I don’t think that Gotye gets the credit he deserves. For example, I just told three people about him and I had to identify him as “the ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ guy.” For such a talented artist, the least people could do is recognize his name. He was born Wally de Becker in Austrailia and began his music career writing songs in his bedroom as the lead singer for the band Downstares. When the band fell apart he changed his stage name to Gotye and released his first album, Boardface.
His newest album, Making Mirrors (available on iTunes for $9.99) is one of the most unique alternative albums I have heard. His voice brings back the days of Sting and Bono in his chart-topping hit “Somebody That I Used to Know.” While some artists are known for making songs that sound similar to each other, Gotye avoids that by using obscure instruments such as an iPad (yes, that’s an instrument nowadays) to make the background melodies you wouldn’t expect from your average musician. In addition, I enjoy the fact that his lyrics actually send a message, which is really rare now since almost every big artist wants to sing about sex and partying and more sex, which is annoying and played out. For example, in ‘Eyes Wide Open,’ he sings about how we have become so obsessed with consuming material things, and we ignore the truth that is right in front of our eyes: “Some people offered up answers/We made out like we heard, they were only words/They didn’t add up to a change in the way we were living/And the saddest thing is all of it could’ve been avoided.”
For everyone reading this that knows him because of “Somebody That I Used to Know,” delve a little deeper. Sure, that’s his hit song right now, but don’t forget about him once it stops playing on the radio. He has so many more that are equally as great, if not better.