I recently discovered OneRepublic (MySpace), a Los Angeles based rock group (originally formed in Colorado), which performed in a recent episode of Smallville.
OneRepublic had great success on MySpace before releasing their debut album Dreaming Out Loud late last year. Lead singer Ryan Tedder has a brilliant falsetto, when he uses it.
album cover for Dreaming Out Loud
clip for 'Apologize'
clip for 'Mercy'
appearance on Smallville (snippet of 'Stop and Stare')
More from OneRepublic on YouTube including a clip of 'Apologize' featuring Timbaland
In the 1980s, Australian guitar bands (which were mainstream, but considered to be 'alternative' these days) had a particular sound which reflected where they were formed. Matt Finish (MySpace) was formed in Sydney and had that quintessential Sydney sound.
After a few years playing the pub circuit, they released their first album Short Note in 1981 which remains a classic today. The title track 'Short Note' can be heard from MySpace (link above).
clip for 'Come On Over' (1984) from album Word of Mouth
In between breaking up and reforming a number of times, lead singer Matt Moffitt released a debut solo album in 1986 called As Little As A Look and the single 'Miss This Tonight' charted reasonably well. I had the album on vinyl LP but unfortunately lost it in a move. Today, it is a rarity.
Moffitt died suddenly in 2003 at the age of 46. RIP.
The band Matt Finish was reformed in 2006 for the "Matt Moffitt Memorial Tour". It has continued with a regularly changing line up.
Short Note (1981) is still one of my favourites. If I had to describe what Sydney sounds like as music, Short Note would still be it.
There are a lot of great Australian musicians and a few rare geniuses. One of these rare geniuses is Wally De Backer. As Gotye (a moniker based on his real first name of Wouter, Flemish version of the French Gaultier - and pronounced gore-ti-yeah), he released two albums independently, Boardface (2004) and Like Drawing Blood (2006).
Boardface CD cover
Like Drawing Blood CD cover
Both albums are brilliant. From the independent label, Creative Vibes which distributes for Gotye
Gotye is Wally De Backer. He plays drums, percussion and piano, and he writes, sings and produces tracks at his home, in Mentone, Victoria, Australia. Gotye’s sound is a melting pot of samples from sources far and wide, mixed with Wally’s home recorded sounds to form original songs that are as much influenced by the ’80’s British electro of Depeche Mode and mock-lounge pop of Roxy Music, as the scratchy sounds of old noir soundtracks and majestic orchestras of John Barry and Henry Mancini.
The cut’n'paste approach of hip-hop djs also figures prominently in the arrangements, inspired especially by the musicality of San Francisco’s finest sample- composers, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. The results are songs that both reference and incorporate styles and sounds of the past, while showcasing Wally’s unique songwriting in a broad web of sonic environments. Wally songs display the diversity of his listening interests, incorporating sounds from a wide spectrum of sources. They encompass a variety of styles, tempos and textures in their mix of organic and electronic sources, experimenting with form and tone while nevertheless clearly exhibiting Wally’s love of pop music (in any of its manifestations and mutations over the last half a century).
Oh yeah!
One of Wally's worst nightmares is being seen in public in such lurid pyjamas.
clip for Hearts a Mess
clip for Learnalilgivinanlovin (live at 2007 ARIA awards) - Wally was also awarded best male artist for 2007
The thing about geniuses is that they are multi-talented. Wally is also one-third of Indie band, The Basics, together with Tim Heath and Kris Schroeder. They sound like they have stepped out of a time warp worm hole straight out of American Bandstand.
Stand Out / Fit In CD cover (The Basics)
clip for Just Hold On
clip for Lookin' Over My Shoulder
On the tube whilst on tour in the UK (management couldn't afford the limousine) (photo by Gaelle Beri)
