By: Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor
Empire of the Sun is known for their upbeat electronic music and their quirky style. Members Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore wear elaborate costumes and are often accompanied by dancers. The spectacle and music are entirely original.
Their latest album, “Two Vines”, doesn’t try to reinvent Empire of the Sun’s sound; instead, it expands their library and only adds to the sounds of their past albums. Their originality is expanded, rather than changed.
The highlight of the new album is the song “Friends”. One of the most upbeat songs that Empire of the Sun has ever produced, “Friends” blends slow poetic verses with an extremely upbeat chorus that sounds like electronic dance music. This song is made to be played loud.
“High and Low” is another fantastic fast-paced song. “High and Low” is currently the only song on the album with a music video, which features plenty of Empire of the Sun’s signature costumes and dancers.
“Two Vines” doesn’t only have fast-paced songs though. Songs like “There’s No Need” and “To Her Door” slow things down and put more focus on vocals.
The album also has some less memorable songs; “ZZZ” and “Way To Go” are both repetitive and don’t really add anything to the overall sound of the album. “ZZZ” especially is aptly named for how it makes me feel.
The deluxe edition of “Two Vines” was released at the same time as the normal version, and includes four additional songs. One of the songs included is “Walking on a Dream” from the band’s first album. It’s a little strange that they included it, but it’s a great song so I’m not complaining.
The inclusion of “Walking on a Dream” enforces the similarities between Empire of the Sun’s earlier work and “Two Vines”. Someone who’d never heard “Walking on a Dream” probably wouldn’t be able to tell that it was a song from two albums ago.
For the most part, “Two Vines” is a fantastic addition to Empire of the Sun’s library of music. It has both fast and slow songs, danceable music accompanied by meaningful lyrics and stays true to the band’s style. Although slightly brought down by some unmemorable songs, “Two Vines” takes its rightful place alongside the albums before it.
Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu
