MIKA!

Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika Mika. Even his name is fun to say! How many times will I say "Mika" during this post? LOTS. Michael Holbrook Penniman! Even his birth name is fun to say! But just how much Mika is too much Mika? That's what I asked myself when I first saw the video for his latest single, We Are Golden. Island Records doesn't want me to embed the video here, but in short it consists of Mika dancing in his colour-saturated bedroom in naught but his underwear. Was that too much Mika for me? At first, I thought so. But then I watched the video about ten times over and I now love every second of it. Even the LED laser crotch piece. Especially the LED laser crotch piece.

The new album The Boy Who Knew Too Much, is a welcome reminder of everything that we know and love about Mika from his first album. Although there is less of an overall hyper-sugar-high vibe this time 'round, the album as a whole feels more cohesive. Instead of running off on tangents about big girls or gay love affairs, the tracks revolve around the central theme of adolescence. Adolescence the way you want to remember it, with good times and bad times that made for fantastic and colourful stories to tell.

The third track, Rain, has got to be my immediate favourite. I remember listening to the tiny preview that Mika gave off his Mika Sounds Blog video:



If he didn't tell me, I would have never known that it was a violin in the background. It's truly an amazing sound. So quick and light and enchanting. Like alien raindrops, just as he said.

Mika - Rain (mp3) (amazon) (iTunes)
[Mp3 removed upon request]

The Boy Who Knew Too Much is an amazing sophomore effort. It showcases just how talented Mika is, both as a vocalist and as a writer beyond his Grace Kelly fame. Get the Deluxe Version with seventeen live tracks recorded at Sadler's Wells and you'll get a taste of how talented he is as a performer too.

So just how much Mika is too much Mika?

TRICK QUESTION. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH MIKA.