•
Rating: Gotye, this strange character. Raise your hand if you didn't get to know him through his super-mega-ultra hit (which I won't even name) that was playing on every blessed audio/video music channel. If you raised your hand, kudos to you. You already know where I'm going with this. So, you find yourself hearing the aforementioned hit for the umpteenth time, but you feel there's something more, you need to dig deeper. You listen to the entire album. You realize you were right. The next step after listening to "Making Mirrors" is, paradoxically, a step back. It so happens that the guy has two albums behind his back, full of dust that needs to be blown away with a good puff. The doors of "Like Drawing Blood" open up for you.
You wouldn’t be able to categorize this album even if you tried. The term (tailor-made) "laptop music" doesn't even remotely convey the idea. It's simply about uncovering the artist's skull, taking some blood, and spreading it on a canvas (the cover is evocative in this sense). So, what is Gotye? It’s groove, it’s playfulness, it’s lightheartedness, it’s being constantly and pleasantly bewildered. It’s pure experimentation, with a warm heart beating wildly. The rhythm is the backbone of the album, drums and percussion are omnipresent. After all, we are faced with a first-rate drummer, equipped with a pad that allows him to play at will with any percussive pattern. I believe I've conveyed the idea quite well. If we add an endless collection of old vinyls seasoned with special attention to sampling and "vintage" music, the scenario is well outlined. No piece is like the other. An art gallery where there is no continuity, each room is painted differently, has a different shape, and inside there's a piece that has absolutely nothing to do with the others. Jazzy urgency ("Puzzle With a Missing Piece"), sweet ballads ("Hearts a Mess"), vocal roller coasters ("Thanks For Your Time"), "oriental" atmospheres ("The Only Way"), more standard pop/rock forms but always reworked in a very personal way ("Learnalilgivinanlovin", "The Only Thing I Know"). And you even seem to hear screams and shouts of strange animals coming from the back seats of your car ("Seven Hours With a Backseat Driver").
It’s a demanding journey. Along the way, you will find a landscape with a thousand facets, winding curves (or perhaps I should say sinuous), a lot of inspiration. Fully capturing every single aspect, every single detail will be a long, yet at the same time very sweet activity. And a single journey won't be enough. But in the end, as you drive back home ("Night Drive"), you'll realize it was beautiful, interesting, stimulating. That you saw places you'd never seen (strange but beautiful), that you had fun. Captivated by a journey where you can't get bored. Always on the move, standing still is impossible. Physically and mentally. You come home, dead tired, you lay on the bed. But you know you'll do it again. So much has stayed with you. The most noticeable thing is a mark, right there, inside your head. It’s blood, mixed blood: a little Belgian, a little Australian...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Hearts a Mess (06:06)
Pick apart,
The pieces of your heart,
And let me peer inside,
Let me in
Where only your thoughts have been
Let me occupy your mind
As you do mine
You have lost
Too much love
To fear, doubt and distrust
(It’s not enough)
You just threw away the key
To your heart
You don’t get burned
(’Cause nothing gets through)
It makes it easier
(Easier on you)
But that much more difficult for me
To make you see…
Love ain’t fair
So there you are
My love
Your heart’s a mess
You won’t admit to it
It makes no sense
But I’m desperate to connect
And you, you can’t live like this
Love ain’t safe
You won’t get hurt if you stay chaste
So you can wait
But I don’t wanna waste my love
04 Coming Back (06:53)
You've been gone much longer
Than you ever said you had the plan to
I'm just gonna wait 'till you come home
Though I count the days, they're grey without you
The weather's much better when I think about you
I'm just gonna wait till you come home
Empty glasses, burnt out matches
Curtains drawn on near-full blackness
I'm sleeping through the day
You're coming home
To reclaim this heart you owned
Lover
Leave me
Make me burn
You're coming back!
You're coming back!
I'll wait patiently
For your return
You're coming back!
You're coming back!
I'm clutching at straws
I'm climbing up the walls
But every time I fall
Back into my hole
I'm feeling like a wretch
I'm looking for a catch
But you're an itch that I can't scratch
I know you're coming back
You've been gone so long you're fading
And it takes all the time I can find just retaining
Thoughts of things we did while you were here
But I know you will return my dear
05 Thanks for Your Time (04:18)
(In complete contrast, a pop song, and a pop singer. In a different way, this has its own magic. The magic of an accompaniment, tailor-made in the fashion of today. For this occasion, this singer, and this song)
You have been placed in a queue
But your call is valuable
It's very valuable
We hope this doesn't inconvenience you
Because you're valuable
You're so very valuable!
If you wish to make a complaint
We can handle it, we're well prepared to handle it
Of course you may have to wait
But that's understandable
Isn't that understandable?
Don't ask me, I just work here man
Don't ask me, I just work here man
(It sounds to me like you need help!)
We're very good to you
I hope you know we're good to you
(Let me put you through to someone else)
They'll know just what to do!
I'm sorry, I can't help you
Don't ask me, I just work here man (x4)
(Work here man)
Don't ask me, I just work here man
Don't ask me, I just work here man
Oh don't ask me, I just work here man
(I just work here man)
Person dials 1223
Computer: Directory assistance
Person: Hi, could I please speak to Miss...
Computer: What name please?
Person: Oh, s***
Computer: I'm sorry, I didn't hear that
Person: Just put me through
Computer: I'm sorry, yes or no, did you request Melbourne Zoo?
Person: No, you b****
Computer: Please hold, and an operator will complete your request
(Music)
Person: Oh, f*** it
(Hangs Up)
Why don't you fill out a form?
We can't get back to you
Of course we can't get back to you
But rest assured, we'll take your comments on board
Your thoughts make change!
Thanks for your time (x4)
Thanks for your time
(Don't ask me, I just work here man)
Thanks for your time
(Don't ask me, I just work here man)
Thanks for your time
(Don't ask me, I just work here man)
...Let's spend some time together, we'll save you money...
(Record scratch)
06 Learnalilgivinanlovin (02:49)
If yer always tryin’ to get to the top
You don’t get to the bottom of nothin’!
Then you’re gone before you know it;
You’d better stop! (STOP!)
Learn a little givin’ and lovin’
It’s been done before
C’mon, do it again!
Coz if it’s good
Then you should share it round
What’s the use of keeping
all the good things that you’ve found to yourself?
Learn a little, learn a little
Learn a little givin’
Learn a little, learn a little
Learn a little givin’ and lovin’
You don’t gotta keep no other man down
For you to get up
There’s no need to worry
Just don’t give away your self-respect
Coz if it’s all you’ve got left
The rest don’t really matter now anyway honey!
But give away love (GIVE IT!)
And give it for free
No strings attached
Just don’t ask for it back
Learn a little, learn a little
Learn a little givin’
Learn a little, learn a little
Learn a little givin’ and stop!
Givin! Learn a little givin’
It’s been done before
C’mon do it again!
Learn a little, learn a little
Learn a little givin’ and lovin’
08 A Distinctive Sound (06:17)
This will teach them, how to groove
One, two, three, hit!
Alright, let's get acquainted
Let's get acquainted
Hello there
Let's get acquainted
Music, from the base perspective
This is a journey into sound
A journey which, along the way
Will bring to you new colour,
New dimension, new values
And... a new experience:
Stereophonic sound
And now ladies and gentlemen
Our feature act tonight:
(opera singing)
STOP!
Stop, hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it, AH!
Come on! (come on, come on)
That was the harpsichord
Nowadays most people seem to prefer
The television or radio to the harpsichord
But you still hear the piano all the time
The flute couldn't do that!
These are some of the difficulties with being
In this position and talking to you
And just wanting really deeply to relate to you
And touch you; not physically, but with vibration
Aha ha ha!
Aha ha ha!
Aha ha ha!
Aha ha ha!
Aha ha ha!
Never heard metal sound like that before...
The drummer is the heartbeat
Everything comes from him
The beat, the time
He is the heartbeat
It's just like the heart pumping blood to the rest of the body
He is the heartbeat of the whole band, of a group
He is the heartbeat
I think around the midpoint of my career
I started to experiment with sounds
Then it became very important to me to
Get a distinctive sound
Get a distinctive sound
Get a -get- get a distinctive sound
Get a distinctive sound
Maybe if I spend more time practicing
Eventually, I can get it together
Um, here's some more music
AH!
Alright, here we go!
Gonna use a little power pips like I showed you before
We're gonna chuck 'em real good
A minor to F!
Just like all the heavy metal guys use, okay?
Let's get some of that smoke, just like on MTV
Yeah, alright!
(Music)
Alright
Yeah, alright
(Would you say that again?)
Alright
Yeah! Aha ha ha!
Let's play a note
Alright
Yeah alright
Come on! (come on, come on)
Here's some more music
Alright
Yeah! Aha ha ha!
Get a distinctive sound
Get a distinctive sound
Get a - get - get a distinctive sound
Get a distinctive sound
We've covered a lot of ground, haven't we?
If there's a part of our story you don't understand
Why don't you turn this record over and start playing over again
Over again
Over again...
Loading comments slowly
