Ever since Empire of the Sun’s debut in 2008, there has always been something distinctly weird about the duo’s image. From their colorful live performances and costumes to their surreal music videos, it’s this unusual, yet playful vibe they emit that intrigues their listeners at the outset. Every bold move made in their career is met with a lasting sense of fascination that forces their audience to pay attention and think, “Whoa, just what is going on here?”
Empire of the Sun’s third studio album, Two Vines, is consistent with this talent. The 11-track LP takes listeners on an auditory journey. Lead singer Luke Steele’s eloquent descriptions of our planet’s peaceful calls for unity and inherent beauty evoke feelings of hope throughout.
The release takes the creativity and eclectic nature of the duo’s previous releases, but amplifies it. Every track is danceable, with infectious hooks that display the band’s transition to a vintage-sounding production style as the detail-oriented album combines elements of electronica, soft rock and disco.
“Before,” a sleek, funky track opens the album on a high and demonstrates the duo striking wonder with nature. Much of the release was recorded in Hawaii and perhaps it was the breathtaking setting of the area that inspired lyrics that engage the natural world through imaginative metaphors. While the lyrics sung by Steele are sometimes nonsensical, he never sounds adrift. Instead, his words emerge as beautiful due to the vibrant melodies accompanying them.
As the album progresses, the rhythm guitars and pianos employed are played with increasing fervor. “Friends,” a lush anthem perfect for sing-a-longs, has a magnificent arrangement and even more interesting breakdown, allowing the track prove itself as the climax of the album.
This release has no shortage of ambition and the band reveals themselves as motivational through strong melody lines and inspirational themes. On “Ride,” Steele chants “together we can do it” in a robotic voice over 30 times, while on the disco savvy track, “Way To Go,” Steele displays the value of a will to discover a new direction, as he sings “Dreaming is the home of the brave/ Future is the healing of pain.”
The release is a noticeable improvement over Ice on the Dune as the duo perfects its ability to create unorthodox concept albums. Similarities to influential electronic artists like Daft Punk and Aphex Twin emerge with this release, and it becomes clear that Empire of the Sun is striving to improve their art by daring to make original artistic choices for a more impressive sound.
3/4 Shells
