Empire of the Sun -Walking on a Dream

Fri 7th Nov, 2008 in Music Reviews

From the cover art alone, it is obvious what kind of album Walking on a Dream is. With artwork reminiscent of 1980’s fantasy movie posters, complete with over-the-top costumes and immaterial animals, the distinction between Empire of the Sun from all other electro/synth-pop acts is established. Throughout Dream, there’s a deliberate attempt to not just create songs in the tradition of the musical kings of yesteryear but actually emulate them. This element can be interpreted as either the greatest or the worst facet of this album.

Nick Littlemore and Luke Steele’s collaboration is more “experimental concept album” than long-lasting side-project. The variations in style, from the psychedelic The World to album closer Without You (which wouldn’t feel out of place in a Spandau Ballet greatest hits collection), are tied together loosely by pop melodies that unreservedly reflect the acts that inspired both Littlemore and Steele. That said, the record as a whole is anything but coherent; there are certainly childhood mixtapes better arranged then the ten songs in Walking on a Dream.

Musically, such variation in search of conceptual brilliance brings mixed results. Often tracks fall flat, overpowered by repetitive hooks and drum machine beats that make potentially great songs sound like PNAU-off-cuts reworked for Luke’s vocals. Others simply form a conglomerate of poor ideas; namely the Prince-inspired Swordfish Hotkiss Night, which is reminiscent of the cheesy Presets cut Yipiyo-Ay without any of the trademark humour. Incidentally, the best moments are usually the most consistent, with instrumental Country and the albums’ eponymous lead single clear standouts. Here, the music that brought both members into the spotlight is molded around the aforementioned concept, creating beautiful soundscapes suggestive of scores by Vangelis lined with Steele’s unique falsetto.

There are several reasons why people won’t embrace this record, none the least of which could be a general distaste of the 80’s revival that seems to be swamping a great deal of Australian music at the moment. As a whole, Walking on a Dream is a hit-and-miss record, however it has moments which will undoubtedly appeal to many a listener.