Disjointed ending or not, Empire of the Sun has delivered a well-blended mix of disco, electropop and just plain fun that evokes the greats without copying them outright.
The guys in Empire of the Sun manage to not only catch the lightning again, but their skill at crafting perfect pop, the depth in their songs, and the emotion their voices transmit make this record better than one might have ever expected.
On their own, however, the songs still have the relentless hooks, the danceable rhythms, the chiseled melodies, plus the mysterious lyricism that production alone cannot create.
Empire Of The Sun’s true art lays far more in their ability to pick out a tune than tell a story.β¨β¨
The album is full of high-energy, highly-infectious dance numbers–in a way that demands frequently radio play, big-budget festival spots, distasteful Kesha collaborations, and another five year break between this and album #3.
Perhaps with a little more nuance they can exploit the potential of their partnership to be one of the most intriguing electro-pop duos around - but on Ice on the Dune that potential remains unrealised.
The songs and melodies may be brighter, but there is a nagging sense throughout that something special has been lost somewhere in the process.
Dune offers plenty of accessible, danceable fun. It’s neither better nor worse than Dream, but for all that talk of “pushing through four dimensions” (“Surround Sound”), the album remains planted in its comfort zone.
Their voice isn't strong enough, their imprint on their diaphanous grooves not unique enough, to make them stick. Their stuff floats off, and the synths carry the whiff not of a beach breeze but of a department-store escalator.
When you project a futuristic, magical and otherworldly image, you’d better have the sounds to match. And unfortunately, ‘Ice On The Dune’ is a four-to-the-floor electro-pop album that has literally nothing to do with the cheesy fable invented to go with it.
Empire of the Sun returns with their second LP, Ice On The Dune. It’s a lot more synthpop and house than their last record. Overall, it’s fine. The vocal performances aren’t nearly as great as last time around and the production grows old fairly quickly, but it holds up for a nice project. Not something I would listen to on repeat at all though.
Mediocre ass album.
Favourite Songs: DNA, Ice on the Dune.
Least Favourite Songs: Old Flavours, Surround Sound, Disarm.
1 | Lux 1:25 | 49 |
2 | DNA 3:54 | 84 |
3 | Alive 3:24 | 91 |
4 | Concert Pitch 3:40 | 81 |
5 | Ice on the Dune 3:25 | 81 |
6 | Awakening 3:45 | 75 |
7 | I'll Be Around 4:30 | 81 |
8 | Old Flavours 3:54 | 65 |
9 | Celebrate 3:19 | 69 |
10 | Surround Sound 3:17 | 59 |
11 | Disarm 3:51 | 66 |
12 | Keep a Watch 4:28 | 68 |
#24 | / | Q Magazine |
#43 | / | Gigwise |
#90 | / | Amazon |