Two Vines
Empire of the Sun
(Virgin EMI)
Three stars
Empire of the Sun albums appear about as frequently as blue moons. It took five years to follow up their internationally acclaimed 2008 debut Walking on a Dream with Ice on the Dune.
Now, three years later, Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore are back with Two Vines, which offers more of the same slickly produced electronic music.
The outlandish Australian duo’s release is a concept album about a city being reclaimed by the jungle and the digital artwork is a throwback to the days when bands used to chuck serious money at sleeve design.
Fans will appreciate that Two Vines fits comfortably into the band's familiar sonic landscape, which at its best sounds like a strange hybrid between Eric Prydz, Air and a track from the 1980s you can't quite place.
Two Vines is also a curious thing, appearing to become more sure of itself as it progresses. By the time To Her Door arrives, which is the album's closing track and features Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham, you might well believe in the band's decidedly alternative vision.
nmarch@thenational.ae