In this era of a crumbling music industry, major labels have abandoned innovative acts for safe investments, radio has been homogenized by corporate playlists and global superstars are trend-hopping like their lives depended on it. Fortunately, consumers looking for something different can still rely upon hipster blogs, television music supervisors and aspiring musicians on YouTube for exciting new tunes—and every once in while, they find something so undeniable that it crosses over into the mainstream.
The latest discovery is Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know," a moody New Wave ballad that sounds like a lost track from The Police. Posted on the Australian singer-songwriter's YouTube channel last summer, the strikingly artistic music video has quietly garnered over 67 million views, and the song jumped into the iTunes top ten this past week after a performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The simple rhythm section and haunting harmonies with New Zealand songstress Kimbra are melancholy stunners—all the more so in an age dominated by hyperkinetic dance mixes and name brand producers. (Canadian indie rock outfit Walk Off the Earth's gorgeous acoustic cover, a viral hit of its own, is also not to be missed.) Sometimes, it's these sort of out-of-left-field surprises that make being a music fan such a pleasure. A
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