Making Mirrors
Encyclopedia
Making Mirrors is the third studio album by the Belgian-born Australia
n musician Gotye
. The album was released on August 19, 2011.
Hottest 100
of 2010
. Eyes Wide Open saw Gotye explore new musical territory, with the main bass line from the song recorded on a fence; "I was out there with my old band called The Basics - and Winton is home to this phenomenal thing called the Winton Musical Fence, which is a large fence made out of metal stings stretched between posts and you can pluck it and play it with all sorts of different materials - it makes these amazing bass sounds so I sampled some bits there in 08 and they made it into the first single I put out off the new record called Eyes Wide Open."
In late March, 2010, Gotye revealed the album's title, which was inspired by an artwork de Backer chanced upon which was edited to create the album cover art. He claimed, "The mirror reflects on artwork and it is all very related to self-reflection and introspection on the album." Gotye also revealed that the album would see a release in June or July, 2011, with a single to precede the release, along with the fact that the album would be similar to its predecessor in terms of diversity. Gotye went on to reveal that the release of the album was delayed for over five months due to the composition and recording of a single track.
On May 19, 2011, it was announced that the album would be released on August 19, 2011, with the album to be launched the following day at the Sydney Opera House
as part of the Graphic Festival, with animators and a ten-piece orchestra as part of Gotye's performance. Gotye was also to issue a follow-up single to "Eyes Wide Open" titled "Somebody That I Used to Know", on 11 July 2011.
Upon the announcement of the track listing, Gotye also revealed that there would be a DVD accompanying the record which would include film clips and documentaries.
However, controversy erupted on the 5 July 2011, when the video for the new single, "Somebody That I Used to Know", was leaked online via the Austereo Radio Network
's Take 40 website. Later that day, the song was aired for the first time on Triple J
with the official stamp of approval from Gotye. Due to this, Gotye was forced to release the single six days early, on 5 July 2011, through iTunes
for Australians, and his website for international followers.
The song has also reached #1 in the ARIA Singles Chart, and the ARIA Digital Singles Chart and #1 in the ARIA Australian Artists Chart.
As of Friday November 4, the single has received five times platinum sales and the #1 position on the Australian iTunes store, making it one of the highest-selling singles of 2011.
The album has been certified two times platinum by the ARIA Albums Chart, making it the most successful Australian album of 2011.
"I Feel Better" will be the third single.
Gotye revealed that the second single from the album, "Somebody That I Used to Know", was not lyrically the result of a single break-up. "It wasn't about one specific relationship," explained De Backer in an interview, "but it was definitely drawn from various experiences I've had in relationships breaking up, and in the parts of the more reflective parts of the song, in the after-math and the memory of those different relationships and what they were and how they broke up and what's going on in everyone's minds. Yeah, so it's an amalgam of different feelings but not completely made up as such."
Despite the album's huge success, Gotye revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone Australia
that he intially battled with indecision and depression while making the album, which in turn became the subject matter of songs like "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Save Me". He stated: "There were points that I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish a record I was really into or that I’d give up at some stage.”
), it will cement Wally de Backer as the oddball, everyman genius of Australian pop." The Herald Sun gave it four out of five stars, adding that "Bronte and Giving Me a Chance are the latest in a long line of beautiful, visual songs begging to soundtrack the pivotal scene in a movie that's yet to be made." Radar Radio also gave Making Mirrors four out of five stars and said that on the track "Eyes Wide Open", "with lyrics like "Some people offered up answers / We made out like we heard / but they were only words / They didn't add up to a change in the way we were living". Now don't get me wrong, I have never been in a situation like this yet it feels so relatable."
On 22 July 2011, the DVD contents was announced.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n musician Gotye
Gotye
Wouter "Wally" De Backer , also known professionally by his stage name Gotye , is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. He has released three studio albums independently and one remix album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums...
. The album was released on August 19, 2011.
History
In mid-October, 2010, Gotye released a single titled "Eyes Wide Open", the first track from the album. The "Eyes Wide Open" single received generally positive reviews and reached #25 in the Triple JTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll, based on the votes of national Australian radio station Triple J listeners, in order to determine their favourite song of the year. Voting is conducted by the internet and begins roughly two weeks prior to the new year for the previous year's songs...
of 2010
Triple J Hottest 100, 2010
The 2010 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced and played on Australia Day, 26 January 2011. It is the eighteenth countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J....
. Eyes Wide Open saw Gotye explore new musical territory, with the main bass line from the song recorded on a fence; "I was out there with my old band called The Basics - and Winton is home to this phenomenal thing called the Winton Musical Fence, which is a large fence made out of metal stings stretched between posts and you can pluck it and play it with all sorts of different materials - it makes these amazing bass sounds so I sampled some bits there in 08 and they made it into the first single I put out off the new record called Eyes Wide Open."
In late March, 2010, Gotye revealed the album's title, which was inspired by an artwork de Backer chanced upon which was edited to create the album cover art. He claimed, "The mirror reflects on artwork and it is all very related to self-reflection and introspection on the album." Gotye also revealed that the album would see a release in June or July, 2011, with a single to precede the release, along with the fact that the album would be similar to its predecessor in terms of diversity. Gotye went on to reveal that the release of the album was delayed for over five months due to the composition and recording of a single track.
On May 19, 2011, it was announced that the album would be released on August 19, 2011, with the album to be launched the following day at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
as part of the Graphic Festival, with animators and a ten-piece orchestra as part of Gotye's performance. Gotye was also to issue a follow-up single to "Eyes Wide Open" titled "Somebody That I Used to Know", on 11 July 2011.
Upon the announcement of the track listing, Gotye also revealed that there would be a DVD accompanying the record which would include film clips and documentaries.
However, controversy erupted on the 5 July 2011, when the video for the new single, "Somebody That I Used to Know", was leaked online via the Austereo Radio Network
Austereo Radio Network
Austereo Radio Network formerly operated commercial radio networks in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. On 6 April 2011, Southern Cross Media purchased a majority of the company and is in the process of unifying the Austereo networks with Southern Cross's regional brands...
's Take 40 website. Later that day, the song was aired for the first time on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
with the official stamp of approval from Gotye. Due to this, Gotye was forced to release the single six days early, on 5 July 2011, through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
for Australians, and his website for international followers.
The song has also reached #1 in the ARIA Singles Chart, and the ARIA Digital Singles Chart and #1 in the ARIA Australian Artists Chart.
As of Friday November 4, the single has received five times platinum sales and the #1 position on the Australian iTunes store, making it one of the highest-selling singles of 2011.
The album has been certified two times platinum by the ARIA Albums Chart, making it the most successful Australian album of 2011.
"I Feel Better" will be the third single.
Concept and themes
Shortly before its release, Gotye spoke to the ABC about the significance of the artwork, the title, and how it symbolises the creative and introspective process of recording the album; "It's more about reflection - the look at yourself that a mirror offers and also the way it gives you a different perspective on things around you. So I guess I feel a bit analogous to what these songs become to me - you know little ways for me to explore my record collection, explore the world of sound that I'm fascinated by, and also sometimes get a different perspective on memories and emotions I've been mulling over that they find voice in these songs".Gotye revealed that the second single from the album, "Somebody That I Used to Know", was not lyrically the result of a single break-up. "It wasn't about one specific relationship," explained De Backer in an interview, "but it was definitely drawn from various experiences I've had in relationships breaking up, and in the parts of the more reflective parts of the song, in the after-math and the memory of those different relationships and what they were and how they broke up and what's going on in everyone's minds. Yeah, so it's an amalgam of different feelings but not completely made up as such."
Despite the album's huge success, Gotye revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone Australia
Rolling Stone Australia
Rolling Stone Australia is an Australian-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published monthly, it is the Australian edition of the United States' Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone was initially released in Melbourne in May 1970 as a supplement in Revolution, an...
that he intially battled with indecision and depression while making the album, which in turn became the subject matter of songs like "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Save Me". He stated: "There were points that I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish a record I was really into or that I’d give up at some stage.”
Reception
The Music Network gave the album a favourable review, saying that it was "just as rich, cheeky and steeped in pop history and musicality as its predecessor and as carefully-constructed and addictive as its breakout track (Somebody That I Used to KnowSomebody That I Used to Know
"Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song by Australian-Belgian singer and songwriter Gotye from his third studio album Making Mirrors, and features New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was written by Gotye himself, lyrically about his experiences he had in broken relationships...
), it will cement Wally de Backer as the oddball, everyman genius of Australian pop." The Herald Sun gave it four out of five stars, adding that "Bronte and Giving Me a Chance are the latest in a long line of beautiful, visual songs begging to soundtrack the pivotal scene in a movie that's yet to be made." Radar Radio also gave Making Mirrors four out of five stars and said that on the track "Eyes Wide Open", "with lyrics like "Some people offered up answers / We made out like we heard / but they were only words / They didn't add up to a change in the way we were living". Now don't get me wrong, I have never been in a situation like this yet it feels so relatable."
Track listing
On June 30, 2011, the track list for Making Mirrors was announced.On 22 July 2011, the DVD contents was announced.
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
3 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Wallonia) |
39 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
5 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
8 |
External links
- Gotye - Making Mirrors on SoundCloudSoundCloudSoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings.-History:SoundCloud was originally started in Stockholm, Sweden, but was established in Berlin, Germany in August, 2007 by sound designer Alex Ljung and artist Eric Wahlforss...