April 8 – Gotye – Mirror Mirror

A few years ago I’d never heard of Gotye. And I wasn’t one to peruse YouTube, but I came across that video, the Five Peeps on One Guitar version of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Walk Off the Earth. So that one video introduced me to a group of unusual and unusually talented musicians that started and continue on YouTube, and also to Gotye. But I only knew that one song. And it’s a really good song. I liked what I had heard him say about writing it. He wrote the song from his point of view, then had nothing left to say. So he wrote the female response, sung by Timbra. What was really cute though was when “Somebody That I Used To Know” won the Grammy for Best Song that year. Prince was the presenter and after reading the names of the nominees, he opened the envelope, looked at the name inside and before reading it out loud he said “I love this song.” Gotye and Timbra rushed up to the stage, very excited, both of them, and seemed to be more excited at having Prince be the artist presenting them with the award, than the award itself. They mentioned it on and backstage and were absolutely enthralled.

Now, I’m not a big Prince fan, I like some of his stuff, but him… eh. But I could relate if I were a musician and oh, say Bruce Springsteen or Bonnie Raitt or Melissa Etheridge or Linda Ronstadt, and let’s not forget Paul McCartney, if anyone of them or any of the artists too numerous to mention whose music I love and respect, handed me an award, AND even before announcing my name professes his or her pleasure at doing so. How cool is that?

Now that I hear Mirror Mirror I recognize “Eye’s Wide Open” as something I have heard and something that made me listen a little closer. Basically, I like this CD and Gotye’s style, which is nicely varied and at times makes me think of ’60s English Pop Beck. It made for an interesting workout.