From now until January 13, I'll be featuring my favourite tracks of 2008, some of which have already appeared in Click Hear throughout the year, some of which haven't.
Originally posted on September 26, 2008:
Australia's Luke Steele has always been an interesting fella. As the Sleepy Jackson, the eccentric songwriter has made some brilliant music, notably 2003's full-length debut, Lovers. That album, along with its follow-up, 2006's Personality - One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird, were unjustly overlooked, but something tells me Steele will get his just desserts with his new project.
Empire of the Sun is a collaboration with Nick Littlemore of Pnau, another Aussie outfit that we featured back in February. They've already got an album in the bag and their debut single, "Walking On A Dream" finds a nice middle ground between Steele's whimsical psych pop and Littlemore's banging electro house.
Taking a page out of the '80s, just like everyone else, "Walking On A Dream" is a delicious homage to new wave - from the video's Adam Ant get-ups and Duran Duran flash to the gorgeous synergy running through the simple combination of a drum machine, lush synths and unfussy guitar strums. It's the pair's mastery of one of the year's finest melodies that's most impressive, finding a hook with their chorus of "We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it/Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it" and some nicely hit falsetto.
Plus, the video was shot in Shanghai, putting to use the city's awe-inspiring retro-futuristic design.
Originally posted on September 26, 2008:
Australia's Luke Steele has always been an interesting fella. As the Sleepy Jackson, the eccentric songwriter has made some brilliant music, notably 2003's full-length debut, Lovers. That album, along with its follow-up, 2006's Personality - One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird, were unjustly overlooked, but something tells me Steele will get his just desserts with his new project.
Empire of the Sun is a collaboration with Nick Littlemore of Pnau, another Aussie outfit that we featured back in February. They've already got an album in the bag and their debut single, "Walking On A Dream" finds a nice middle ground between Steele's whimsical psych pop and Littlemore's banging electro house.
Taking a page out of the '80s, just like everyone else, "Walking On A Dream" is a delicious homage to new wave - from the video's Adam Ant get-ups and Duran Duran flash to the gorgeous synergy running through the simple combination of a drum machine, lush synths and unfussy guitar strums. It's the pair's mastery of one of the year's finest melodies that's most impressive, finding a hook with their chorus of "We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it/Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it" and some nicely hit falsetto.
Plus, the video was shot in Shanghai, putting to use the city's awe-inspiring retro-futuristic design.
