Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream

Empire Of The Sun

Walking On A Dream

2008

Let me start off by saying that there are some beautiful sounds stretched across this CD. The beats start off very simple but they branch out when it works. The catchy songs have a simple beat, the cognitive songs have a slightly more complex beat.

The first thing I noticed about this album was the art, which is a really awesome blend of realism and fantasy. It really tells you everything about what you're about to hear yet you're still like WTF is even going on here?

You'll want to sing along but oddly enough, only for the high octave parts, which are ironically the hardest words to understand in any given song. After the sing-alongs pass, the song subliminally crosses over to a mesmerizing spectrum. Country is the best instrumental song I've heard in a while, and I listen to a lot of electronic music. I tend to listen to this song a couple times before moving to the next because it just gives me goosebumps. Swordfish Hotkiss Night is also a repeat worthy track. It's just so weird. Low grunts, high whispers, kinda has a Michael Jackson vibe.

The album ends with a metal-ballad like song that really sounds like an ending. It's the slowest and least complicated sounding song on the album which is exactly what the end should sound like. I had to skip a majority of the songs upon first listen. I would give it a day then try again and I would end up liking those skipped songs a little bit. I would get 30 seconds in this time before skipping. After a couple weeks I would play through the entire song.

The only thing about Walking on a Dream that makes me cringe is the mastering. Mainly the vocals but really the whole sound has been too compressed. It sounds as blown out as a Skrillex song. Don't get me wrong, I like Skrillex but the genre of music he produces is supposed to scare the listener. This album here is supposed to convey a dream-like world that can be absorbed quick because they use dance beats. I end up with a headache if I turn up the volume past a certain point. I hope this isn't an issue with the vinyl version.

I recommend listening to this one while it is either raining, or night; or both. During the day, there is too much to focus on. At night, contrast starts to fade, shapes blur, imagination has room to grow. Rain tends to make me zone out. Again, a great mental gap to prepare yourself for this journey.

I feel like an Empire of the Sun show would be epic. I mean even the band members are colorful. I can't say I know many Australian bands, but if this is what music is like down under, I know where I'm planning my next vacation ;)

Empire of the Sun on Wikipedia

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