GOTYE plays Kool Haus March 31. See listing. Rating: NNN
Australian pop singer Gotye (aka Wouter De Backer) would rather talk about all the strange instruments and records he samples to build his hypnotic grooves than about his influences or lyrical ideas, and that’s reflected on his third studio album, Making Mirrors. He’s got a knack for rich, inventive textures and intricate rhythms, but his songwriting is strangely conservative and, occasionally, surprisingly silly. State Of The Art, for instance, is a goofy ode to an old organ.
Even when he’s mining digital dub techno, he ends up sounding more like Peter Gabriel or Sting than Basic Channel’s experimental minimalism. It’s sometimes an awkward fit, but on many tracks it works better than you might think. Gotye’s less successful when he’s running away from his pure pop potential and trying too hard to be arty and experimental. At his best he reminds you of everything that makes Miike Snow’s self-titled debut such an addictive listen, but at his worst he comes across like an electronic music dilettante.
Top track: Eyes Wide Open
