Gotye: Making Mirrors

    Wouter "Wally" de Backer, referred to as Gotye (Gow-tee-yay, a stylized rendition of Wouter translated to French, which is Gauthier), is the big name in Australia currently. His recent album, Making Mirrors (Aug. 2011, though not yet released in the U.S. until Jan. 31st I believe) is triple platinum, voted Triple J's (the big radio station down under) listeners best album of 2011, and won multiple ARIA awards. The day after the release in Australia, Gotye performed at the Sydney Opera House as part of a Graphics Festival, accompanied by animators and a ten man orchestra.
    Gotye was born in Belgium, lived there for only two years, was involved in a Melbourne band called Downstares, which split after high school. Left with no creative outlet, he started sampling a bunch of records a neighbor gave him, was instantly hooked and started a solo career with his first release in 2003, Boardface. His sophomore is titled Like Drawing Blood (2006), apparently name after the difficulties of moving frequently and using the resulting ever changing in home studio acoustics.
    According to Gotye, the overall album--including the cover art, an illustration edited by de Backer--: "It's more about reflection - the look at yourself that a mirror offers and also the way it gives you a different perspective on things around you. So I guess I feel a bit analogous to what these songs become to me—you know little ways for me to explore my record collection, explore the world of sound that I'm fascinated by, and also sometimes get a different perspective on memories and emotions I've been mulling over that they find voice in these songs". The hit single, "Somebody That I Used to Know", for example, is about the deep feelings that come from breaking up, not one in particular, but the expression of all such in his life. De Backer even experienced depression and thoughts of "what to do next" with an album that he was so excited about in actuality, but that translated to songs like "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Save Me" lyrically. 

    Musically, there is definitely an affinity for the 80s in Gotye's work, with earlier songs like "Somebody That I Used to Know", which features Kimbra, a female artist from New Zealand; "Eyes Wide Open", which contains samples of a metal fence with metal wires that can be plucked with different things--called the Winton Musical Fence actually; and "In Your Light" (to name a few). But, for me, someone you might recall as having a disdain for the 80s, his melodies are solid and Gotye's music takes perhaps the best from the era, leaving behind the horrible synthesized drum beats. In fact, there is a nice blend of multiple styles, somehow seamlessly incorporated into one. There is a great Downtempo vibe at times, with songs like "Giving Me a Chance" and there are brass bands implemented on other tracks like the reggae influenced "State of the Art". De Backer even pulls somewhat of a James Blake with manipulated vocals in two tracks, "State of the Art" and "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You". There are also some really fresh sounding bright and happy tracks, "Save Me" and earlier on the album "I Feel Better". In all, de Backer is someone I think utilizes sampled sounds really well, with cleanliness and ingenuity.

    You can hear the full album on MySpace here, minus tracks that you only receive if you buy from bandtag.com.au or through iTunes. Check out his website here also. Two tracks "Easy Way Out" and "State of the Art" are over on the right under 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. You'll hear two different styles but how they connect and hopefully those will give you the best idea of who Gotye is all about. Enjoy!

Bloc Party: Silent Alarm

    Some good old fashioned Alternative music for you, from the place that knows how to do it best, Britain--practically invented it with groups like The Smiths, Radiohead, and Joy Division (to name a few!). Fast-forward roughly ten years give-or-take, and you have Bloc Party, which formed in 1999. They didn't actually settle on the name until 2003, but went on to win Indie Album of the Year in 2006 with this release, Silent Alarm. Funny coincidence, I remember when the song "Banquet" was "new" and popular, and I kept hearing it on the radio, but never knew what it was called or what band played, but now six years later I have finally found that song I always have wondered about. So, that may be why I am writing this one up, even though I like the album so far what I've heard. Not my favorite, but definitely worth a listen, especially if you appreciate the Alternative and/or Post-Punk genre and are into British music. Bloc Party has put out two more albums, A Weekend in the City (2007) and Intimacy (2009). Apparently we can expect a fourth LP in 2012, date yet TBD, even after the band went on hiatus and pursued side projects after dropping Intimacy. The lead singer Kele Okereke in that time put out two albums, The Boxer (a full effort in 2010) and The Hunter (an EP in 2011). I have not listened to either of these, as Bloc Party is relatively new to me, though I may have heard their name thrown around before now. From what I've heard, it does sound like they have included more electronic influences into their more recent work, something to look out for on their upcoming, though I 've also heard rumors that they want to get back to what they used to do, more guitar driven.
    The album, Silent Alarm is very guitar driven, and beat driven, with almost a Dance, post-disco style energy. The Post-Punk definitely comes in with Kele's vocals, high in the tessitura (the comfortable range of a singer) with that typical "drawl" (mind you, not southern, just couldn't think of a better description) of sorts that you'd come to expect from a Punk group, like MXPX or something. The grunginess of the guitars and the chord progressions, which vary more than I-IV-V reek of Alternative and Post-Punk, which is a combination I particularly love; meaning, the group shows more creative composition style and variety. And the drums push the Dance feeling, upbeat and uptempo. There is great layering with the vocals and guitar being almost counter-melody, like The Strokes do so well with their fantastic hooks. I actually like the intros to most of the songs too, especially "Like Eating Glass", which kicks off the album and sets the tone well. Another great intro is "Little Thoughts", which sounds like it starts in a tunnel or lo-fi even, then just hits the guitar full blast and sounds fresh and raw and real all of the sudden.
    Well, definitely an in-your-face, unafraid sound, Bloc Party; check out their song "Banquet" under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Also, listen to more on their MySpace here (Silent Alarm is almost full stream, some songs are only 30 second clips, which I hate! and there is A Weekend in the City also, sorry not Intimacy, except for a few songs on the front page--including one you may have heard around, "Ares"). A few explicit songs here and there, check lyrics if you want, but "Banquet" is clean. Cool link here too, to blocparty.net, where you can see lyrics and stuff. Enjoy this foray into the greatness that is British rock!

We Bought a Zoo (Soundtrack): Jónsi

    Admittedly I have been having trouble finding a band to start the year off with. I typically keep track of songs or groups here and there, stick them in my browser bookmarks and check them out later when it comes time to write a new post, but this time around I kept going through and deleting them after quick album previews until I was left with no options. So I decide to write up an album that was past released, and Sigur Ros came to mind, because I have not done anything on them; except they really deserve a spotlight of some sort, a 'Tribute to...' post. Anyway, I then remembered that Jónsi did the [high recommended by my friend Tim] soundtrack to this film, We Bought a Zoo, which I regrettably have not seen yet, and I knew I had found my post. Ironically, my first post last year was also a soundtrack, Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy score. Luckily I found this soundtrack in time, because as hard as it is to find legal streams of movie scores online, Rolling Stone has a free stream on their website here. The soundtrack came out December 13th of last year, the film December 23rd. So, go there, sit back, listen and enjoy as you read further. I think the album cover is clever, by the way, with the paw prints forming a tree, very ingenious.
    You may know I was an incredibly huge fan of Jónsi's debut solo LP, Go (2010), giving it my favorite album of 2010 honors, while the song "Tornado" came in the number two spot. I also am a huge fan of Sigur Rós, of which Jónsi is the front man, song writer and vocalist. Oddly enough I did not write Go up, just got lost in the mix I guess (or...I really dropped the ball there!). If you do know Jónsi's Go, then you will recognize a few songs from that album on the soundtrack, "Boy Lilikoi", "Sinking Friendships", and "Go Do". There is also a Sigur Rós track, " Hoppípolla " (which means "Jumping into Puddles" in Icelandic), one of the singles from their album Takk (2005).
    What I love about Jónsi's compositions is their brightness, their hope, their elan! OK, there are some gorgeous darker more melancholy tunes, but for this effort, they sparkle with the best of them and are just ethereally beautiful and all around pleasant to listen to. The use of a Celeste-ish type instrument and piano is really gives the music this twinkling ping, which makes it glow as if surrounded by this aura (a Celeste is a type of keyboard that strikes high pitched steel or metal plates when you press a key and are used in symphony orchestras on occasion, think Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"). The strings also help, with this watery wavy atmospheric drifting, while the vocals are multiplied over themselves to add additional chorale-esque (I think I just made up a new word!) ambiance. There is even some interesting, if not out of character, Lo-fi stuff in there, which is new from Jónsi. One downsides to this soundtrack, perhaps, is the songs are short and do not meld into each so much. Plus, there are not as many songs with actual lyrics, more of background music, so this is not the best choice for a party or something you'd sit your best friends down to listen to. It would be great homework or reading music, however, and would help create that sort of mind memory, where when you returned to that favorite book later in life you'd have memories of the music along with it (that actually happened to me especially with the Lord of the Rings [book] trilogy, with DC-Talk I think, can't remember exactly--it was probably over 10 years ago now eventually you form new associations.
    Well, hope you find the music a soothing moment among your busy life and that you go on to check out Jónsi or Sigur Rós further. If not, make sure to keep an eye out for when I do give them the credit they deserve--Jónsi may even have another LP coming out this year, I'm not yet sure of the validity of the rumors. Enjoy the final song "Gathering Stories" under 'Monthly Sample Tracks' and check out a video on YouTube here! There is also another track, "Ævin Endar" from the soundtrack on Jónsi's SoundCloud here.

Top #: Albums/Songs of 2011

    Here we go. Even with another year under my belt as music blog writer extraordinaire the experience shows itself to be of little value, because creating a top 10 albums and top 15 songs like last year is a much more daunting task for 2011. Having a full year this instead of half last is one factor, but just the wealth of great music releases this year is astounding and leaves me wondering how I will choose 1 from 2 let alone 9 from 10. Regardless, I will endeavor to do my best and you will be left with what may be accurate or just the whim of the day (I did, however, start writing this end of November, so hopefully the extended process enabled me to concrete my decisions by this new years).
    My observations about 2011 is that artists did what they wanted. They were not all on some large bandwagon of popular style, but that their music was sometimes so eclectic as to avoid genre altogether. Take Björk for example, how do you really categorize her work? Or, The King of Limbs, well that was just Radiohead and nothing else was like it. And even new bands were experimenting, such as the Young Circles with Jungle Habits, instead of following some sort of pre-generated mold. Others like this were tUnE-yArDs, Rubblebucket (who I just saw in concert at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester the 29th! great show), Conquering Animal Sound and Darwin Deez. It is good to see some experimentation, some individuality, instead of last years dream pop new wave craze while everyone else tried to sound like Vampire Weekend. I know I'm grossly overgeneralizing, but you get the point.
    The best (my favorites) of:

Top 10 Favorite Albums:

honorable mention in no particular order:

Room for a Dream EP - Kishi Bashi*

Audio, Video, Disco - Justice

100 Lovers - Devotchka

Sondre Lerche - Sondre Lerche

Omega La La - Rubblebucket

*I likely would have given this EP a top 10 spot if it had more than 4 songs, and a full LP is supposed to be released in 2012.

10 The Riptide - Beirut

9 No Color - The Dodos

8 Alesia - Housse de Racket

7 Darwin Deez - Darwin Deez

6 Biophilia -Björk

5 Solar - Rubik

4 Angles - The Strokes

3 Bon Iver - Bon Iver

2 The King of Limbs - Radiohead

and the winner goes to...

1 Odd Soul - MUTEMATH

Top 15 Favorite Songs:
honorable mention in no particular order:
"Crisisi Meeting at the Lyceum" - Rubik
"Storm in a Glass of Water" - Rubik
"World Around You" - Rubik
"Solar Death March in Octaves" - Rubik
"100 Other Lovers" - Devotchka
"Contrabanda" - Devotchka
"Chorus" - Housse de Racket
"Roman" - Housse deRacket
"Port of Call" - Beirut
"Payne's Bay" - Beirut
"Santa Fe" - Beirut
"Dark Matter" - Björk
"Crystaline" - Björk
"One More" - MUTEMATH
"Equals" - MUTEMATH
"On'n'On" - Justice
"Newlands" - Justice
"Hurts Like Heaven" - Coldplay
"Down in the Yards" - Rubblebucket
"Up in the Clouds" - Darwin Deez
"The City" - Darwin Deez
"Up in the Clouds" - Darwin Deez
"Bizness" - tUnE-yArDs
"Riotriot" - tUnE-yArDs
"Asthmatic" - Young Circles
"Domino" - Sondre Lerche
"Attic" - Harrys Gym
"Holocene" - Bon Iver
"Michicant" - Bon Iver
"Lullaby" - Bend Sinister
"Fracture" - Bombay Bicycle Club
"Machu Pichu" - The Strokes
"Good" - The Dodos
"Little by Little" - Radiohead
"Separator" - Radiohead
"Lotus Flower" - Radiohead
"Conversations at the End of the World" - Kishi Bashi
"Bright Whites" - Kishi Bashi

15 "Don't Stop" - The Dodos
14 "Feral" - Radiohead
13 "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" - Coldplay
12 "Aquarium" - Housse de Racket
11 "Metabolism" - The Strokes
10 "Blood Pressure" - MUTEMATH
9 "Towers" - Bon Iver"
8 "Under Cover of Darkness" - The Strokes
7 Manchester" - Kishi Bashi
6 "Cavalries" - MUTEMATH
5 "Full Metal Whacket" - Young Buffalo
4 "Mutual Core" - Björk
3 "Radar Detector" - Darwin Deez
2 "Allies" - MUTEMATH

and taking the top honor, drum roll please...
1 "Morning Mr. Magpie" - Radiohead

    In closing, I wish you a Happy New Year, 2012, and hope that you continue to find both/either pleasure in reading my blog and/or finding quality music on your own. I do appreciate your support, your readership, and that you might take time to comment on a post or two in the coming year. Self-less self-promotion, I know. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the list!