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!