It's hard not to get wrapped up in the eccentric theatricals and visual spectacles Empire of the Sun conceive of in their concerts or videos. But they are, first, a musical duo, and their music can often be overpowered by the ambitious visuals consisting of pyrotechnics and grandiose costumes (just to name a couple). The group's second album, Ice on the Dune, aims to conquer mainstream airwaves with polished synth textures and dynamic electronics.
Empire of the Sun came together one fateful night in Australia when Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore first met at a local bar. Instantly the duo's creative chemistry flowed and the two began collaborating on each other's independent projects for major record label EMI. Their first album, titled Walking on a Dream, encapsulated the duo's focus on electro-pop and extravagance.
The follow up album, Ice on the Dune, starts off with the long-winded "Lux," which fails to meet any sort of purpose. The song is only over a minute long and serves primarily as an opening to the album, but it seems unnecessary since it doesn't even forecast the up-tempo dance pop to come. Only a few bars into "DNA" and it becomes evident that the duo seeks to create an energetic, electronic pulsing ambiance in this track. The lyrics reflect an intertwined romance trying to salvage memories before they are forgotten with heart wrenching descriptions like "We are...we were DNA. Don't wanna fade away. Rewind the best of yesterday."
A few months ago, the debut track "Alive" was released, showcasing the duo's ability to fuse dance floor shuffles and vibrant falsettos to construct artfully mastered electronic songs. This standout track doesn't fizzle out at any point and keeps the intensity high; however, it's worth noting that the David Guetta remix transforms the song into an immediate club banging hit. For as diverse as Empire of the Sun may come across, they do conform to generic mainstream pop most evidently on the song "Celebrate." Not only does the duo rely a little to hard on auto-tune here, but also the lyrics spit out the typical, meaningless words used on common chart toppers that sport an infectious beat. Album closer "Keep A Watch" takes a slightly surprising turn from the upbeat tracks to let fans see the duo show off their slow side with Luke Steele's vocals shining throughout the ballad.
The album's composed of unorthodox songs that may sound off putting upfront, but later find a subtle place to rest in one's heart. Even though the songs carry with them some degree of likability they are in some cases generic or quickly forgotten and this is especially evident in "Awakening." The duo's return brings several satisfying songs that do the group's original sound justice, but as a whole Ice on the Dune has faltered in delivering something completely unique to the table.
Grade: C+
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