Belgian born and Austrailian raised singer Gotye (pronounced goti-ie) has begun to take over the pop charts with his new indie rock hit "Somebody I used to Know" ft Kimbra off his US debut album Making Mirrors. I was exposed to Gotye on my ride home one day while listening to the radio. As I chatted with my coworker, the song came onto the radio and my attention was immediately diverted to listening to it all the way through and finding out who the hell was singing this addictive break-up song. I'll admit that I was late in finding out about him because after searching for the song on youtube, I realized that not only was it released in 2011 but it had over 164+ million hits. Clearly I wasnt the only one who was mesmerized by the song "Somebody I used to Know" and could relate to the sad but enchanting chorus and verses. After taking the time to listen to the whole album, I realized why he already was #1 on the iTunes album chart.
Mixing together a wide arrange of music, Making Mirrors is a step away from the generic pop record of today. Instead of auto-tune and synthesizers, Gotye uses xylophones, steel drums, thumb pianos, heavy bass line, and drums. He pours his emotions and talent over a mix of garage funk similar to Black Keys on song "Easy Way Out", channels the legends of the late 80's Euro pop scene in "Eyes Wide Open", enchants and whispers to almost mesmerize the listener over a bass line heavy lead beat on "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You", and psychodelic rhythms of "Give Me Chance". Each song is something different but still has a common thread of great sound and lyrics that can make for a great, artisitic visual. It is clear the Gotye draws inspiration from legends of the past like Sting, Pete Gabriel, Beatles, and gives off a Beck appeal with less irony and satire. With his third LP Making Mirrors, Gotye brought together many genres and sounds that he found appealing and was able to mix them over a very chill and bedroom pop-friendly album. He does not give you 12 tracks that are very similar to the addictiveness of "Somebody I used to Know", but with a full listen, you can definitely hear the reflections of some of other pop sounds brought into focus for a new generation.
"Somebody I used to know"
"Bronte"
"Eyes Wide Open"
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