Walking on a Dream

Empire of the Sun | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 2009)
• Original Release Date: October 3, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B001GXPHX0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,350 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > Electronica
  • #7 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Electronic Pop
  • #16 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > New Wave

Editorial Reviews

Rolling Stone Hot List 2/5/09

"It's more blissed out than a koala on Xanax."

Product Description

U.S. pressing of the debut album from Empire Of The Sun, a collaboration between Luke Steele from The Sleepy Jackson and Pnau main-man Nick Littlemore. Though the occupy the same aural terrain as bands like MGMT, Empire Of The Sun stand out in the crowd, chiefly due to their exceptional melodies and the fact that they don't take themselves too seriously. The spectacular album art was created by multi-Aria award winning design studio Debaser and will look amazing in racks and store displays.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EotS stand out from their peers, April 27, 2009

By 

Matthew Ellis (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Walking on a Dream (Audio CD)

I have been constantly amazed at the depth of this album since picking it up earlier in the year. There hasn't been a band I've so strongly endorsed in years, and part of that is because I think it's accessible to so many different listeners. The production showcases the brilliants melodies perfectly. I haven't cared much for groups like MGMT that have all the feel but no depth. Those groups can certainly kick out a couple singles with catchy keyboard riffs, but they don't have the substance or lyrics to match. It's fitting that Empire of the Sun has such a strong fantasy concept and don't take themselves too seriously, yet have crafted an album that isn't mired in its own kitsch. This accomplishment is truly what sets them apart from the soundalikes that were in this sonic territory first.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like walking on a dream..., July 14, 2009

By 

Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Walking on a Dream (Audio CD)

You'd be forgiven for thinking you were back in the Eighties, what with new CDs from Depeche Mode, Pet Shop boys, as well as Eighies-aping acts like La Roux, Little Boots, MGMT and Amazing Baby, to mention a few.

Add Aussie duo Empire Of The Sun to that list. If nice chiming guitars,shimmery synths, fun lyrics and stomping beats are your thing, look no further than the duo's debut "Walking on a dream". Comprising just 10 tracks at a little over 43 minutes, it is shiny Electro Pop perfection.

Sunny, and catchy describes much of the album with a sound matching their flamboyant androgynous image, from opening "Standing on the shore", "Walking on a dream" (with an airy falsetto sung chorus), the chugging "Half mast" to the guitar-festooned sublime "We are the people" ("We are the people/that rule the world" sung in strangled vocals - my absolute favourite).

The bouncy "Delta bay" features Gremlin-sounding vocals in the verses and airy falsetto everyhwere else, while "Country" is a lovely acoustic instrumental (think French duo Air ) with electronic flourishes that makes you feel you're by the sea. "The world" is a psychedelic ambient ballad with a swirling feel, while "Swordfish hotkiss night" is heavily Electro with whispered Prince-style vocals, stabbing synths and sitar effects. "Tiger by my side" takes us back to the bouncy Pop of the earlier half of the disc, while closing is the melancholic spare sounding synth-driven ballad "Without you" (think Ultravox's "Vienna").

Listening to this album, one feels as though "Walking on a dream".

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost remined me of Bowie, September 22, 2009

By 

Jimmy V. (Los Angles, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Walking on a Dream (Audio CD)

A group that derives almost with the essence of David Bowie. Makes you feel good and happy. Very strange music, very artsy. A good album.