PurrView #39 - Gotye

(image borrowed from splendourstudio2011.boudist.com)

Hailing from Australia, with Belgian roots, 31-year-old singer-songwriter and proficient instrumentalist, Wouter De Backer, known as Gotye (pronounced "Go-tee-yay"), is surely working his way into the American music scene and the hearts of its listeners. Fans of acts like Bon Iver and Iron & Wine have taken a liking to Gotye, however, his folk-rock sound sets itself apart from other acts under the indie music umbrella today.  

Gotye takes a musical approach that is both analog and digital, with a focus that finds beauty in beats and multi-sampling. In the short documentary for the upcoming album "Making Mirrors" Gotye divulges, "I've always got an ear out for any sound that elicits an immediate reaction from me." He experiments by sampling forgotten instruments like the autoharp, xylophone, and the home organ. He samples household items like old music boxes, and admits that in making his latest album, he "couldn't resist the lure of sampling old vinyl." In addition to sampling and making beats, Gotye also has an ability to layer and warp his vocals in tasteful ways.

(From the video "Somebody That I Used to Know")

Gotye also takes as much attention to detail in visual artistry as he does in musical artistry. His visually appealing and entertaining videos incorporate performance art and animation with heart-rending melodies and sheer, relatable emotion. As you'll find by checking out Gotye's videos, they are each a conflagration of melody, powerful lyrics, life-art, and a beat that fluctuates and adjusts in ways much akin to the changing, reactive pulse of the human heart.

Who can't relate to lyrics like Gotye's?:

"...and I don't even need your love,

but you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough..."

http://youtu.be/2ZXLyeatI0s <-- "Making Mirrors - A short documentary"
http://youtu.be/le34ygtODfI <-- "Bronte" - dreamy animation
http://gotye.com/  <-- Official Gotye website

Don't cheat yourself by not checking out Gotye at the above links!

~Meow~

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