Album Review: Walking On A Dream - Empire of the Sun

As one of last year's biggest acts that BlackPlastic never even mentioned MGMT came to represent the founders of a new sub-genre of nu-rave rock. BlackPlastic has no idea what you would call this genre, but the combination of falsetto vocals, 80s melodies and the kind of filtered disco vibes that would make Daft Punk proud that feature on Empire of the Sun's début ensure it is in this pigeon-hole they will end up.

As a bit of background Empire of the Sun is The Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele and Pnau's Nick Littlemoore and, somewhat predictably, they're Australian.

And, a bit like their contemporaries MGMT, as an album 'Walking On A Dream' is kind-of mixed. There are no bad tracks, it's just that the album feels uneven. The whole album has a appropriately dream-like feel, particularly the juxtaposition of the soaring melodies (if totally undecipherable lyrics) of Delta Bay's chorus with it's rambling verse, but just as Kids and Electric Feel towered over MGMT's debut, nothing bar the hip-hop influenced Swordfish Hotkiss Night and the 80s ballad Without You, comes close to this album's highlight. And chances are you've already heard it, because title track and first single Walking On A Dream has been all over the radio already.

Justified, without doubt, because it's totally beautifully wonderful. Taking the chord progression from Tracy Chapman's Fast Car and melding it to a ray of sunshine, Corona on the beach and ride on a golf buggy it is just a little glorious tight sexy holiday of a funk-soul record.  The rest of the album may retain this sexy and youthful manner but it simply doesn't scale the same heights.

BP x

Available at Amazon on CDand in MP3.