So I know Gotye’s album “Like Drawing Blood” isn’t exactly new (it was first released in 2006 in Australia) but seeing as it wasn’t released on iTunes US until December of last year, I figured there is a good chance I’m not the only one who has been missing out.
My first brush with Gotye (real name Wouter “Wally” De Backer of Melbourne Australia) was on Gossip Girl a couple weeks ago when his dreamy track “Hearts A Mess” was featured.
Gotye - Hearts A Mess
When thinking up ideas for New Music Monday I remembered loving a song from the show and did some investigating to find out what it was. While “Hearts A Mess” is a really fantastic slow-groovy song, it led me to the albums first single “Learnalilgivinanlovin” which blew me away.
Gotye - Learnalilgivinanlovin
“Learnalilgivinanlovin” is a funky pop tune that’s an obvious throwback to ’60s Motown which is probably why I love it so much. He’s either sampling the Ronettes with the drums at the top or channeling them (and the Phil Spector “Wall of Sound”) pretty heavily and purposefully. With a driving guitar riff, blasting horns and stacked vocals this track is huge and so much fun. Gotye’s vocals are strong and energetic as he sings:
“If you’re always trying to get to the top
You don’t get to the bottom of nothing
Then you’re gone before you know it
You’d better stop (stop)
Learn a little giving and loving”
Great sound and great lyrics. No wonder this guy won Best Male Artist at the Australian Recording Industry Music Awards (ARIA). Now I’ve gotta give the rest of the album a thorough listen – don’t worry, I’ll report back.
To hear more from Gotye visit:
Official Gotye Website
Gotye MySpace
