It’s funny… I was intending on doing this as my first re-visit… You know, listening to an album and then coming back to it months or even a year later and seeing how and if it still grabs me… But somehow I missed doing this one in the first place. I know I have spoken about Gotye, so how did that happen???
I know… nice. I am so behind the times doing this record now, but it is what it is… and it is what grabbed my fancy today. You thought I was going to say bum, didn’t you. You crazy people!
So… my introduction to Gotye was through my brother and the Walk Off The Earth video. This was infectious and incredibly viral. It now has over 111 million hits… Holy s–t! He had not heard of Goy tee… that is how we were pronouncing it… and so began the journey to find the original. The live version at KCRW is my favorite, hands down… even better than the one on the album here.
Now I have heard it pronounced “Go Tee Ay” and thought that was correct, but I believe I read an interview with him where he said it was “Gore Tee Ay.” Regardless, it is a made up stage name for Wally de Backer.
AllMusic says he was “born in Belgium and raised in Melbourne, de Backer began making music in his bedroom as a teen, and for several years fronted the rock band Downstares. After the group dissolved, he gravitated toward cut-and-paste electronic music, and in 2003 issued the first Gotye album, Boardface… In 2011 Gotye released Making Mirrors, featuring a duet with vocalist Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The song became a global hit in 2012, charting in Billboard’s Hot 100 and Rock Songs charts.”
To say the least… this song is phenomenal. It sticks in your brain and does not leave for weeks… and yes, I love Kimbra… LOVE her.
Gotye – Making Mirrors
This album is way much more than one song and a great listen all the way through.
I especially love ”Eyes Wide Open” and it’s Peter Gabriel feel… and “I Feel Better”, which reminds me of some early Chicago.
AllMusic says the record “reveals a love of the ’80s pop scene, which extends far beyond the usual influences of the current nu-synth brigade. The hugely experimental follow-up to 2006′s Like Drawing Blood doesn’t discriminate against other decades, as evident on the impossibly uplifting ’60s retro soul of “I Feel Better,” the ’70s West Coast harmonies of the ethereal lullaby-like closer “Bronte,” the ’90s Beck-esque scuzzy garage rock of “Easy Way Out,” and the 2000s hushed, claustrophobic dubstep of “Don’t Worry, We’ll Be Watching You.” But seemingly unaffected by the constant comparisons with the likes of Sting and Peter Gabriel, it’s the era of early new wave, dub, and worldbeat which defines its 12 tracks. “
All eyes were on him at Coachella this year, to see if he was a one-song pony, but by all accounts and from everything I read, his sets delivered on all levels and people were blown away…
KROQ raves here… and so does the LA Times Music Blog.
So if you missed this record… or blew it off because “Somebody” was just too omnipresent… check it out now… and explore his other stuff. This is a great artist and one to watch… and listen to!!!
