We were thinking, wouldn't it be brilliant if someone did a raved up mixed of the Gotye track (you know, that one that's sold an insane amount of copies this year). Well, our prayers were answered in the form of the Bright Light Bright Light mix which totally transforms the acoustic snoozathon into a groovy early 90s themed work-out. There's touches of Madonna's sublime Bedtime Story and all those amazing K-Klass mixes to it, and quite frankly, we love it!
She's the lass off of Gotye's mega hit Somebody That I Used To Know, but for my money, Kimbra's Two Way Street is way, way better than the Gotye track. The song's one of those real surprise gems that sneaks up on you before unleashing a hook so magnificently brilliant you struggle to conceive of how you got by before it. *That* chorus, it's so uplifting, so reflectively hopeful, it's like all the rays of the spring sun kissing the very core of your essence. In short, when people talk about something being feel-good, they mean what Two Way Street sounds like. Oh, and 800,000 YouTube views can't be wrong.
The meandering piano chords, the blissed out, carefree vocal harmonies, it's the summation of contented nature. And again, *that* chorus. The Gotye track might have put her name out there, but Kimbra, as a solo star in her own right, more than proves on Two Way Street that she's got the punch to stand on her own two feet.
Every year, there’s always a smattering of tracks that seem to utterly take over the radio – both through virtue of being played a hell of a lot, and simply sounding like a ‘radio’ track; something which merges into the consciousness of the surroundings. This year, Gotye’s 8x platinum (in Australia) Somebody That I Used To Know is one of those tracks.
Now firmly nestled in the public mind, Gotye turns to the track that warmed native audiences to him as his follow-up over here. Eyes Wide Open largely marks a big departure from his mega-hit; for starters, it’s placed far more firmly within the up-beat ouvre of standard indie-pop tropes. Like a shimmery middle-ground between Snow Patrol at their more pensive and Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition, it once again nails that hazy radio-track substance, drawing it in, gorging itself on its essence. The result? A track that, while lacking the neat prettiness of Somebody That I Used To Know, shows that Gotye is more than just a one hit wonder.
It might come as a surprise to hear that one of the most touted up and comers this year has actually already released three years. Singer songwriter Gotye is something of a big deal in his native Australia - releasing his first album Boardface all the way back in 2003, his sophomore effort hit the Top 20 and went platinum.
His most recent LP - Making Mirrors - from which UK 'breaker' single Somebody That I Used To Know is released, saw him reaching his zenith, hitting No. 1 in the Aussie charts. What's even more impressive though is the fact the single has gone seven times platinum over there. Yes, that's right, seven times.
And for all the track's subtle, understated qualities, it's not hard to see why. It's got all the hallmarks of a dark-horse hit, from the quaint xylophone hits to the slowly revolving acoustic strumming. It's the kind of record that crosses all borders of genre, taste and boundary - its appeal? Universal. By the time guest vocalist Kimbra lends her delicate tones to the mix and the folksy flute melodies blur across the track, you're already under its spell.
Its charm is that it feels completely without ego, without bravado - in an era where most records pound at your senses in an effort to be heard - to be acknowledged - Somebody That I Used To Know merely presents itself, and leaves the decisions up to you. Its self-evident quality does the rest.
