Editorial Review
`Historic', `sensational', `flamboyant' and `without-any-doubt original' are just some of the adjectives being thrown around by critics in praise of 22 year-old UK newcomer, Mika's eclectic debut album, Life In Cartoon Motion.
Fun, smart, musically adventurous and thematically provocative, the songs on Life In Cartoon Motion, all of them written and produced by Mika, combine euphoric rushes of melody with darker unexpected elements. They range from bright daytime melodramas to night-time tales of love, loss, abandonment, hope and happiness. Each is a splendid blend of fresh imagination and deft pop craftsmanship.
Album gems such as "Grace Kelly," "Lollipop," Billy Brown," and "Relax And Take It Easy," display Mika's innovative wordplay. `I've always respected people who make great records to their own vision,' writes the quixotic Mika. Mission accomplished!
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Customer Reviews
New fan! 
2008-05-03
I literally discovered Mika a week ago through a friend and instantly became a fan! My taste in music up to this point was rock from the 60's and 70's but lately I've been branching out and Mika is my new favorite.
When I first listened to Grace Kelly, my first thought was "Freddie Mercury?" but as I listened on I realized that Mika had a whole different vocal range and he delves into places that other musicians hadn't gone into before.
Hopefully Mika will come to the U.S. for his next tour!
Can't stop listening! 2008-04-25
Since we bought this C.D., my wife and I can't stop listening to it. It's fresh, it's fun and it's a great buy. His voice reminds of Freddy Mercury, but Mika has a distinct style that separates him form everything we've heard before. A true must for every music aficionado!.
Something That's Feel Good And Not Self-Indulged 2008-04-17
Most of the time when you come across music that's generally described as feel good, most of the time it's very self indulgent tripe, however, Mika has the magic touch with making you feel good with his music and you realise that he's not the typical musician that's full of his own compliments. Grace Kelly was the first time I'd ever heard anything of Mika's and to be honest without seeing the video or hearing any introduction of the song itself I actually first thought it was an old song by Freddy Mercury. Mika's vocals are very sound-a-like to Mercury, which I think is his whole appeal as some people would like to think that the sould of Freddy still lives on. Mika himself has credited Freddy as an inspiration for his music.
We have a saying in the UK that it's Marmite music, you either love it or you hate it. I've met many people who purely hate Mika and his style of music, yet I've met people who can't get enough of his music. I'm a part of the latter group as I really can't get enough of his music. Mika truly has a bright future ahead of him as he's now given us a sound that is really his own, and the minute you hear a new song of his on the radio, before you're told who it is you know it's Mika.
My Top 5 are
Relax, Take It Easy
Lollipop
Grace Kelly
Big Girls, You Are Beautiful
Happy Ending.
This is a really special album that I feel can lift anybody out of a bad mood and have them laughing and smiling again.
Brighten Your Day Everyday 2008-04-02
I heard this CD while I was hanging out with my friend. She was playing it in her car and the second I heard it I had to know who it was!! It's that kind of music that everyone can enjoy because it's upbeat, fun to sing along to, has some great messages (Big Girls You are Beauitful!), and is a great mix of genres that makes it easy for everyone to like -- from my 65 yr old mother, to my 20 yr old girl/guy friends, to my 4 yr old nephew! Basically, if you dont like it, I might have to call you crazy.
fun album 2008-03-27
i love this. it is such a feel good album. he is remarkably talented.
the woman in the background talking about her blindness due to a bomb is depressing, but it also makes you feel like you understand where he is coming from. the pain he has seen, and the joy he still finds in life and music.
Sweet And Tart 
2008-06-25
I bought this album as soon as I heard the single "Grace Kelly" - at that time Mika was a huge deal across the pond and he was slowly making his way over to our side of the world. It's no surprise that he did end up making a bit of a splash if even it was based mostly on the hit single "Grace Kelly" with its clever use of keyboards, and minimal music tones, and Mika's falsetto, it is the perfect supplement in the world of Scissor Sisters type pop.
The whole album goes on from that catchy opening single including one of my all time favorite songs ever, "Lollipop" which is so sugary and poppy it almost rots your teeth threw the stereo - I want to do music like this. With each subsequent song Mika just reels in more pseudo love problems and rambling gambling beats. Even his attempts at heart felt ballads have a sort of ironic sense to them, is he really serious? is he just having fun? it's all so fun and undaunting it's hard to turn off even after going through the entire CD.
He's a little bit Freddie Mercury, a little bit Elton John, so basically he's a little bit Scissor Sisters, but there's so much happening here it's infectious. We'll see how his journey stateside treats him, and whether he can come up with another fun little notch in his belt when he gets around to making that next album.
Very good 2008-06-25
I hope that this CD was good, but I never thought that it was enough!!
A little something for everyone. 2008-06-07
Mika's debut album, "Life in Cartoon Motion" is one of the more eclectic releases I've heard recently. Mika jumps from genre to genre on every track. From the sing-song school girl chorus of "Lollipop" to the Jason Mraz-esque "My Interpretation" you just can't help but love Mika's catchy pop sound. "Relax, Take It Easy" sounds like it belongs somewhere in "Night at the Roxbury" while "Billy Brown" sounds like it could almost fit somewhere in the Avenue Q soundtrack. "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" evokes a dance club from yesteryear, while "Over My Shoulder" sounds like music for a Cirque du Soleil act. Mika even takes on the pop music tradition of recycling the chords from Pachabel's canon in "Happy Ending" (listen close if you don't believe me). Between the powerhouse of sound from producer Greg Wells (who has worked with Jamie Cullum, Jars of Clay, the Deftones, Rufus Wainright, Lindsay Lohan and Hanson), the album's eclecticism and inventive arrangements that feature horns, beats, keyboards, guitars and others, this album is pop gold. And even with the album being so eclectic, Mika's signature energy and piercing falsetto vocals put his signet seal on each cut. The only drawback, is that because the album is so varied in genre, while almost everyone can probably find a song they enjoy, almost everyone can probably find one or more songs they could do without. Personally, I could do without "Happy Ending" and "My Interpretation," and other listeners can probably find their own songs that they could do without. In a nutshell, Mika's got a very strong debut that you really can't make the final judge on just by the single that is floating around. Give the whole album a chance, and pull down the ones that you really like and throw away the rest.
Ridiculous, campy fun! 2008-05-28
If you are in the mood for something fun, flirty and deliciously campy, make sure you pick up Mika's debut album "Life in Cartoon Motion". It is a collection of up-tempo songs and mellow ballads that will probably have you raising an eyebrow at first, and then dancing your heart out by the end.
Mika has a very strange voice - it's quite, well, manly when he sings in a normal manner, but he often ventures into the world of falsetto, and believe me, his falsetto would even make James Blunt jealous.
"Life in Cartoon Motion" opens with "Grace Kelly", one of many chart-toppers off this album. It is an incredibly fun and silly song about Mika's troubles getting signed under a label. It is a great album opener too, since it is a perfect showcase of what is in store for us. It has heart, it features well-sung vocals from Mika, and also features his trademark naughtiness ("Should I bend over, should I look older just to be put on your shelf?"). Mika, you old dog.
"Lollipop" continues in the same manner, until "My Interpretation" kicks in - it is the first ballad, with great melody and wonderful, well, interpretation.
Next come another two amazing chart toppers, "Love Today" and the unbelievably simplistic, yet effective "Relax (Take It Easy)". If you finally decide not to buy this album, make sure you at least get an mp3 version of this track - it is flawless. It is followed by another great track, "Ring Ring", which is one of my personal favorites.
"Any Another World" is probably the weakest track on the album, its undefined slow melody failing to strike a chord with the audience. Next, there is the musical theatre-like track, "Billy Brown", just as passable as the previous one. But then Mika compensates with the ridiculous "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)", a track you can't help but shake your butt to, no matter how big or small it is. The last two tracks, "Stuck In The Middle" and "Happy Ending" (reminiscent of Madonna's "Nothing Fails) gradually slow down the pace and end the album.
Although Mika's debut is by no means flawless, it is definitely an album to buy - a living proof that one doesn't have to succumb to generic pop in order to be a sensation.
This makes being Rickrolled seem like a pleasure 
2008-05-15
I walked into a restaurant today and "Love Today" off this album was auto-playing on the jukebox. Ordinarily I don't pay much attention to jukeboxes, but this song is pretty hard to ignore. Sensing a Rickroll opportunity that was also a win for the audience, I put a hard-earned 50 cents into the jukebox and fired up "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Normally the first few notes of this are all that's needed to rile up an angry mob, but in this case after having been prepped by Mika they were really into it. That pretty much sums up how bad this song is, buyer beware.
