Walking On A Dream - Empire Of The Sun
Walking On A Dream Image
Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The debut album for the Australian band formed by The Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele and Pnau's Nick Littlemore.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. BBC Music
    Dec 13, 2011
    80
    This is the sound of the Noughties – electro enough without being harsh, interesting without being over-cool, quirky without being weird. Empire Of The Sun have cracked the perfect blend of fond reflection and sexy new frontier frisson. If this is what the future sounds like, then it's going to be beautiful.
  2. Mojo
    60
    The opening tunes are strong, but in the later half mannered singing and pretentiousness bring back memories of the Thompson Twins. [Mar 2009, p.110]
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  3. Sputnikmusic
    Dec 13, 2011
    60
    When they are on, they are very good, as their relaxing – yet strangely dance-worthy – grooves seem almost effortless. Yet, way too often, the duo simply bite off more than they can chew, meaning that when they are off, a 2nd listen almost seems like a chore.
  4. The Quietus
    Dec 13, 2011
    60
    Is Walking On A Dream the sound of things to come then? Clearly not. Empire Of The Sun's grand ambitions are certainly worth applauding, but unfortunately they amount to nothing more than a cold and pale facsimile of the superior conquests of others who have trod these lands before.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. MistaDwarfjokes
    10
    Absolutely top album, full of banging tunes and rabid experimentalism aplenty. Recommended for all. And that includes the second half of the album - Country and Tiger By My Side being two of thier best tracks. Maybe give Without You and Tiger By My Side a miss, but everything else is simply sublime.… Collapse
  2. StevenM
    8
    It is so refreshing to finally hear something different from the usual bull hip-hop that we are forced to listen to on every radio station in the U.S.I am so tired of boring songs with no decent beat or music in them,and I want to puke the more I hear about some thug throwing his "Benjamins" at a stripper in a club.Given the sorry state of U.S. radio and "music"(if you want to call it that)preferences in this country,I doubt the single "Walking on a Dream "will get any airplay when and if it gets released over here.This CD is great overall.… Expand
  3. iamanicon
    7
    Could have been brilliant, Instead its just really good.
  4. PD1769
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Walking On A Dream starts off with a great formula: warm and dreamy Human League-style synths, some acoustic guitar strumming, mellow dance grooves and falsetto-laden choruses. Of the front-loaded tracks, "Half Mast" and "We Are The People" are like lost pop classics circa 1983, the former would be a great fit in a John Hughes flick. But after the first four tracks, it veers into the most god-awful melange of stiff, uninspired dreck that loses touch with the appeal of the synth-pop structure at the top of the track list. Most of it is nightmarish, overproduced, pretentious and outright silly, like a collection of MGMT b-sides recorded in a giant helium tank. Your best bet is to score tracks 1-4 on iTunes or Rhapsody and skip the rest.… Expand

See all 9 User Reviews

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