The Boy Who Knew Too Much - Mika

I'm not sure what I was expecting with The Boy Who Knew Too Much, Mika's follow-up to 2007's brilliant Life In Cartoon Motion. You couldn't say it's a completely new direction for the singer, but there are some differences. Above all, the album seems more mature than his debut effort. Less exuberant, but certainly not lacking in energy.

The album contains less catchy numbers than the last, but it doesn't take long until you're caught up in Mika's sweeping legato voice as it glides up the register, usually with rich violins, or songbirds above a solemn piano.

Some top picks for me

Blame it on the Girls - A high energy [will-be]-single which would fit well on his first album.

Blue Eyes - A number from his EP in between albums which shows off strong melodic lines, neat harmonies and the voice of the artist as well as simple orchestration he does so well.

Good Girl Gone - Probably the track that best shows off his vocals. Just a man having a good time but a band to back him up.

Toy Boy - A fun and quirky approach to the subject of love and being used. Definitely a piece that doesn't take itself seriously.

Pick Up Off The Floor - Some cool blues-jazz inspired vocal lines and some poignant lyrics.

It doesn't quite have the magic of the first, but The Boy Who Knew Too Much is fun! Really fun! And with every listen I enjoy it more. If you liked the first album, grab yourself a copy of this one for sure!

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3 1/2 Stars

Fantasy Black Channel - Late of the Pier

I knew I'd hate the album as soon as I saw it. How wrong I was.

With an opening track that could be taken directly from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and a closing number that could be Duran Duran's undiscovered single, Fantasy Black Channel is all over the place. And it's great!

The styles are as wide ranging as you can possibly imagine. I've already mentioned Elton John and Duran Duran, but how at various times you feel they're channelling The Killers, The Darkness, David Bowie, The Thrills, The Beatles, Rammstein, the list goes on! Most of all though I was reminded of the Arcade Fire debut album Funeral - fresh, experimental and contagious.

The retro revolution continues and I for one am very happy to enjoy the ride. Favourite track might have to be The Enemy are the Future. Lyrically not that complex, but it's a Bowie-esquetrack which could well have been penned in the late-seventies, early eighties. Wailing guitar, a little bit of synth and a vocal line that's all attitude.

It turns out that while I have quite successfully in the past judged books by their covers, CD'sare a very different kettle of fish. I don't imagine anyone can have learned a great deal about the album from this, but I do urge you to have a listen for yourself and let me know what you think!

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3 1/2 Stars

Shaka Rock - JET

I loved JET's first album Get Born. Love it. It was everything a modern rock album should be; catchy, with great guitar riffs, harmonies and a wicked cover emulating that of the classic Beatles album Revolver.

In the 3 years since that 2003 release my enthusiasm, I regret to say, had wained. I didn't listen to Shine On - it just didn't have a single that grabbed me - and from the sales figures, it seems I wasn't alone.

A further 3 years on (that's now - 2009!!) and we find ourselves presented with Shaka Rock. What should we make of the third release from the Aussie band?

Well... it's ok. The good tracks are very good; they remind me why I liked the band's first album and how good some rock bands can be. The not so good songs are entirely forgettable.

The album kicks off well with some faux-ACDC stylings on KIA (Killed in Action) and then drops the level down a bit channeling the Clash on Beat on Repeat.

By far the best song on the album is She's A Genius. A true "turn that up" track with driving bass and guitar riffs, a singable chorus line and entirely head-bangable.

On other tracks, such as Black Hearts and Let Me Out, singer Nic Cestor loses some of the tonality and edge in his voice - not something the band can afford to do as there simply aren't enough hooks on the album to get you completely on their side.

My advice is to enjoy the highs and put up with the lows. There are definitely a few tracks on here worth listening to. Their next album will be make or break though. With 3.5m of their 4m record sales to date coming from their first effort - they need to do something to break back in before they're left out in the cold for good.

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3 Stars

The Ugly Truth

Have you ever noticed how some introductions write themselves? When thinking about what to say about The Ugly Truth a few interesting headlines sprung to mind. Luckily for me (and the film) I don't do headlines so that wasn't really something to be considered for long.

Harmless and charmless. (it may read like a headline but it's in the middle of my review so it can't be!)

The story is and was always going to be fairly predictable wasn't it? Girl and boy meet. Girl dislikes boy but fancies hunky other boy. Boy helps girl win other boy and in the process unwittingly woos girl with his roguish charm. Boy and girl end up together. Leave to cool and season to taste.

There's the harmless. Now here's the charmless:

Katherine Heigle - considered by many the most talentless actress on the planet. I personally disagree, however I won't be entering this film as Exhibit A!

Far worse than dear old Izzie is Gerard Butler. Before I watched the film, a friend helpfully pointed out to me that he has a terrible habit of talking out of one side of his mouth when he puts on an American accent. (Thank you oh so helpful friend - you know who you are!)

Unfortunately she's right and for the entire film I found myself comparing his mouth to that of Pacman, only facing towards me and with a permanent 5 o'clock shadow.

This Popeye impersonation would, possibly, have been tolerable if the accent had stuck. When the pronunciation war began to go the way of the Scottish however, all was lost.

In order to balance out my Y chromosome ("you men just don't understand") I was there with two female friends. For more charitable and willing to forgive than myself - they enjoyed the film, but also wouldn't recommend it to friends.

There were a couple of times when I thought the film might stray towards the smutty, but they managed to stay well clear so credit where credit is due.

The single saving grace of this film comes in the form (the near-perfect form) of 'hunky other boy' Eric Winter. In many places on the planet, it must surely be illegal to be so good looking. Up until this moment in time I have refused to believe that such people exist. The competition Mr Winter offers and the standards he set bode very badly for all men. Though... if that is the ugly truth referred to in the title, I for one am happy to keep looking at it!

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1 Star

Julie & Julia

So confessions first of all... I think both Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are amazing. Both have consistently turned in fine performances in the majority of their body of work and I'd watch basically anything with either of them in it. Admittedly Streep has a slightly larger body of work, but Adams has yet to disappoint (see my review of Sunshine Cleaning).

The film is essentially two stories in two different times, told simultaneously. The first is of Julia Childs, the Martha Stewart before Martha Stewart. Julia Childs is credited as the woman who brought French cuisine to the masses - simplifying it, cataloging it and selling it as a guide for "servantless American women".

A large than life Meryl Streep is in her element flamboyantly taking charge in the kitchen after learning to cook while bored in Paris and looking to occupy time and satisfy her love of food and eating. Her relationship with husband Paul (Stanley Tucci also perfect for his part) was adorable. Clearly they are perfect for one another and a couple of their tender moments certainly touch deep.

The second story is that of Julie Powell, a bored call centre operator and failed novelist. Sick of taking abuse during the day and tired of the unremarkable, Julie is challenged by her husband to start writing again and uses Julia Child's legendary cook book for the source material; she must cook all 524 recipes in a year and blog about her experiences.

Julie has some ups and downs over the course of 365 days and while the relationship with her husband Eric (Chris Messina) seems sweet, it never really has the spark and chemistry and Streep and Tucci achieve.

The film is fun with larger than life characters (a brilliant appearance from Jane Lynch is, as I believe the vernacular would have it, a hoot) and showcases some pretty scenery from Paris. It offers no surprises, but is well paced and has a lot of heart.

Unfortunately for an otherwise lovely story, Julia Childs doesn't really approve of Julie Powell's blogging efforts, a point the film tries to brush over, but fails to adequately address.

Nevertheless I smiled most of the way through and left feeling hungrier than I have in a long time! A perfectly charming watch.

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4 Stars