Some Band That I Used to Know

“Somebody That I Used to Know” was surprising hit when first arrived on the music scene. It was by two unknown artists, did not seem to have a lot of mass appeal, and frankly was a little strange sounding. But, as most of us are already aware, this song was hugely popular and the lead singer/composer, Gotye, gained massive success. Unfortunately, that fame only lasted until that song was on the radio. After it got replaced by the new sound, Gotye fell out of favor with the general public and was lost amongst the other names. I personally believe that this was a mistake, as Gotye has massive amounts of talent and still has great hits stored away for future releases.

A little background, Gotye was born May 21, 1980 in Belgium, though he lives and grew up in Australia. His real name, Woulter Andre De Backer served as inspiration for his pseudonym. Woulter is the Flemish form of Gauthier, which, when phonetically spelled, gives Gotye. De Backer first got his idea for his act when his neighbor gave him his collection of records after hearing his band practicing. Gotye has so far released 3 albums, but only 2 are available in the United States. His creative styling and composition is truly unique as he goes out of way to mix sounds that aren’t usually put together. He’ll do anything from vocal distortion, to individually plucking strings of a harp, to sampling older records in order to make a sound that really inspires him. To find out more, I would highly suggest watching his video, “Making Making Mirrors”.

I do not believe that Gotye gets the praise that he deserves. His art is something truly unique and it deserves praise. If “Somebody That I Used to Know” didn’t convince you of his talent, then I suggest you look up “Eyes Wide Open” or my personal favorite, “Easy Way Out”. Both songs are completely different experiences with differing sounds, meanings, and feelings to them. His songs are beautifully and carefully crafted in such a way that it is astounding.

In addition to the crafting of the songs, the creation of the album as a whole is also ordered fascinatingly well. The songs flow from one to another without any noticeable change. That is how an album should be made. The songs should change, but the sensation of the album should not. “Save Me” and “Bronte” are right next to each other on the album “Making Mirrors” and even though they are very different songs, they sound perfect in that exact order.

Perhaps, what I find to be the most interesting is that he does it mostly by himself. He has people play instruments rarely and has people look over his work, but all of his work is almost entirely self-made. He does not have a studio to make him sound perfect, nor does he have a sound technician to make sure that all of it is put in the right place. Gotye is a master of his craft and recognition must be given.