Top Ten Albums of 2012 - #9
Gotye's Making Mirrors
Editor's Note: This is the 2nd in a quasi-weekly series of reviews marking my favorite ten albums of 2012. The 10th edition is wrapped into the larger year-end post I call "The Ho Media Awards", which will be published just after the new year. Stay tuned!
For a brief, weird moment earlier this year, I thought Sting had actually done something cool. Luckily my musical reputation was saved when I learned that this Sting sound a like was actually an Australian going by the moniker Gotye. Whew, almost lost all respect for my own musical opinion there...
MM is already his third album, but it took the often parodied single "Somebody That I Used To Know" to garner him worldwide attention. Sidebar: While Kimbra, Gotye's female foil in this tune has a very pleasant voice, her own album that came out this year is definitely not top ten material. The album is eclectic without being off putting in a way that makes it hard to make "recommended if you like" comparisons. Many songs are so layered that you'll be finding new instruments and underlying melodies after multiple listens. "Easy Way Out" is a great, though disappointingly short opener. "Smoke and Mirrors" gets my vote for best track on the album - gets stuck in my head all the time. "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You" is creepy in a way that hearkens back to Kid A b-sides. And, as father to three cats, "Bronte" is the impossible-to-listen-to closer.
The second half of the album feels like it drags a little, which is odd because I can't point to any one track in particular that ruins the mood for me (aside from the last one, regardless of how beautifully it's done). And its noted variety makes it hard to suit a particular mood from start to finish. When comparing it to his previous album, "Like Drawing Blood," it seems this one swung harder for pop territory, which makes me concerned that the next one may lose a little more magic. Keep the magic going, sir. Let's aim for higher in the top ten next time, eh?
Album highlights: Smoke and Mirrors, Somebody That I Used To Know, Save Me
For a brief, weird moment earlier this year, I thought Sting had actually done something cool. Luckily my musical reputation was saved when I learned that this Sting sound a like was actually an Australian going by the moniker Gotye. Whew, almost lost all respect for my own musical opinion there...
MM is already his third album, but it took the often parodied single "Somebody That I Used To Know" to garner him worldwide attention. Sidebar: While Kimbra, Gotye's female foil in this tune has a very pleasant voice, her own album that came out this year is definitely not top ten material. The album is eclectic without being off putting in a way that makes it hard to make "recommended if you like" comparisons. Many songs are so layered that you'll be finding new instruments and underlying melodies after multiple listens. "Easy Way Out" is a great, though disappointingly short opener. "Smoke and Mirrors" gets my vote for best track on the album - gets stuck in my head all the time. "Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You" is creepy in a way that hearkens back to Kid A b-sides. And, as father to three cats, "Bronte" is the impossible-to-listen-to closer.
The second half of the album feels like it drags a little, which is odd because I can't point to any one track in particular that ruins the mood for me (aside from the last one, regardless of how beautifully it's done). And its noted variety makes it hard to suit a particular mood from start to finish. When comparing it to his previous album, "Like Drawing Blood," it seems this one swung harder for pop territory, which makes me concerned that the next one may lose a little more magic. Keep the magic going, sir. Let's aim for higher in the top ten next time, eh?
Album highlights: Smoke and Mirrors, Somebody That I Used To Know, Save Me
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