Customer Reviews

Walking On A Dream

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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".

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.

A wonderful collaboration and a fantastic album. I was introduced to this album with "Walking on a Dream" and "Half Mast" and found the rest of the album entirely spell binding. Love it!

cool album,a new kind of modern synth pop!
great sounds and good songs. good works!

Empire of the Sun's Walking on a Dream release is just as airy, ridiculous, and imaginative as the names of said band and album. Rising to prominence from the Australian electro-pop scene and unlikely cameos on hip-hop mixtapes (see Wiz Khalifa's track titled "The Thrill"), Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore's brainchild manages to blend Klaxon-, JET-, and MGMT-esque sounds and influences into a compelling composition.
Walking on a Dream opens with "Standing on the Shore," a track that would be better off without its lyrical accompaniment. Airy guitar and keyboard riffs woven together through mixed meter set the tone for a calm, almost ambient listening experience. Yet the high-pitched, whiny vocals, reminiscent of many British pop groups, ground the song by distracting the listener from tracking the evolution of its pleasant melody. "Walking On a Dream," the album's title track, is full of (surprise!) airy keyboard riffs that wax nostalgic for the days of neon-loving `80s pop. Its falsetto vocals and strong hip-hop beats (juxtaposed to the airier synth sounds) remind the listener of MGMT's Oracular Spectacular tracks. What's more, instances of light, isolated synth and keyboard melodies continue the pseudo-ambient listening experience started in "Standing on the Shore."
Walking On a Dream's subsequent tracks ("Half Mast," "We Are the People," and "Delta Bay") constitute a fairly serious departure from that pseudo-ambient environment that the first two tracks had worked to construct. The high-pitched, whiny vocals move closer and closer to center stage, and the tracks take on more JET-esque rock influences, with louder guitars and even the introduction of tambourines (of all instruments). These tracks definitely blend Empire of the Sun's sound into a number of music scenes (pop, electro-pop, alternative rock, etc.), rather than highlight or distinguish it apart from (or as an innovator in) those music scenes.
The rest of Empire of the Sun's debut album has very little unifying material, as there is little connection between the tracks. While there's nothing wrong with branching out and experimenting within an album, it's just surprising how disconnected many of the tracks are from one another. "Country" is a beautiful, rambling acoustic ballad that reminds the listener of Coldplay's lighter tracks off Viva la Vida (like Strawberry Swing and Lovers in Japan); "The World" plays up the whiny vocals once again and would fit much better on The Klaxons' next album; "Swordfish Hotkiss Night" ventures into entirely uncharted territory (previously on the album) by demo-ing sample-heavy, electronic (arguably electronische) sounds; "Tiger By My Side" brings airy guitars back to the forefront, reminding listeners of A-Ha's "Take On Me," with possible DX7-synthesizer influences; and "Without You" closes out the album with a mellow (but still airy!) ballad that was definitely crafted to be the slow song at some `80s high school prom or another.
Empire of the Sun clearly tried very hard to make Walking on a Dream live in the 1980s and 2000s at the same time. In many respects, it succeeds, as tracks like Walking on a Dream and We Are the People have risen on charts in the US, UK, and Australia. The catchy, keyboard-heavy melodies also make for some easy listening. But the album's experimentation into so many different fields definitely leaves the listener a little puzzled. For its next album, Empire of the Sun should focus on the elements in "Walking On a Dream," "We Are the People," "Country," and "Tiger on My Side" to develop its identity and zero in on an appealing sound with unifying themes.

The best CD I ever heard! Now I can here there songs every day, in my car, at home, etc.

Its great to hear a band has a promising future. Empire is one of those rarities in this age of forgettable one hit iron ducks. For being their first album, it is a strong effort. It recalls Motown, Prince, and the wierdness of 80s New Wave (electronic) acts like Flock of Seagulls all wrapped up in a new post, "post modern" sound that offers something truely original. Great melodies, sappy, yet relevant lyrics, and wonderful guitars. If this was released in 1982, it would have been a major best seller!

Blame it on poor promotion-"who wants to buy a CD?"-I would have never heard of them had it not been for a friend with great taste. He told me to check out the internet video for the title track and "We Are The People". I was immediately hooked and wanted more. I looked in all my local chains for a copy of the album. No one heard of them, let alone carried them. I ordered a copy on Amazon and havent stopped listening to it! Its not great, but there is much promise. This is a first album. The first four tracks are all perfect. After that, it gets experimental. Thats all fine. It leaves room for growth.

For duo from Australia, they offer a world friendly set of tunes that just might set everyone dancing again. I eagerly await a second release!

I absolutely love the first four tracks of this album, they are brilliant. The rest of the album is perhaps too experimental for me, but it was worth getting, and they may grow on me in time. Empire are original, innovative and definitely out there-just my kind of band.

This is the first album by Empire of the Sun, a side project for Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. Since both bands appear to be popular in Australia and not in America, I had never heard of them.

"Walking On A Dream" is a strange mix of 80's new wave with modern funk and neo-new wave tendencies. They get compared to MGMT, but actually I think about Prince, Duran Duran, Roxy Music and Pet Shop Boys rolled into one with a dash of 1980's Genesis.

There are key tracks here like "Standing On The Shore", "Walking On A Dream", "Half Mast", "We Are The People" and "Swordfish Hotkiss Night". But there are equally dismal songs like "Delta Bay", "The World", "Tiger By My Side" and, to a lesser degree, "Without You" and the instrumental "Country".

This makes for a mixed album. Neither great nor awful, just average. Still, if the duo continue one with another album, things could get more interesting. They could refine their sound, and make things more compelling. Three and a half stars for me--just slightly above average. The other reason for my average rating is that this type of music is not new to me. I like this genre, and I've been around a long time, and there are just other artists who have mastered this type of music. These two are still feeling their way around, and while their debut is solid, it's not quite the best they can do.