A Sunny Empire

Luke Steele started a group awhile ago called The Sleepy Jackson

Their debut album Lovers blew me away.  It was part George Harrison, a little Flaming Lips and Brian Wilson.  Very very sunny, beautiful and just a really really inspired happy sound.  A lot of the songs on that little record had some charm.  The cover always interested me in being funny and strange looking so I checked it out cause I was working at a tv show at the time and came across the epk.  I probably wouldn’t have noticed it any other way.  It got some minimal buzz and didn’t really fully grab anyone’s attention.  The video above me is from it and is a very delightful song and video.

What’s interesting is they got their name from their first drummer who was a narcoleptic.

Next up comes one of the hardest feats in any musician’s career.  To top a masterpiece debut album.  Many critics said he couldn’t.  That Lovers was too perfect a record, it’s charm was unique, innocent and accidental.  3 members left him to start another group, End of Fashion.  All looked pretty bleak as he was coming down with a throat illness and left holding the sack.  But just as inspired as the first record comes the breathtaking sparkling beauty of the strangely titled second LP 

Personality: One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird

Danceable, Powerful, Ambitious, a 20 person orchestra behind him.  It was quite a feat. I remember seeing the strange cover where he’s standing there holding a double of himself looking into his eyes.  Carrying himself like he was his own bride over the threshold.  If this wasn’t megalomaniacal then I didn’t know what was.  It worked, this was truly a very distinct and fresh new sound.  In another universe than the first.  In some ways better in some ways strangely too different.

Now I’ve been anxiously waiting 3 years for what this Perth, Australian can come up with next.  And here you have it.  A collaboration side project with Electro favorite and fellow Australian PNAU.

Yet another strange name whose meaning I’m uncertain of.  Empire of the Sun.

The record is called Walking on a Dream.  And this is literally what Luke and his fellow co pilot are doing.  There’s some strange chemistry going on here, that combines his eccentricities and PNAU’s musicianship quite nicely and just like my beloved Ladyhawke down below there’s a giant 80’s influence that’s inspired.  Part Prince and part folksy hip hop.  It’s got some very interesting style to it.  At some parts a little Depeche Mode.  Which you know I’m no stranger to.  

Luke Steele is really really a one of a kind artist, he always go where he wants and doesn’t care if we follow or base his work on pleasing critics.  He’s unpredictable, free and not tied to any concept or viewpoint of anyone of him.  That’s what I love.  That he can do anything he wants and does.  I don’t know if he’ll ever get massive.  Or if fans will even continue to devour any piece of music he composes.  

But I’m totally on board no matter what.  If he keeps these surprises up, I’m going to follow him into Hell.