Review: Bastille - "&"

Since recounting the eruption of Mount Vesuvius through eyes of two people cast in ash on ‘Pompeii’ in 2013, it has been an exceptional talent for storytelling, alongside the remarkable voice of Dan Smith, which has set Bastille apart as band and propelled them to global success. They have since explored many more fascinating characters and events throughout their discography including ‘Icarus’, the 1980s New York art scene (‘Club 57’) and Othello on ‘Send Them Off’, in a way which artistically confronts the topic but with enough obscurity to allow the songs to stand independently as pieces of contemporary pop music.

The group’s newly released fifth album “&” (Ampersand) puts this talent on full show by way of 14 songs about notable and forgotten figures throughout history, the Bible and myths as well as a philosophical dilemma. Conceptually, this is incredibly innovative and exciting and elevates the project from being a traditional album to a unique piece of art being delivered by a group whose narratives are their greatest strength. It in some ways, reflects the way in which folk music was traditionally used preserve the history of communities, by conveying the stories of these interesting lives to modern listeners. But the songs go further than surface level explorations by intimately capturing emotions in these profiles and scenarios.

The record spans a wide range of figures and times but links them through the themes it engages which are largely sombre in nature. Flawed love, societal struggle and unappreciated talent run deep in these tales but they reconcile these hardships with an air admiration and compassion. The mood of these songs is heavily reflected in their sound with the majority of the tracks exhibiting a subdued sonic palette largely revolving around plucked guitars and reserved synths. In many instances on the record, this provides and effective accompaniment such on ‘Eve & Paradise Lost’ where the vulnerability of Smith’s voice against the muted bass and soft choral singing reflects the nudity of the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. The string-based track covering the lives of civil rights activists Paul and Eslanda Robson is also particularly striking and radiates with a richness as the vocals and the bowed instruments melt into the same frequencies.

However, there are also some more musically expansive songs which provide some of the album’s best moments. ‘Blue Sky &The Painter’ is a particular standout which examines the tension in the relationship between depression and art through the eyes of Edvard Munch and builds to a stirring pop rock chorus as Smith sings “…I ain’t nothing without joy and sorrow’s fire”. ‘Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her’ which covers a prolific female pirate in 19th century China is also an immersive listen with the distinctly maritime sound of a violin and a stormy rhythm which sways like the choppy water.

As well as beguiling figures, “&” delves into some broader concepts including a hypothetical dilemma called ‘The Drawbridge Exercise’ which questions who is to blame for the unfortunate death of a ‘baroness’, whose perspective Smith sings from. This is again a testament to depth of Bastille’s music which manages to creatively and intelligently distil topics which reach far beyond the realms of those usually discussed in popular music into meaningful messages for a wide audience. The final track on the album, ‘Telegraph Road 1977 & 2024’, is also a moment of reflection which powerfully transforms a poem written by Smith’s father about homelessness in San Francisco into a moving song, which also features backing vocals by his mother, looking on the same scenario 47 years later.

There are times where the album, perhaps lacking the spontaneity of previous historically inspired pieces, addresses its characters in a way which feels too literal and reliant on a modern lens, and others where its fascinating subject matter is too concealed by ambiguity. “&” does however mark a bold effort by Bastille to do what is truly exciting about their artistry and present it in a more deliberate, artistic and conceptual manner, and in an industry which has greatly changed and is ever evolving, such a unique format for writing and presenting music is an inspired revelation.

Best Laid Plans Records / EMI