GOTYE

THE BAND: Gotye is 24-year-old Wally De Backer, out of Victoria, Australia. Much like Tom Vek, he is the everyman instrumentalist, playing drums, percussion and piano while writing, singing and producing his home-made tracks. Gotye’s sound is a melting pot of samples from far and wide, mixed with Wally’s home recorded sounds. The results are seen in his debut, Boardface - songs that incorporate styles and sounds of the past, while showcasing Wally’s unique songwriting.

THE SOUND: Gotye's use of samples and retro sounds reminds me a lot of fellow Aussie's the Avalanches and the UK group the Go! Team. Old samples, drum machines as well as live instruments mixed in, he constructs hippity-hop beats to make you dance or just bob your head. You definitely get a 70's/early 80's vibe from the guitar fuzz, record crackle in the feedback as well as the harmonizing, dated samples.
After looking around a bit, it appears Gotye's website does not offer a buying option, eBay doesn't even have any listed and the best you can do is order through amazon.co.uk and wait 4-6 weeks to get it shipped! Yowzers. So for your temporary fix of Gotye's sound, go to Gotye's website and download the tracks, "A Distinctive Sound" and "Learnalilgivinanlovin" for some FREE SAMPLES. His new LP is due out in January.