Oh my god, my god

I can’t quite believe my ears

There it finally is, the eagerly anticipated second album by British pop band Bastille. I was allowed to dabble in before the release and can’t wait to unsolicitedly assail you with my opinion. Unless many critical voices from recent times, I indeed waited for LP2 with bated breath but I preferred the four Brits taking enough time to finish their second record. The reason is as banal as plausible: haste makes waste. I love listening to their music for years and singer/songwriter Dan Smith for me simply ranks among the group of exceptional talents of latest music history. Not because he is so brilliantly profound or experimental, but because he knows how to make really good pop music. You hear his own style in every song, it works on a big festival stage as well as deep down in the catacombs of Paris, he thrills or touches inside and mixes up different kinds of music with no fear. That’s why I expect a lot from this album but at the same time I am also afraid of being disappointed. Although I know some of the songs already from live performances or as a single release, it could be the only highlights at least. But little by little. The pent up afternoon heat pumps through my window and even if it’s not a comfortable writing, it still fits perfectly with „Wild World“. Yes, it’s September already but for me it’s still a summer album. The bass booms well to bright sunshine in the car with lowered windows and it must be heard loudly, just really really loud. Yet the opener „Good Grief“, which is also the first single, warms you up to party mood despite its melancholy lyrics. Catchy thrashes the metallic rhythm and even the demanding clapping is already included. A well-chosen earworm that leaves you wanting more. In „The Currents“ it’s getting political and sociocritical. There are representatives of my guild, who argue something like that has no place in music, which I just vehemently disagree with. There is no more appropriate platform to sensitise young people and that’s what is extremely important in times like these. Nevertheless Bastille still remains cautious at this point and do not surge briskly ahead. Their opinions don’t get forced on anyone. They only come to terms with the personal powerlessness in the face of current events and though it’s not my favourite song, it comes across pretty good – especially live.

„An Act Of Kindness“ is a bit quieter and the beginning of the song actually somehow reminds of Dan Smith’s solo work, till the peerless Bastille sound splashes over here, too. The extolled guilt oozing through every note and contrasts massively with the so far consciously opposing happy sounds. „Warmth“ starts with a movie quote, as it conceptually occurs quite often on the album. But you never knew the lads could be that erotic. The song about masking the cold, the cruelty of the world, in a moment of passion, links again to the huge contrast between lyrics and acoustic implementation. The thoughtful and self-reflective words contrast strongly with the easy electro melody and musically the piece reminds you on 80s pop-revival à la HAIM or The Killers. What might be obvious, considering Mr. Smith’s personal preferences in this direction. With „Glory“ they hit my taste best so far. This song has simply everything again. Strings impart softness paired with boundless expanse, the rhythm takes you to a summer night in the streets and singer Dan’s voice plays once calm, once stirring, once gently, once scratchy in all its ranges. Only the higher octave indicates some effort and perhaps is chosen a bit too ambitious. „Power“ I hereby appoint as my personal „Get Home“ of the second album. The approaches are marvellous and you are nearly euphoric, but then the chorus decreases the listening pleasure. I can’t even tell what exactly bothers me, if I find it too blunt or flattish. It just could have been something more.
The probably most outstanding song „Two Evils“ provides the middle of the album and takes a completely other path with its Kill Bill charm by Nancy Sinatra’s „My Baby Shot Me Down“. I for one love this song for its simplicity, its calm and the wistfulness in every sound. Up next is „Send Them Off!“, the new UK single and my current favourite I have run on continuous loop since its release. The tremendous big band accompaniment makes it extremely energetic and also the chorus eats slowly but steadily into the tiniest brain convolution. Yet „Lethargy“ beats me round the head with a lively beat. I feel tempted to bob my foot pretty un-lethargically and to fidget to the catchy melody possibly looking a bit retarded. No masterpiece, but it doesn’t hurt. A well-made song, especially the lyrics are interesting. From its successor „Four Walls“ I expect a good few and it indeed disappoints me not a bit. Both text and created mood grab gently inside me, to the part which is responsible for what I call the pulling. A feeling that, for me, sorts outstanding music from good. The song with its pulsating R & B influences is perfect for melancholy hours and concludes with an entirely atypical blues guitar. Following this there is „Blame“ as an old new one again. The cut is pretty intense, but Mr. Smith is known for being down on fade-outs. The studio version is actually very good and I literally see the four Brits giving their best to the rough guitar sound on stage. Hardly a song, however, touched and suffused me as much as „Fake It“. And also this goes up and down in my playlist for weeks. The droning bass presses all too well in the chest, the high „oooh“ all too gladly makes you dream of freedom, while the lyrics bind you to the past. Goosebumps coming after goosebumps, as my body remembers the feeling of the first hearing. With „Snakes“ Bastille write another chapter in my book of the best live songs. The impelling tempo is just made for stage and the grossed movie quote expresses perfectly what thought crossed my mind while watching them at Dockville festival „Come on, boys. Let’s go tear this place apart!“. A bit more contemplative comes „Winter Of Our Youth“, which either catches me unduly at first glance nor attracts negative attention. Maybe it’s one of those songs that reach you later on when you opened yourself up to the whole album several times.  In „Way Beyond“ a daring mix of funk, soul and pop awaits the audience. I suppose the primal scream escapes Rag’n’Bone Man’s throat, who already worked with the boys and gives a touch of rough soul to the beginning. Here you can hear clearly Bastille in each note, yet it develops rather quickly to a common pattern. „Oil On Water“, however, seems almost spherical and dignified flies away, slowly crawls under the skin and in a consequence is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The already eons ago live presented „Campus“ brings a rhythm that reminds somehow of Dancehall or Reggae. It makes you swing your hips immediately but wasn’t urgently needed on the album in my opinion. „Shame“ tells a story about change and that it’s not always something positive – what strikes a chord for me. I must confess it’s musically not that exciting but the theme of changing friendships is as current and present as ever. „The Anchor“ bubbles up my skin and is the culmination of an exciting journey. Here again there are big band motives with horns that thrill and delight and yet in parts the song appears as fragile and vulnerable as its creator. Also Bastille dropped an anchor – in my heart, in my mind.
It was a tough job, and even if not every song hits my taste entirely, it’s a great album. Two years isn’t really a lot, considering that the Brits jet through the world nonstop and present us at least 19 songs here, in addition to all their mix tapes and covers. I bow my head once again and look forward to the next few hours, days and weeks with this dignified successor of their debut „Bad Blood“. Probably I will explore also the strengths of the current compared rather weaker songs and Wild World doesn’t need to hide at all. It’s a faster, a more powerful album than its predecessor, even if the content literally bursts from self-doubts and melancholy. A critical fan might miss the profound ballads; everything might seem a bit over-produced, too complex in design, too weak in content. But as I said: it’s a summer album. Especially the second one is the hardest record, the crossroads between entertaining musicians and artists. Bastille did quite a good job and so fortunately will survive.

M.F.

Tracklist:

Good Grief

The Currents

An Act Of Kindness

Warmth

Glory

Power

Two Evils

Send Them Off!

Lethargy

Four Walls

Blame

Fake It

Snakes

Winter Of Our Youth

Way Beyond

Oil On Water

Campus

Shame

The Anchor

Bastille – Wild World

Virgin Records, Universal, publication 09.09.2016