I had heard about these guys a few weeks ago when their record was floating around the internet, and I never got around to checking them out.........until last night. These guys are terrific. Their debut album, Walking on a Dream, was released in their home town of Australia earlier this year and will be released in the States early 2009.

Here's some shit I mentioned in the other thread:





Here's "Walking on a Dream."



Here's "Half Mast."



As JimmyEvil stated in the other thread, the lead singer, Luke, is from the band The Sleepy Jackson. I checked out their two studio albums and they kicked ass as well. This is incredibly catchy songs and the album is a pop masterpiece. I thoroughly enjoy the instrumental "Country" that fits perfectly in the middle of the album.

Enjoy. You won't be let down.


Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream (2009)

This album rules. The first four tracks make up what is probably the strongest block of songs to come out this year.

Damn you SA, I cannot stop listening to "Walking On A Dream". Rapidly climbing my EOY singles list if it counts. "Half Mast" is pretty incredible too.
That's one testicle-withering album cover though. But it seems about right.

This shit is out of control. Although I compare it sounding a lot like MGMT, I think this album is better than MGMT's debut (Oracular Spectacular is still one of my favorite albums this year).

The thing that sucks the most about this is that I found these guys the day after The Killers album leaked, thus shifting all of my attention towards Empire of the Sun. I'm trying to give both of them equal amount of playing time (along with Jessica Lea Mayfield's album which, by the way, kicks ass) but I always find myself preferring this album.

Would this be considered for the end of the year list? Because it hasn't been released in the States? I hope not, because I don't know where I would squeeze it.

Here's "Standing on the Shore." This is an epic opener for a debut album:

Having mixed feelings here: Basically, I like this a lot so far, and thanks for the rec. Still, a lot of this is founded in the kind of Top 40 stuff I turned my back on in the '80s. There's a certain squirm factor in realizing all the music I didn't like when I was younger now informs that which I do - it's a pop analog of my reaction to The Darkness a few years ago.

"Half Mast" sounds like an unholy mating of Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby" and Cliff Richard's "It's So Funny (How We Don't Talk Anymore.)" Which would be awful, if it weren't so not-awful.

Eagerly anticipating this listen. Unfortunately, I've gotta get free of this no-download work computer first. Thanks in advance.

Hahaha! Nice wording. I really like 'Half Mast'. My favourite on the album, I think. It should be a single 'cause that chorus is catchy as hell, even if I can't understand a word he's saying. "Oh, oh, oh, honey I need you now..." Or something. The lyrics aren't in the album sleeve.

Now for Luke's oft-referenced collaboration with Daniel Johns...that Daniel seems to know nothing about.

it's a good, not great, record.

lovers remains one of the great australian debut albums of all time. that album is sensational.

Hmm. I'd disagree with you on that one. 'Good Dancers', 'This Day', 'Fill Me With Apples' and 'Miniskirt' are all from previous EPs lending a slightly cobbled together, disjointed feel. 'Don't You Know' seems like a bit of filler too.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great album! 'Come To This' and 'Old Dirt Farmer' are amazing and all the songs work individually. It's just that, like I stated in the other thread, I think 'Personality' is far superior. More cohesive, beautiful lush sounds and a bit more - wait for it - personality than 'Lovers'.
'Devil Was In My Yard' is so cool and weird and totally Sleepys.

Way too fruity so far.

And Saturdays=Youth isn't?
Agree that this isn't a great album (way top heavy), but the standout songs (title track, Half Mast) are brilliant.

don't want to marry it, but it makes for good background/homework music. plus, like my roommate told me, it sounds like mgmt.

i ain't ashamed to like this.

walking on a dream is the best pop song i've heard this year

this album reminds me much more of something like cut copy than mgmt.

I miss the Sleepy Jackson.

This gets a big fat meh from the partlycloudy camp.

It's not even close to being as fruity as this.

This is decent, at least a nice holdover until another Sleepy Jackson album.


You are listening to it before voting even starts, so it is absolutely eligible.

NO MORE BON IVERS

Did you listen to the entire thing? Or did you just listen to the two youtube songs? I only think they have two or three "fruity" songs on this record but, of course, I enjoy fruity songs.

Okay, so Nick Littlemore and Luke Steele are the two guys who created this band. Luke Steele is from The Sleep Jackson, as previously noted. Nick Littlemore, on the other hand, is from a band called Pnau, an Australian dance duo. Anybody know anything about these guys? I really like The Sleep Jackson stuff. I'll try to find some stuff from Pnau.

Found some of their stuff. Very similar to Cut Copy. Check it if you please.


Pnau - Sambanova


Pnau - Pnau

Here's "Follow Me," the first song from their debut album, "Sambanova."

Pnau can be annoying as all hell. 'Wild Strawberries' (one of their songs) makes me want to throw people out of windows.

But you know what? I saw them earlier this year at a festival and they know how to work the fuckin' crowd. Luke Steele showed up for a couple of songs that day.

Here's their S/T album from last year;

Yeah, not a big fan of their self-titled album. I really really like Sambanova though. That's some good dance music.

my question is how you think this is psychedelia?

I don't think this is psychedelia at all. I read about these guys in a Spin article and that was the title of the article. So, apparently Spin thinks this is psychedelia and I thought it was a cool title. I would consider them to be more disco/80's gay bar pop/awesomeness.

that album was so great in 2001. i swear sexual fluidity made late adolescence so much more bearable.

i mean, no homo.

The Pitchfork review was incredibly funny. The guy ate up the first half and got bored by the end. I agree with this. I think they needed to scatter those first five songs throughout the album to make it a classic (keeping "Country" in the middle, though). Good review, but I would definitely give this a higher rating.

Pretty fair review I think...I'd probably give the album a 7. They have a potential masterpiece in them in the future if they really hone in on what they do best (the first 4 tracks, mainly).
I have to thank you for introducing me to these guys SA..."Walking On A Dream" rendered all other songs completely useless for me for about 4 days. I only get like 4 or 5 of those kinds of songs each year, where it almost annoys you at a certain point to be so obsessed with a silly pop song.

I don't see why that song hasn't gone number one everywhere ever.

cut copy album way better than this one

The highs are just as high, it's just that Cut Copy doesn't fizzle out half way like this one does.

only just listened to them now, and just found out who they were today. luke steele is a genius indeed, that first youtube is a great tune. don't see myself loving this as much as i do sleepy jackson, but i'll dig it nonetheless.

neither cut/copy nor this are even remotely close to what i consider dance music. Yes, you can dance to this music but its WAY pop.
Where is the seamless mix?
Where is the sex groove sans the angsty teenage feel? (even spank rock does a better job than this)
Cut/Copy succeeds more at the club ready production but takes too many cues from english rave/synth pop vs. midwest techno/house.

Real dance music reminds us of our past, dancing all night, round a fire, intoxicated, mead, mushrooms, honoring the gods, twisting naked flesh... some say religion is a crisis cult.

This dance music is SO based in the 20th century, pop art, mass produced for mass consumption. Lyrics, melody, wants to be taken seriously, please respect me rock fans, im doing my best to conform.

Really good post. I don't think these guys are really trying to go a dance album, though. I don't really know what they're trying to do, exactly, but I think they are going in a similar direction as MGMT. Not dance music, but danceable tunes. 20th century pop art is spot on, I think. The lyrics definitely want to be taken seriously. While I love this album, it does, like Campaigner said, fizzle out, and I definitely do not take the lyrics seriously. Just a fun, silly pop album that reminds me a lot of a bunch of artists I enjoy rolled in to one. While listening to this album, "Mama's Room" by Under the Influence of Giants comes to mind instantly.

Sounds like I'd like to come to one of your parties.

Did someone specifically say that this was dance music? It's about as 'dance' as Britney's new album's 'dark'. It's never been anything but pop kitsch with cool throwback imagery and ambiguous lyrics to me. That's why I like it. And I really don't think they want to be taken seriously. They're both accomplished musicians and producers with a plethora of other projects and recognition up their sleeves (Nations By The River, Sleepy Jackson, Teenager, Pnau). What is it you feel they're trying to prove? I think they're just doing what they want to do.

And now they made BBCs Sound of 2009. Go, boys. Now all you need is someone in your home country to pay attention.

Almost every song on Cut Copy's album runs into the next.. it's pretty much a seamless mix except for one track whose name escapes me. Though I'll agree it's more pop with dance leanings than dance with pop leanings.

So why am I supposed to not like "Delta Bay" and "Swordfish Hotkiss Night" again? At first they grated a bit but now they're making sense to me.

I enjoy "Delta Bay" but I can't get too excited about "Swordfish Hotkiss Night." It's fun but it's too ridiculous.

Well, I am a "Highly Suspicious" fan...

But yeah, this EOTS album is working more for me as a complete album than it did at first. It can't be dance music, because I generally don't give half a shit about dance music, so I think dancey pop is what they were aiming for here.