New Music Tuesday

These three albums hit US record shops today...
Mika - Relax (Take It Easy)
Life In Cartoon MotionThe latest British pop sensation, this is flamboyantly fun pop-rock-disco music. Mika employs the same falsetto singing style that Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters does, both of them cribbing from Freddie Mercury. The Sisters are a bit of touchstone here, with the pianos and disco beats, but with a British twist. Candy pop fun.
Klaxons - Golden Skans
Myths Of The Near FutureThe supposed leaders of the "new rave" scene don't really sound anything like I would envision "new rave" sounding. What they do have is a handful of sharp and shouty rock tunes, more new wave than new rave. They also have a great drummer - some of these tunes are relentless in their rhythms.
Macy Gray - Ghetto Love
BigMacy has a new record deal and some new collaborators - Will I Am, Justin Timberlake and (gulp) Fergie. I haven't had a chance to give this more than one spin yet, so I can't really comment on it beyond saying this; the songs remain typically Macy while the sound is slicker and much more current than her other records. And yes, there is a song on it where she kills her man - every one of her records has one of these, and it is one of those little details that entertains me to no end.