I thought I'd start my music blog with a beautiful christmas/new years present from one of my favourite bands of the moment. Retreating to the old-school style of mix-tapes, electronic/alternative band Bastille have released their second edition of a complilation of covers and reworkings of classics into their own unique style. Entitled "Other People's Heartache", the album refers to the stories of other musicians, transcribed into Bastille's musical language with electronic additions and quirky spoken quotes from iconic films, which add an eerie and exciting quality.
The South-London band is comprised of four band members: Dan Smith, Chris Wood, Will Farquarson and Kyle Simmons and is named after the French "Bastille Day"; the day Smith was born. Before their popularity, Bastille released a double a-side single "Flaws" with "Icarus" on the b-side through an independent record label, before being signed to Virgin Records in December 2011. "Flaws" was the first song that I heard and the beautiful combination of electronic rhythms and hauntingly-honest lyrics captured my attention immediately. The song is very relatable, defining the strange sensation of the jealousy we all suffer for those who seem entirely confident in their lives, with an underlying theme that there may be more to their lives than we can see on a shallow level.
With Virgin Records, the band debuted with a release of the EP "Laura Palmer", and various tracks online. From these starting points, the band gained a lot of popularity, moving from a small, defined audience to a more mainstream crowd and they went on to perform at numerous festivals such as Glastonbury in 2011. Their success has gone on, with the release of "Overjoyed" as a single and video on YouTube and "Bad Blood" later in 2012 and they have been named "New Band of the Day" by the Guardian, amongst many other titles. Their catchy yet dark song style has also caught the attention of popular television series', "Made In Chelsea" and "Vampire Diaries".
My first major live experience of their music was at Reading Festival 2012, where they played an incredible set, combining an alternative style with a dance beat; the powerful lyrics and dark ambience inciting a rhythm within the whole audience. Since, I have been to see them at a smaller venue, supporting electronic band "Swiss Lips" ,which again caught the attention of many new followers, and Bastille have had an abundance of other performances with their October 2012 tour and future promises of supporting the likes of Emeli Sande and Two Door Cinema Club. on their world tour.
Their first release of the mixtape series "Other People's Heartache 1" was a nostalgic, combination of songs from many eras, reaching out to a wider audience. With songs such as "Love Don't Live Here" originally performed by Rose Royce, I steered the music taste of my dad to enjoy their sound, and pieces like "What Would You Do?" turned the stereotypically R&B/hiphop genre upside down with additions of spoken phrases and echoing harmonies. This clever, witty response and remake of a whole range of songs has luckily been repeated with "Other People's Heartache 2", subjecting us to a new set of intelligent and beautifully-composed melodies with spoken excerpts from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Home Alone", featuring the talents of other musicians such as Ella & Erika, F*U*G*Z and the newly-famous Gabrielle Aplin.
And so without further ado, let me introduce you to the link to these fascinating covers; a feast for your ears.
Enjoy!
CIA
P.S for new Bastille fans, start with "Pompeii", "Flaws" and "Overjoyed" for a taste of their original music.
