Album Review: Empire Of The Sun - Ice On The Dune

Recorded in the buzz overdose that is New York city, Empire Of The Sun's new offering, Ice On The Dune, sees frontman Luke Steele and beat aficionado Nick Littlemore tighten their creative grasp on the imagined world of the Empire the pair collectively inhabit.

Admittedly, there are no slap-in-your-face breath-takers like 2008's Walking On A Dream, but the pair have tried to re-capture and re-invigorate the magic that made their debut so successful.

The grandiose, string saturated Lux opens the album, heralding the second coming of the Emperor. Composed with the help of Cirque Du Soleil strings maestro Henry Hay, the track plays like the victory theme to some Mongolian warlord's recent conquer. A simple guitar and chord progression introduces DNA, before Steele's haunting vocals descend over the top, like dark storm clouds, creating a heavier trance-pop sound. The saccharine synthed Concert Pitch straddles '80s inspired BPMs, while staying true to Steele's halting, breathy vocals.

The '70s disco buzz gets a workout on Awakening, while I'll Be Around puts the brakes on the beat – instead enchanting with a whispered vocal from Steele that's carried and strung around a faint synthboard beat. Disarm amps up the mystic vibe, allowing Steele to showcase his range a little more, with the heavyset verses counterbalanced by the light synth-drenched choruses. It is here the Empire is at their addictive best – where a first listen simply isn't enough to satisfy. Steele and Littlemore keep the psyched-out trance-lite groove going in Old Flavours, an instrumental-heavy track that's interspaced with delicate sighs and yawns.

Don't let the repetitive arc of the first single from the album, Alive, fool you. The Empire are back, in all their grandiose glory.