Not just smoke and mirrors

Album: Making Mirrors
Artist: Gotye
Label: Eleven
Release date: 19 August, 2011
Peak chart position/sales: (AUS) #1 (NZ) #9


RATING: 4/5 stars.

If you're not in the know, like I wasn't, an artist like Gotye is one of those whose annoyingly ambiguous name leads you to avoid gender-specific pronouns in knowledgable company as you tiptoe around the fact that you have no idea whether to say "he", "she" or "they".  Tired of being devoid of such street cred, I decided to diffuse my social minefield of woeful ignorance and discovered that Gotye is Wouter "Wally" De Backer, a Belgian-Australian musician with a bundle of instrument skills and musical talent up his sleeve. After two albums passing fairly unnoticed by the wider population, the talent has hit the mainstream for Gotye and suddenly everyone's talking about Making Mirrors. Mirrors is Gotye's third studio album and shot to number one in the ARIA charts, while simultaneously holding the top position in the singles chart for "Eyes Wide Open". Impressive.

Unwilling to buy into the hype however, I decided to press the 'play' button for myself and was met by a carefully crafted medley of airy synth lines, buzzing electronica, indie-esque atmospheres, bouncing old-school pop and De Backer's distinctly emotive vocals that by turns whisper or holler lines of curious poetry that weaves its way through this rich combination of styles and themes.

"Dreamt of a doorway that opened into everything" whispers De Backer on the title track and album opener, which, at just 1'01" long, serves as a cryptic preface to this reflective (coughpunintendedcough) album. Filled with mesmerising layers of dreamy synth pipes and an otherworldly processed vocal, this inspired snippet is frustratingly short for something so beautifully crafted.  Instead, the album dives into infectiously catchy dance-inspired tune "Easy Way Out", filled with pumping energy and fun pop influences - and it's so damn good that all is instantly forgiven. Fellow rising star Kimbra makes a cameo appearance, adding an insightful aspect to the floating acoustic accents of "Somebody That I Used To Know" that, with its homely percussion and jangling countermelodies emits the sort of indie folk organicism that would sound comfortable on an Angus & Julia Stone album. "Smoke and Mirrors", an incongruent mesh of pumping percussion, harp accents, brass blasts and the eerie hook "Mother" that echoes throughout, shows Gotye's darker side, but he is not over-indulgent in such unease, interspersing the heavier numbers with infectiously uplifting tracks "I Feel Better" and "In Your Light" and even a cheekily satirical look at technology's increasing influence on music in "State of the Art"; "Now for an arm and a leg / We get three half-dozen beats to choose from / So now we can pretend / That there's an orchestra in the lounge room".

Before I realise it, I've listened to the entire album in one sitting - Mirrors is the kind of journey that holds you from start to finish, a truly thoughtful collection of songs that work together to make a cohesive and, for all its artiness, completely accessible album.

The versatility is winning, vocals soulful and sweet and the influences cleverly combined to make an unpretentious album that puts its own stamp of originality on paths that have been trodden. Injecting a fresh, fun vibe and fusing retro inspiration with refreshingly original creativity, Making Mirrors has a by turns dance-worthy and poignant sound that will have me keeping an eye out for Gotye's next release.

Is it worth my $$$? - Yes! Not only will you be supporting an Australian artist, you will also acquire a delightfully varied collection of songs that fairly drip with creativity. Do it.


Listen to: Making Mirrors, In Your Light, Somebody That I Used To Know