As I got into writing this album up, I felt like it really should have finished a good bit higher on my list. But again, don't read too much into the order.
35. Gotye - Making Mirrors (2011)
My wife deserves the credit for introducing me to Gotye. I remember her showing me "Somebody That I Used To Know," and she even bought me this album. She gets me!
The first thing that jumped out to me about Gotye (aka Wally De Backer) was his voice, a breath of fresh air in a sea of autotuned soundalikes. He has elements of several classic pop and rock singers: Freddy Mercury, Phil Collins, Sting, George Michael, even a little Michael Jackson I think. He has a range, power, and charisma that can't be created with autotune (though there ae some fun computerized vocals on this album on one particular song as an intentional effect).
Gotye is also a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing most of the instruments himself (he's a drummer by trade, sort of like a modern day Phil Collins), in addition to employing an array of samples and electronic elements in a self-produced and self-recorded effort. As a result
Making Mirrors is a rich, varied, and sophisticated art-pop album. The combination of acoustic and electronic elements is perfectly executed, propelling each song into its own unique sonic territory. I highly recommend the "making of" documentary that you can find on YouTube.
The gentle sounds of the opening title track, more intro than song, set the mood right away as a segue to "Easy Way Out," which has kind of a later day U2 vibe. "Somebody That I Used To Know," is well known but a really memorable pop tune with it's own unique, quirky instrumentation and some really great vocal harmonies. "Eyes Wide Open" is an up-tempo but somber reflection on climate change. "I Feel Better" channels Motown, while "In Your Light" is an effervescent blend of synth pop and soul. "State of the Art" is an homage to a vintage organ called a Lowrey Cotillion. "Giving Me A Chance" has a chill, electronic vibe, that sets the stage for "Save Me," which is really probably the high point of the album for me. I love how this song was constructed both rhythmically and harmonically, and it features some really cool sampled autoharp played on a keyboard. "Bronte," an ode to the departed family dog, closes the album on a similar gentle note as the album opened on.
I had hoped Gotye would take off as a torch bearer of this sort of music in the mainstream, but it wasn't meant to be, as De Backer has since focused more on his band The Basics and a variety of other musical outlets outside of the public eye, putting Gotye on hiatus as far as I can tell. But Making Mirrors stands as a testament to his talent and creativity. He may go down as somewhat of a one-hit wonder, but that would be an inadequate description of his talent for sure.
Favorite tracks: "Save Me," "Eyes Wide Open," "Somebody That I Used To Know," "State Of The Art," "In Your Light."