Discovery

As far as music goes, I love it all, I always find my taste varying as I discover new artists, I love rock, pop, hip hop, old and new, everything.
Empire of the Sun is something really different. I discovered them about three or four months ago when one of the songs was played on the radio and I was desperate to hear more.
I could not find out who they were and eventually the tune faded from my head, when I then stumbled across the song again I remembered as many words a possible and Googled the lyrics, found out who they were and bought their album from Amazon.

Who are they?

Empire of the Sun are an Australian duo who formed in 2007 but have only recently started coming out of the woodwork in Britain with some of their songs being played on the radio waves, and also more and more regularly their songs are being used in TV programmes for sound tracks. Now that I recognise their sound I pick them up quite frequently showing that their popularity is growing among new audiences.

The band consists of Luke and Nick who were friends before the official band formation but were musically signed individually before they became friends which is how they met and connected with each other through their similar sounds.

The pair came up with and produced their album ‘Walking on a dream’ in October of 2008 and their initial success was popularised by fans downloading some off their tracks on MySpace.

Music Style

The best way to describe Empire of the Sun’s music is Fantasy electro pop, it is not everyone’s taste but if you are a fan of bands like MGMT then you will have no problem appreciating the kooky sounds that this duo produce.

They have been compared to kings like David Bowie and Prince, and their music really does carry the essence of slight 80’s rock, however their songs are extremely visual and to many listeners they are a step too far over the wierdness line.

Reception

Empire of the Sun have been in the charts in Australia but have never reached the top spot of number one, they are not so successful over here either never reaching the top ten in our charts. This is mainly due to them having a really limited fan base as their music targets a small group of people who are willing to listen and actually visualise their music so that it can be appreciated. Their music isn’t easy to listen or relate to. But it is growing, and Empire of the Sun already have a string of festivals, mainly in Australia, to perform in showing that their voice is starting to be heard.

This album is not a gigantic hit but it does feature on the BBC’s list of sounds of 2009 which mainly lists the music to watch out for which I think really shows that they are affecting people in high places.

Album Videos

I think that after I saw a few of the videos for this album I now visualise them every time I hear their music, think star wars on happy pills and it will bring you close to the right image.

The duo really believe they are on a spiritual journey and they try to show this in their videos so I would recommend that you avoid them visually as it is slightly to much to handle and doesn’t ruin the music but it does come close.

The Album

The album cost me £2.60 which I suppose was so cheap because it is still a band that few people have heard of over here, so I was lucky in a way.

Track Listing

1. Standing on the shore - This is a great track to start the album with the song isn’t about love or drugs or money, Empire of the Sun mainly just sing about their minds which is different and the song has a really addictive back beat.

2. Walking on a dream - Walking on a dream is one of my favourites, it’s a really strange and trippy tune which you could raise your arms up to and just dance. When I listen to this song I feel like I am stuck in a slow motion night club and it’s a really strange feeling but it is very addictive. The song is also very sexy and I love it every time I listen to it.

3. Half Mast - This song was not originally one of my favourites, it takes a minute or two to get completely into it but the chorus is cool and again it is a really sexy and definitely needs a high volume.

4. We are the people - another brilliant song, I like this one because you can sing along to it where as the others are slightly too hard to. It is not a dance song though and is slightly down beat, I have heard it used in TV shows like Hollyoaks as a backing to a pretty depressing scene, but the chorus again is amazing.

5. Delta Bay - Delta Bay is the marking point for where the album goes down hill for me. The song sounds like white noise with a psychopath sing over it.

6. Country - This is a purely music track and is a great song to have on in the background if you are relaxing.

7. The World - This song is horrible I find it scary and pointless. This is one of the tracks on the album which I am unable to enjoy or connect with at all.

8. Swordfish HotKiss Night - This is another song which I cannot relate with as well, although it is not entirely terrible I do not listen to this song when playing the album. The tune is slightly more upbeat than the other songs on the album however and is very similar to light 80’s electro rap.

9. Tiger by my side - Another slow motion song, however this one I am unable to enjoy in the slightest. The music overpowers the words which obviously indicates it’s a sound that the band wanted to speak for itself, unfortunately it just does not speak to me.

10. Without you - Although I shouldn’t really like this song because it is over weird, I actually really do and am happy to flick through the album to it. It is a very slow electro love song and I find it a lot more gentle than the other tracks.

My Guilty Pleasure

I love this duo’s unpredictability their music seems to really represent the colours and feelings they both personally experience whilst creating music. However, this is most likely why they are not such a big hit, their music is almost like listening to a heroin addicts thought processes and sometimes the sound is slightly too deep to connect with.

I only like just over half of the album, which is a shame because I do own albums in which I genuinely love every track, but It is not unusual for bands to fill out their albums with personal projects to make the tracks up and it is quite obvious from some of the songs that this is what Empire of the Sun done to make up ten tracks in their album.

I think there is a time and a place for Empire of the Sun and sometimes I get more from their music than usual, sometimes I listen to a track too far and end up feeling like I just need to switch it off. It is strange because I think if you are in a certain mood you will be able to really listen and visualise their tracks but other moods can make you just hear drone.

I definitely recommend the album even though it is not all completely enjoyable, especially if you are a fan of bands like MGMT. Empire of the Sun have a very similar sound but do not sing about drugs and suicide like MGMT, their music is cleaner and you get a slight sense of euphoria listening to it.

If you think that it is worth a listen then please you tube one or two of their songs and let me know your opinions.

xx

Written under same at Dooyoo