Mika - Rain

"Baby, I hate days like this"

I'm still sorta working out my thoughts on Mika's new album. I'd say a solid three quarters of it is pretty darn good (and I'm one of the We Are Golden fans), but the end gets a bit ballad-heavy and some tracks suffer from that annoying cutesy, precocious theatricality that's always been Mika's greatest flaw in my eyes. When he gets it right, though, he gets it right. Rain is one of his most stunning songs, and it would be a shame if it didn't get a single release. A throbbing, Stuart Price-produced dance track, it builds and builds until erupting with a fantastic chorus that uses Mika's falsetto to its best possible effect. It pretty much outshines everything else on the album, which at times sounds more like a collection of b-sides than a confident return. Still, I'd settle for Mika b-sides any day

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Boys Like Girls - The Shot Heard Round The World

"There's no such thing as a miracle"

For their new album, Boys Like Girls have borrowed heavily from rock bands of the 80's. Think Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. They've also upped the electronic influence, becoming a band very different than the one heard on the first album. There are still some regressions back to whiny emo-ness, as I expected there would be, but the new sound suits them very well and there are a handful of tracks that are actually pretty awesome. The Shot Heard Round The World sounds like a long lost Bon Jovi single--an adrenaline fueled shout-along with a chorus that sounds like it's produced by Mutt Lange, circa 1986. Any song that begins with heavy breathing has gotta be good. Here's hoping album number three carries this sound even further.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Muse - Undisclosed Desires

"I'll make you feel pure"

So I've had a chance to listen to the new Muse album and, like all of their albums, it's a bit of a mixed bag. I love the tracks in the vein of lead single Uprising and the Queen-like United States of Eurasia, but I'm much less impressed with their three-part symphony at the end of the album, which ends up sounding like a lot of pretentious noodling. It is, of course, still very early, so these opinions could change. Although it seems like the band repeats itself a lot melodically, I love when they explore new directions like the robot funk of Undisclosed Desires. It's a slinky, totally radio-friendly piece of pop that sounds different from anything else on the album and would be a perfect follow-up to Uprising. Love it.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)

Cinema Bizarre - I Don't Wanna Know (If U Got Laid)

"Once upon a time there was love in your eyes"

For all of the A-list releases 2009 has seen so far, there's been a certain type of album missing. I call it the underdog album, a release by a group that's been on my radar but never been a huge interest to me before. The best surprise is when one such group releases a follow-up that totally blows me away. Laakso did it a couple of years ago, as did Delays. This year it's Cinema Bizarre. The German pop/rock/glam band always seemed to have the goods, but I couldn't fully commit until now. Their new album Toyz is an absolute masterpiece and in serious contention for album of the year. They've upped the poppiness, working with RedOne for their single and adding layers of electronica and dance, and Strify's vocals are much poppier, sounding a lot like BWO throughout. In fact, the track I'm posting today could easily be mistaken for a slightly rocky BWO. The melody is pure perfection. The album's long at 18 tracks, but amazingly doesn't suffer from the lengthiness. It's remarkably consistent, and feels like a real statement of the band's new sound. In fact, it was hard to post a single track today. I would have also liked to share the beautiful Blasphemy, which certainly should be a single (and rallying cry). Go listen to this album. I couldn't recommend it more.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)