The Pelican’s Perch

Gotye, pronounced “Gore-ti-yeah” (even though I don’t know where the R sound comes from), has been on constant rotation lately and I don’t see it coming out of the player anytime soon.  I found out about him through a few blogs, who were mentioning that his album Like Drawing Blood was being re-released this year.  It originally was released in Australia in 2006 to critical acclaim and apparantly he’s huge over there.  After multiple listens through to this stellar album, I can see why.

Comparisons to similar bands are all over the place, and the best part is how varied the comparisons are.  “The Only Way” sounds like a funkier Kenna.  “Hearts a Mess” and “Coming Back” both sound eerily like Bjork, with the first representing her slower, more dark string arrangements, and the second sounding more upbeat and glitchy like her faster songs.  “Thanks for Your Time” would fit on any of Justin Timberlake’s latest multi-platinum albums, and in this case that’s not a bad thing at all.

The main single of the album is “Learnalilgivenanlovin”, which sounds nothing like the rest of the album, but is great regardless.  It’s got that 70’s horn-filled funk vibe that I just love.  I could just list every song on the album and what they sound like, which I pretty much have done already, but I’ll just mention one more, “A Distinctive Sound”, which if you’re a fan of the Books’ cut and pasting of old archived spoken word, then you’ll love this song.  It’s basically the Books if they got a little more funky with their tunes.

I said in my half-year top 5 that it would take a pretty special album to dethrone Cloud Cult and Boris Yeltsin, but this is the kind of album that comes close to doing just that.  Not quite, but dang close.  I see no problem finding this album high in my year end top 50 list when all is said and done, and although technically it’s two years old, it being re-released this year gives me more than enough reason to spread the word again.

Gotye
Like Drawing Blood
Score: 8.713
riyl: Bjork, the Books, Justin Timberlake, Guster, Kenna

1. “Like Drawing Blood” - :21
2. “The Only Way” – 4:49
3. “Hearts A Mess” – 6:06
4. “Coming Back” – 6:53
5. “Thanks For Your Time” – 4:18
   
6. “Learnalilgivinanlovin” – 2:49
   
7. “Puzzle With A Piece Missing” – 5:40
8. “A Distinctive Sound” – 6:17
9. “Seven Hours With A Backseat Driver” – 4:44
10. “Night Drive” – 5:10
    
11. “Worn Out Blues” - :38

Official Site / Myspace
P.S.  I hear word that the re-release has a slightly different tracklist, and some parts re slightly different.  So, this rave review is based on the 2006 version, but I’m sure the new version isn’t that different.