9/16/13
MUSIC: Alternative rock band Bastille releases their debut album.
By Jonathan Whang, Staff Writer
I remember feeling disappointed when I first heard Bastille’s music; I had imagined something different, and the previews on iTunes crushed my enthusiasm some. My expectations dropped considerably, and I went in anticipating a bad album: 44 minutes of testing my patience. Well, I was wrong. Bad Blood blew my mind out of the water.
The history of Bastille actually only goes three years back. The band name comes from Bastille Day, a celebration that takes place on the same day as lead singer Dan Smith’s birthday. It’s interesting that such a name should be chosen – the Bastille was a medieval fortress that represented monarchial corruption in France during the French Revolution. Perhaps the name was chosen for a hidden, ironic purpose, but one thing’s certain: if it sounded regal then, it definitely sounds regal now. Bastille was originally a solo project by Dan Smith, but eventually he formed a band with Chris Wood, Will Farquarson and Kyle Simmons. In 2010 Bastille signed with Virgin Records, and in 2012 they released their first single, “Overjoyed.” With each subsequent single release, the band rose higher in the charts and garnered more popularity until March 2013, when Bad Blood debuted as number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Bad Blood is the kind of album in which every song stands out. Each track plays up to par with the previous, and the pacing is incredibly well maintained throughout. The songs generally have a moderate rhythm to them (so there aren’t any slow songs that you’d want to skip), but the major reason why this album’s pacing is so memorable is the way the songs open and finish. Sometimes, a song can take a while to gather energy, but with Bastille’s debut, the tracks jump right into full motion and jump right back out when they end. Some may say that this would make an album choppier, less fluid and therefore worse, but the abruptness seems to only add to the songs on Bad Blood.
Alternative/indie music has grown more popular over the recent years, so there are currently many bands out there competing in the charts. However, Bad Blood rose straight to the Top Ten albums on the iTunes charts and is currently at number three on the alternative chart, only placing behind popular, decade-old bands like Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire. Keep in mind that Bad Blood is Bastille’s debut album. Even with advertisements and promotions, for Bastille to become a success in a few years really says something about their music; it’s good and fresh enough to become the new item of attention. And it’s true; the music speaks for itself. I listen to many alternative artists, but few have even come close to Bastille in the band’s eccentricity. The choir voices, the slight echo reverb, the video game synth, Dan Smith’s husky but passionate lead vocals and the energetic drums are all recurring elements throughout the album. That kind of diversity in the instrumentals can throw people off, but the catchy pop-induced melodies kept me intrigued. When everything comes together, it is dark and atmospheric, yet soulful and at points, insightful. Impressively, the only other alternative band off the top of my head that makes music on this kind of level is Imagine Dragons; you really have to have some masterful musicality to nail down an album like this.
From the first track and latest single “Pompeii” to “Get Home,” Bastille doesn’t disappoint with their first studio album. The genre is alternative rock, but the dance and pop genres are so well intermixed in the tracks that I’m sure people with other distinctive tastes will actually enjoy it as well. They’ve been an active band for only the past three years, yet they’re already experiencing huge commercial success. Time will tell where they’ll go next, but hopefully, to quote their song “Icarus,” Bastille’s music career “has only just begun.”