I love music that is over the top.

Absurd, outlandish, and way, way over the top.

I have even started collecting specific examples of exemplary over-the-topishness in a playlist. You wouldn’t have expected, but I call this playlist ‘over the top’.

Right now there is one song that heads the list of ridiculousness in such a way that I don’t think fleshing out the rest of the playlist will prove overly fruitful.

Mika with Life in Cartoon Motion wins – specifically “Love Today.”

As an 80s infused pop track with vocals by Mika, with his incredibly amazing Freddie Mercury voice, it wins. It just wins.

Mika miraculously made it onto my radar some time ago. Another instance of sudden love, I cannot remember where he came from. Only that one day I knew of him and loved his music, whereas the day before I had not a clue.

I really feel most pop artists ought to take a page out of the book of Mika. I realize that his utterly fabulous voice is not a dime-a-dozen thing, and that many pop artists must rely on other devices to secure their popularity, and that fact would make Mika mimicry difficult at best. But damn, Mika just does such a good job.

For one thing, his album is diverse. From 80s flashbacks to pop ballads to campy Beatles knockoffs, the album certainly isn’t repetitive. Each song is masterfully pieced together.

The fast songs are fast, with back up vocals, clapping, and other small accessories placed exactly in the right spot. The songs drop away to showcase Mika’s amazing voice, then close back in and seem to make his voice sound that much more powerful, with a symphony of sounds pushing it forward.

The slow songs are slow, melancholy, with strings sweeping in at the right moment to infuse the song with more emotion than just the lyrics and the vocals could convey. The lyrics are simply stunning, and worthwhile even without Mika’s voice singing them.

Nothing about the album is typical, despite it holding its rightful place within the realm of pop music. Each song tries something new with the elements of your average pop song, and every permutation works most excellently.

Mika is slated to come out with a new album in but a few days. September 21^st the world will be privy to Mika’s most recent strokes of genius. I for one cannot wait for “The Boy Who Knew Too Much“.

What to take away?

Mika is re-infusing pop music with danceability (not to be confused with grindability) and sheer awesome. Amazingly enough, his brand of awesome is greatly enjoyed by the world unlinke many other awesomely unique pop musicians. Also, his voice is seriously the best voice since Freddie Mercury.

What to expect?

Pop music that sounds like the singer is actually having a good time, and he expects you to be having a good time too.

What drink to pair it with?

A dwarf. At least, that’s what my Lithuanian friends call them. It’s a shot: half Red Bull, half vodka, with a squeeze of lime. Sweet, delicious, and sure to keep you dancing for some time.

Favorite song?

There are easily three battling it out for the top position. Initially “Lollipop” won due to how ridiculous it is, but then the ballad “Any Other World” took over due to it’s deeply rooted beauty. Right now, however, “Love Today” is winning. The song spawns epic dance parties, imitation falsettos, and the urge to put on some spandex and start an 80s revolution.

Regina Spektor may be the cutest person ever.

I guess that’s not really relevant to her musical prowess, but I thought it was a fact to be touched on.

As many of you know, Regina Spektor released a new album, Far, not so long ago. I, of course, bought it. I even went crazy and bought the version with a DVD of music videos and two bonus songs.

That’s how excited I was.

I guess I should preface this with my opinion on Regina Spektor’s younger days of music makery, as everyone else feels the need to compare new Regina to old Regina.

11:11 is too crazy for me. I know, I’m a heretic. “Buildings” is pretty fabulous, but outside of that song i find the whole album to be so quirky as to almost be abrasive. It’s intrusive.

With that confession out of the way, I feel free as a bird and can forge ahead.

“Soviet Kitsch” saw, for me, a proper ratio of goofiness to amazing musical ability. “Begin to Hope” saw less goofiness, but there was just so much brilliant pop undertoneage. Once again label me a sinner and a heretic, but I think “Begin to Hope” may be the best alt-pop album. I don’t know if alt-pop exists properly, and I don’t want to google it lest it made me change my mind.

But, onto “Far”.

It’s…interesting. I feel as if both “Soviet Kitsch” and “Begin to Hope” had an overall feel to the album. Not so with “Far”. It switches around a tidge.

This album features many classical piano-heavy songs with a slow(ish) tempo. “Après Moi” comes to mind, though I feel as if that song did it way way better. For my taste, too many songs sound classically composed in some manner. They’re certainly not bad, they are perhaps just not my cup of tea. For example, I rated 7 songs from my 16 song CD as 3.5 stars. Just below something i would want to listen to often.

While an amount of the album doesn’t stand out to me personally, the songs she does do well (in my opinion) she does extremely well.

[Editor's note: None of the songs from "Far" are listed on last.fm so we have no links available for preview purposes.]

“Folding Chair” is just fantastic. When she mimics “the dolphins’ song” I giggle. It’s too lovely. I can personally attest that this song is perfect to dance to while making dinner on vacation at the beach.

“Dance Anthem of the 80’s” first struck me as a little hokey. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s cute. It’s goofy. It’s not, at all, hokey. It contains the most perfect bridge music has ever tasted, as well. As I generally think bridges detract from music and ought to just be left behind for the wolves, this is a feat. I love that bridge so much.

“The Calculation” sounds to me like it belongs on “Begin to Hope”. It’s clean, not that goofy, and super cute. It made me think this whole album would be like “Begin to Hope” part two.

There are some other keepers on the album. There are 6 other tracks on the album that i rated somewhere between a 4 star and a 5 star – the album is more than worth a peak, especially from a seasoned Regina-appreciator.

What to Expect?

Regina. She’s cute. She’s awesome. and she’s wicked talented.

What to take Away?

With this album, there’s no denying she’s good. It’s more a matter of your tastebuds how you’ll feel when the album stops spinning.

What Drink to Pair it With?

A glass of 2007 Helfrich Gewürztraminer. A lovely, spicey, vibrant red wine.

Favorite Song?

I think it comes down to “Folding Chair”. It’s just too good, though it only beats out “Dance Anthem of the 80’s” by a hair.