By Karli Wallace
Staff Writer
The sun may be setting on one-hit wonder electronic duo Empire of the Sun.
The band’s newest album, “Two Vines,” fails to combine detail-oriented instrumentals, desperate vocals, and monotone lyrics to form one, mediocre electro-pop album.
“Two Vines” was first released on October 28th. It’s Empire of the Sun’s latest album since their 2013 album “Ice On The Dune”. Since their six year old single “Walking on a Dream” recently earned newfound fame, Empire of the Sun had hoped to accomplish the same level of popularity with “Two Vines” .
The Australian based electronic dance duo consists of members Nick Littlemore and Luke Steele. Littlemore, an Australian music producer and musician, has formerly worked with stars such as Elton John and Ellie Goulding. Frontman Steele is also the lead vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock band The Sleepy Jackson.
Link: Information of electro-pop duo Empire of the Sun
If Steele’s vocals were absent on the album, “Two Vines” would be a whimsical masterpiece. Instrumentals on the album bloom with dazzling beats and flowing background music. Sadly, this is ruined by Steele’s sharp vocals sound more like a desperate attempt to imitate other electro-pop groups, such as Daft Punk and MGMT in tracks such as “Way To Go” and “ZZZ”.
Aside from mundane vocals, “Two Vines” is doused with lackluster lyrics and choruses that leave listeners bored.Tracks like “Friends” and “Before” never escalate or develop, and the rare ones that do still do not have enough substance to add a new creative flair to their music. Because of this, “Vines” proves to listeners that Empire of the Sun is only capable of producing the same type of sound with every album they release.
One positive is that “Two Vines” does an excellent job at conveying various feelings through the rhythm of their songs. Songs such as “Keystone”, “First Crush” and “To Her Door” are the obvious highlights of the album, with aesthetically pleasing melodies and the way that the lyrics ignite sparks when listeners hear it.
Link: Listen to Empire of the Sun’s music on SoundCloud
“Two Vines” unsuccessfully blends overly repetitive lyrics and intricately balanced instrumentals, failing to create the ideal electro-pop album. Although the way that the Empire of the Sun created the sound of the album is meticulous and creative, the lyrics do not support the beat of the song, disappointingly dragging down the album as a whole.
“Two Vines” is available on iTunes for $12.99, Google Play for $10.49 and is available for free streaming on Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and YouTube. You can listen through Spotify below.
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