By Brian Brecker
Elm Staff Writer
In 2013, one of the biggest number one hit songs in recent memory scaled the Billboard charts was by experimental Australian artist Gotye. “Somebody That I Used to Know” is written in a manner to show both sides of an unhappy breakup, with Kimbra providing a response verse thoroughly dressing down the man petulantly bemoaning the death of their relationship.
In terms of melody and sampling when compared to Gotye’s other output, the song is wholly unrepresentative of his style outside of the very odd instrumental. It was a straight pop ballad from a man who tended to dabble in electronic and avant-garde instruments, and who’s slightly forgotten second single, “Eyes Wide Open,” was a song about the inevitable death of mankind and the earth due to man-made climate change. Who was Gotye? Where is he now?
Wally De Backer has released three albums under the Gotye name, which is his primary solo effort. His first release in 2003, “Boardface” is a collection of jarring low-fidelity dark tunes covering issues of loneliness, death, and depression with De Backer’s echo-laden somber vocals. The instrumentation relies on wailing strings and odd percussion. The songs on this early record have a much jazzier feel, with large amounts of time dedicated to building on the melodies that came before. More than any other Gotye album, “Boardface” uses more industrial-tinged sampling and less organic instrumentation, which is contrasted by the catchy and clean vocal delivery. The focus is much more on the overall feel and aesthetic of the album and its sound, and not so much dedicated to sharp and concisely written material.
Gotye was not his original music project however. Formed in 2002, his Australian-based band, The Basics, released their first album “Get On” that year. For as much time and energy De Backer puts into this band, I have yet to meet another person who has ever heard of The Basics, nor are they even very popular in their home country of Australia. In between his main work on this band, he would assemble his much superior work, in my opinion, under the Gotye name.
Gotye’s second album “Like Drawing Blood” saw more success. One of his singles entitled, “Heart’s a Mess,” gained traction in the indie music scene, and currently stands at over 18 million view on YouTube.
The album “Making Mirrors” is easily De Backer’s finest musical output, with catchy and meaningful songs populating its entirety. “Easy Way Out” is a one-note song about the mundane repetition of everyday life, an ear worm which will burrow itself deep inside your brain for weeks. Other fantastic cuts from the album are “State of the Art,” an experimental electronic piece where De Backer’s vocals are translated to mechanical tones through a vocoder. The entire song is a tribute to the wonders and dangers of an all-encompassing digital keyboard, and how it could make all other instruments obsolete. “I Feel Better,” is a belting song of positivity alike to The Beatles’s “Getting Better.”
“Eyes Wide Open,” which stands as a warning about the dangers of man-made climate change, is the best song in the album. String sections were taken from an experimental sound park, where large wires could be played to generate different sounds. The song drips isolation, death, decay, and regret, with a music video fitting of its dark tone featuring extraterrestrial sifting through the dust of our former civilization. Clearly, with all this sudden success, De Backer would follow it up with a new project and take on the Gotye name full-time. Instead, he went back to The Basics, to write and produce a new scathing political album against Australian conservative culture.
A controversy largely unheard of here in the states, is that of the Australian government’s refusal to allow migratory boats into the country. On an EP released by The Basics called “The Lucky Country,” De Backer rails against Australian political hypocrisy, in disregarding the needs of Syrian refugees from a state founded from invasion. Backer makes the point, relevant as well to American politics, that this land was not initially theirs and thus any claim that a group is not allowed is doubly hypocritical. All this is surmised in the song “The Lucky Country,” where Backer condemns his country as a place where “pockets are deep, but hearts are empty.” In the song, he also dresses down conservative homophobia in the lyric, “What are you so afraid of? / Our sons and daughters turning queer? … / Surpluses and equal rights?” These views were later expounded upon in their next album, “The Age of Entitlement.”
To go from a hugely successful side project back to a largely unknown band to release a scathing political album on the issue of Australian politics is a fantastic way to become a one hit wonder. It appears that De Backer didn’t care much for international fame, as he was set on doing what interested him and not continuously following the dollar. We may start to understand Gotye as a one hit wonder who voluntarily detonated his own chances at follow-up international success, to become just somebody that we used to know.