New Music Monday #2 - Gotye
[Warning: this video may be slightly NSFW, as Wally is a little…ahem, naked.]
Oh, boy. Where do I begin with Gotye…
So, I admit, Gotye is not exactly new music to me. I’ve been listening—somewhat obsessively—to Gotye (real name Wouter De Backer a.k.a. Wally) since August when my friend Vrallie first introduced me to the song “Somebody That I Used To Know”. At the time, the song topped singles charts worldwide, especially in Australia where Wally currently lives and in Belgium where he was born; I was also due to visit Belgium for a two-week vacation. During my trip in Belgium at the end of August/early September, I heard the single everywhere we went. It seemed like everyone was in love with the song, and I became even more addicted. In Toronto, however, the name Gotye remained somewhat unheard of—but now I’m starting to suspect it’s because no one can actually pronounce it (try gore-ti-yeh).
Luckily for me, Gotye had just released his new album Making Mirrors in August and was to go on tour in support of his third release with Toronto as one of those dates. Shortly after I bought my tickets, his show at Wrongbar sold out. You mean there are actually 200 other people in this city who have heard of Gotye? I guess so…but, most of them are Australians. The show was an initimate experience unlike any other shows I have attended. It could be that I was leaning right up against the amp and was so close I could have hit Wally himself in the face with my DSLR…or maybe the bartender was a little generous with my rum and coke. All kidding aside, it was just pure brilliance. Check out my pictures from the show.
A really fun thing about Gotye is that he makes these fantastic film clips for his songs, film clips that he also use during his show. Film clips such as:
- “State of the Art”—this song is so quirky. It’s one of my favourites;
- “Bronte”—probably my favourite animation from the Gotye collection. This song makes me want to cry a little;
- “Eyes Wide Open”—a complex and clever stop-motion/claymation/mixed media production; and
- “Easy Way Out”—I have been wondering what the Korean words mean. Can anyone translate?
The absolute most genius thing about Gotye, though, is that he experiments with all these instruments and sounds that derive from just about anything and anywhere. He also finds samplings through old vinyl records that he dig up in shops. If you read this far, do me and yourself a favour and watch this 10-minute short doc on the making of Making Mirrors. It will blow your mind.
If this isn’t talent, I don’t know what talent is.
Gotye
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New Music Monday highlights my favourite new musical discoveries. The series will encourage me to actively seek new music and (hopefully) encourage others to open their ears to something new. Got a recommendation? Write me!
