenly understand the haters (watch the video here). if this were only my second taste of mika, i would have written him off as spotty at best. definitely skip this cringe-inducing misstep.
as for the other sore spots, i agree with the sentiments in “big girl (you are beautiful),” but the disco-lite ditty never really distinguishes itself otherwise. while “any other world” tries to live up to the gorgeous “happy ending,” it’s not nearly as climactic or captivating.
so my advice to you is to embrace the good bits of cartoon motion, but don’t expect to love or hate it all. you’re more likely to be split on it fifty-fifty.
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