Ear Candy #1

I love music. I’ve been playing the piano since my first lesson in the 7th grade. I used to play with various singing groups and bands at the various churches I’ve been a part of. I’ve played in weddings, for competition, and for my kids.

At some point in my future, I’d love to go back to playing in front of a crowd. It’s one of the most challenging things for me to do because of the level of fear and nervousness that come with it, especially when I am backing up a vocalist. But the reward is always the same: a feeling of accomplishment, a sense of purpose because I am using a gift graciously given to me by God, and the camaraderie that comes with being amongst other musicians.

I also love listening to music. While I love living in a small(er) town, there is a downside: I don’t have nearly as many opportunities to listen to the radio in the car, which used to be a consistent way for me to hear some new tunes now and then. We don’t have a stereo of any kind in the house (shocker, I know), and I avoid turning on the house computer during the day to minimize my time in front of a screen while the boys are awake. It usually becomes a huge distraction for me as well, so it benefits us both. I do have an iPod, but since I no longer have a gym membership and I haven’t quite figured out how to implement an exercise routine into my week, then I’m really only listening to it when traveling.

I’ve had $16.00 of iTunes credit for months now and I actually got an email reminder from iTunes about it – apparently they are quite distressed that I haven’t purchased any music recently!!

That’s my best explanation to how I really do love music – new music, old music, different genres of music – but that at this point in my life, I’m really not “in touch” with that love.

So what’s “Ear Candy” got to do with it all? Every now and then (thanks to a few Facebook friends), I find a few tunes or artists that I fall in love with. Thus, my “ear candy” posts will be dedicated to those moments that I am compelled to share my new discoveries.

So, for today’s Ear Candy, I’d like to introduce you to one song, sung by the original artist, as well as a cover song sung by a band. I had never heard of either of these people before hearing this song and I can’t help but sing the tune over and over again. I love the lyrics, I love the tune.

The song is called “Somebody That I Used To Know” and when I first heard it, I was watching a music video from a Facebook link. The band is called Walk Off The Earth. My first thought was “awkward” because it’s 5 people using 1 guitar. Then, at about 1:38, the song really takes off and I was hooked, mesmerized, and impressed at how “tight” the band played the song with just 1 instrument and their voices.

At some point in the last few days, I watched the video again and noticed that it was a cover song for an artist named Gotye. After listening to the original version of the song, as much as I loved the sound and uniqueness of the cover tune, I really REALLY liked the original artist’s version. The video really tells the story from the lyrics and it just made a lot more “sense” to me than the video from WOTE. Watch and listen…

I liken Gotye’s sound to Sting. It’s a rich sound, wide range and holds loads of possibilities for song choices. I did some digging around after seeing the original video and learned that Wouter “Wally” De Backer (aka Gotye) was born in Belgium but then moved with his family to Australia at the age of 2. Kimbra is a New Zealand native, which explains one reason why I had never heard of either of them before. From Wikipedia, the name "Gotye" is derived from "Gaultier" (or "Gautier" or "Gauthier"), the French translation of "Wouter". Thus, Gotye is technically the artist’s first name.

So, what is your impression of the song and/or the artist’s performances?

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