It’s been a fair while since I’ve written anything here, and the solid 6 months of watching stupid YouTube videos I’ve just completed will surely be represented shortly, but first here’s a bitta stuff about what else has been happening

I’m working on a new record!

No small news I guess- it’s only been, what? 3 years?

That’s a LOT of YouTube videos

Ummmm, let’s see- I’m recording vocals and various instruments in this barn south-east of Melbourne:

Oh, and I’m using these thingies- stone wool, felt-covered tube traps that my dad made. They’re great for sorting out the acoustic issues known as “barniness”

Dad’s made a few of these tube traps for other folks doing recording at home or in unusual spaces, and they seem to be working out well for everyone. If you’re interested in some, email me

The other significant news about this new record is that I’ve licensed it to Eleven for release in Australia. This is the point where various people scream “sell out!” and I either get defensive and start explaining the difficulties of releasing music on your own label through independent distributors (two of whom I’ve worked with in the last five years have ceased to be), or how Eleven is actually an independent label and how it won’t affect the music I make, OR I can simply say I’m really excited to have found a licensing deal that will allow me to spend (i) more time on the creative side of making music and (ii) the scope to realise creative ideas I have on a scale I couldn’t before.

But of course, I hope it all ends up looking something like this:

While I’m here I might as well make this the most overly long news and blog post ever, and mention a few things outside of Gotye I’ve been working on over the last year.

First up, The Basics’s new album Keep Your Friends Close.

Some folks have said it sounds a bit more like the Gotye stuff I’ve put out in the past. I’d contend that the main similarity is that it took bloody ages to come together. Otherwise, it’s unlike anything else The Basics have recorded before, variously wrapping pop rock in Ethiopian jazz sax freakouts, stadium-size aquaguitariffery or late-night dark room confessional tones. I have a few songs, co-production, vocals and various instruments on there. It’s an album I’m really proud of and you can find out more, buy the record, see naked photos and generally have a good time here, here or here

Next up is my lovely girlfriend Tash Parker’s first single I Take The Blame:

I did some production on a track, backing vocals and percussion. The other track was put together by the brilliant J. Walker of Machine Translations. Tash is working towards an album to be released sometime this year, and these two songs are a great example of the different directions she’s taking her gorgeous folk pop songs in. You can listen, buy and find out more here and here

So there you go. Back to the Lowrey Cotillion for me

100 bucks at a Salvation Army store! Thanks mum and dad ;)

Wally