28/9/09
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King Monkey back with more dazzlers
Ian Brown has somewhat carved himself a place in the stuff of indie dreams with
his iconic sound, reminiscent of the Stone Roses.
In fact, since he left the legendary Manchester innovators he has enjoyed
unprecedented success with a score of hits and strong albums. Now a bit older
and wiser, it’s time to do it his way.
Opener, ‘Stellify’ is destined to enter that hall of his greatest hits. Backed up with a prominent
and thumping piano, Brown’s voice ghosts in and out the tune as only he can. Such an accessible and simple
tune in essence, originally created for Rihanna, Brown was right to snatch it
for himself.
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Released - 28/9/09
Label - Fiction
6th solo studio album (3 with the Stone Roses)
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King Monkey’s imagination certainly runs away with him on the spacious, ‘In the Year 2525’. It almost reminds of ‘The Fear’ in the way it contrasts different ways of lyrical advancement by redressing the
theme, though not half as likeable as that.
The dark and moody vibes of ‘Always Remember Me’ is perhaps a bit too dramatic, though certainly serves as a different direction
in the album. It’s almost like Ian is morphing into another famous Manc, Morrissey. ‘Vanity Kills’ follows a similar path but adds a more dreamy string section to the party,
alongside further atmosphere builders. An OK effort, but not one to write home
about.
Lyrically Brown is on top form with more similes than Shakespeare and more
metaphors than Russell Brand – it really is a master-class in writing. Some might feel that ‘For the Glory’ is some of Brown’s most mature work and name-checks the Roses, obviously deliberately. You can’t help but admire it.
‘Marathon Man’ is a stand-out track, fusing some underground dance, ala New Order with some
trademark distorted vocals at his usual pace. In a similar style is the
electro-rich ‘Own Brain’. It’s full of typical space-age Brown lyrics and a wacky beat, though drags on a bit
for a short song.
Whilst it’s clear that there’s an added maturity on this and the song structure is deliberately engineered to
create more ambience, there are some serious divisions between the hits and
misses. Whereas the hits are stand-outs, the not-so good tend to slip into a
vacuum of similar sounds. ‘Laugh Now’ is testament to this as is ‘So High’. In credit, ‘Laugh Now’ just about bucks the trend but is by no means a classic.
Key Tracks:
‘Stellify’
‘Marathon Man’
‘Just Like You’
‘For the Glory’
Worst Tracks:
‘Crowning of the Poor’
‘In the Year 2525’
‘Vanity Kills’
‘Own Brain’
Mr. Brown needs to look at his production as these lyrics really do deserve
better platforms. The stuff that works is, however, his most mature and
musically superior work. 5/10 CM
Verdict
Mika - ‘The Boy Who Knew Too Much’
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Everyone’s favourite adopted Lebanese Brit pop icon comes back with that tricky second
record.
Mika shot to pop stardom on the back of his debut, ‘Life in Cartoon Motion’ by fusing gender-bending vocals with happy pop hooks. The album spawned many
hits and did very well on its own, so what’s next for round 2?
The question is to stick or twist and Mika has unsurprisingly picked the safer
option as flamboyant opener and heavily Annie Lennox-influenced (‘Walking on Broken Glass’), ‘We Are Golden’ proves. This is even more in-your-face than usual and is poptastic or popbomb,
however you take it, I for one, pick the latter.
‘Blame it on the Girls’ is more like it and focuses on the catchy than the suffocating. It’s got an addictive hook, it’s likely autobiographical, but much more, it just sounds natural. ‘Rain’, the second single, is also particularly radio-friendly but plays to Mika’s strength, bringing in that falsetto from his arsenal and fusing it with a
bubbly
electro beat to create pop genius.
One thing that is a welcome addition is Mika’s use of close-to-the-bone lyrics and he, of course, writes his own music, which
certainly sets it apart from some generic popstars I’d care not to mention. ‘I See You’ is heart-on-your-sleeve stuff and is masterfully laced together with a telling
string arrangement. Funnily enough ‘By the Time’ is another unlikely Mika song in terms of its structure, yet it seems he has a
real talent for these slower numbers, creating something quite beautiful.
For anyone that appreciated ‘Big Girls’, you’ll love, ‘Good Gone Girl’. It’s pretty much the same and a bit lazy by Mika if I’m honest, apart from the use of the colloquialism, “munter”. ‘Dr. John’ is worth a mention in this irritating vein for just being that really. And
anyone who still wonders as to his ambiguous sexuality need wonder no more
after hearing the amusing tale in ‘Touches You’ – a nice touch.
‘One Foot Boy’ features a catchy old-school rhythm, almost retro, before exploding into an
up-tempo pop assault. However it fails in the application and also its
similarity to ‘We Are Golden’, without the frills, which is not the sort of effort you want to be
replicating.
There is somewhat of a modern charm surrounding final track ‘Pick Up off the Floor’, a third-person account of a girl’s anxieties about relationships, with Mika acting as the voice of reason. It’s a nice end to the album and further proof that the man’s charm is not all cheeky-charged electro pop. ‘Toy Boy’s storybook style is probably intended to be that ironic way, but all the same
it’s not one for the iPod.
Key Tracks:
‘Blame It on the Girls’
‘Rain’
‘I See You’
‘Blue Eyes’
‘Good Gone Girl’
‘By the Time’
Worst Tracks:
‘We Are Golden’
‘Dr John’
‘Toy Boy’
‘One Foot Boy’
Verdict
I think the record answers a lot of questions about Mika without venturing too
far from his comfort zone. It’s the full-blown OTT extravaganzas which bite more dust than the personal
monologues, which work wonderfully on the whole. Still I just see a great chunk
of potential and missed opportunities in what could have been a classic. 7/10 CM
(c) ChrisOnline.biz 2009
