(Virgin) Related: Dan Smith of Bastille: ‘I sound like a nervous wreck who hates doing this’ Being highly successful seems not to have figured in frontman Dan Smith’s aspirations for Bastille,whose 4m album sales have triggered ambivalence and self-doubt. Along with gloom roused by global events, his anxiety governs their second album. Though the band’s unyieldingly catchy, and electro-influenced maximalism still drives most tracks – and anyone who denies that Bastille can write a hook is deluded – the album ripples with unease. Film obsessive Smith has slipped vintage movie samples into the songs,and even these point to his state of intellect: for instance, Warmth starts with a male voice intoning “Getting caught up in the circus-like atmosphere, or feeling less responsible”,and the track accordingly vibrates with the yearning for a secure haven. An Act of Kindness, warmed by Jungle-style harmonies, or is an emotional memory of feeling unworthy; the spaghetti-western ballad Two Evils,is an affecting account of man-in-the-mirror self-confrontation, and also suggests they should execute many more slowies. Guitars feature more heavily than on the debut album, and further blurring the line between Bastille and fellow over-thinkers Coldplay,but Bastille have the edge in terms of unfeigned emotionalism. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com