Walking on a Dream by Australian electropop duo, Empire of the Sun, was one of my favourite albums of 2008.
The songs from Nick Littlemore and Luke Steels, already major figures on the Australian music scene in their own right, were possessed of the most beautiful otherworldly melodies and gorgeous harmonies, and I am sure there wasn’t a day that went by for months and months (and yes, months) when I didn’t have tracks like “Standing on the Shore” and “We Are the People” on high rotation on my iPod.
It was one of those albums that I fell instantly, madly, deeply in love with and stayed head over heels for, and it’s remains an ongoing favourite, quite a feat when you consider how much new music I listen to in a week.
(If you’re anything like me, you either love albums and quickly go weary of them, or think little of them at first but end up adoring them and never the ‘twain shall meet; in the case of Empire of the Sun, the ‘twain not only met but never really went their separate ways.)
So imagine my excitement … no seriously, imagine … I’m happy to wait … when I heard that the much-rumoured new album, Ice on the Dune was a reality and due out mid-year – you can check out the awesome trailer for the album below – and would be proceeded by the single “Alive” which drops Tuesday 16 April on iTunes.
It is supposed to possess a “dreamy, electro” sound (source: arjanwrites.tumblr.com) and sounds like both a recalling and an evolution of the sound that so defined their first groundbreaking album.
I expect to be up at dawn next Tuesday, downloading as quick as my internet connection will allow, and listening like a madman by 6 at the latest.
You have been warned.