“Bad Blood” is thick with originality and meaning
By Emily Kim,
HUB Staff Writer-
Two years ago, if someone had mentioned Bastille, the historical prison in Paris would have come to mind. Today, if Bastille was to be mentioned, the first thing to pop into my mind would be the popular English band. It’s new album “Bad Blood” reached number 1 on album charts.
44,000 tickets to their UK tour sold out in a day. With these kinds of numbers, we can’t help but wonder what is it that makes this band so great? Do they make real music, or the mainstream pop kind that you will hear in malls and grocery stores?
Bastille’s debut album, “Bad Blood”, emanates influences from every genre of music, such as folk, alternative, rock, and soul. The band’s lead singer, Dan Smith, wrote every song in the safety of his bedroom and created an amazing album out of them. The instrumentals emit professionalism with a beautiful arrangement of strings in the slower pieces and an exciting combination of bass and drums in the upbeat pieces.
Rather than attempting to tell a story of clichéd themes such as falling in love, or falling out of it, Smith tells a different story through a different narrative in each track, like a book of poems or short stories. Smith incorporates historical allusions into his songs and touches on many different themes, such as growing up, and the shift in relationships.
A sense of originality is obvious in every track. To find an album absent of clichéd lyrics and hackneyed beats is an amazing feat in today’s music industry, but “Bad Blood” achieves that feat.
The album starts with “Pompeii”, a track whose very title attracts listeners because of its allusion to the legendary city of sin. It is a conversation between two bodies frozen in time, trapped in the ashes that the explosion of Mount Vesuvius rained onto the city. This first track prepares listeners for the more bleak tone of the 50 minute album.
“Icarus” is another track that stands out. The lyrics tell a story of someone who lives a self-destructive life, and lives his life as if it is his last. “Icarus is flying to close to the sun/ Icarus’s life has only just begun” Smith belts, while almost tribal sounding beats play in the back.
“Oblivion”, the best track on the album, has emotional lyrics that’ll be sure to tug on your heartstrings. To hear “When oblivion is calling out your name/You always take it further than I ever can” and not feel Smith’s mourning tone is impossible. The way Smith hits every high note is mesmerizing and the power in which he hits them makes it seem like he is enclosed in a glass box, trying to get the whole world to hear what he is feeling.
Smith said he wanted the album to be like a movie soundtrack: each track different but tied together by the movie itself, every track a part of one big scene. Smith definitely reached his goal. This album consists of 15 amazing tracks that relate in a way that isn’t noticed until the album is over and you’ve tied the meanings of each track together. Expect to be listening to this album on repeat when riding the bus, studying, or simply lying down and staring at the ceiling, appreciating the huskiness and emotion in Smith’s voice.
