Review of: Wild World by Bastille

Bastille is a pop rock band that made a big splash in the mainstream with their hit singles like Pompeii, Things We Lost In The Fire, Bad Blood and Of The Night. On their 2013 album Bad Blood. I really like it - especially on Pompeii - when Bastille get a bit darker and tackle subject matter that most bands wouldn't touch. I hoped that they would touch on this kind of themes and lyrical material on their lead single Good Grief. Unfortunately, this was not the case. A very underwhelming lead single, to say the least. To see a band capable of making hits like Pompeii clearly unable to release their full potential on an album. But, I'm not going to judge an album on its lead single, so I gave Wild World by Bastille a chance. Did I find anything?

Well, I certainly found something, but I'd hesitate to call this album anywhere close to good. In fact, it was quite disappointing really. And pretty much everything wrong with this album can be traced back to one huge problem. The producers messed with a working pop-rock formula and crammed it full of electronic effects that, a lot of the time, sound horrific. The rough, growling, grading synth that runs throughout the abysmal track The Currents. A track that can be summed up in one line. 'Oh my God, my God. I can't quite believe my ears'. A catastrophe. The track elects to swamp Dan Smith's vocals out in the instrumentation, which might have worked, if Dan's voice had anywhere near the presence in the mix that it should. The statements that I have just said might lead you to think that songs like An Act Of Kindness work better with the eerie, stripped back presence, and while I would argue that it does work better than The Currents, Dan Smiths unconvincing delivery simply does not compliment the instrumentation. That's another huge problem with this album. Dan's voice is rarely able to match the overloaded electronic production. He probably fairs the best on Good Grief with the clattering percussion balancing against the electronic elements pretty well allowing Dan's voice to move pretty freely throughout the mix, but on the majority of songs on this album, this is not the case.

One other key element of this album that is implemented to mixed results is the sampling. This album features a lot of sampling from movies like on Good Grief, Send Them Off!, and Fake It. However, the samples never carry any meaning related to the songs they are used on, and as a result, I can't appreciate the use of sampling on this album.

I am really struggling to come up with any positives with this album, mainly because many of the moments on this album, while they might not inspire any deep hatred from me, come off as pretty boring. Songs like Glory, Power and Fake It are the kind of songs I'm talking about here. The kind of songs with so little in the way of redeeming qualities, that they don't serve a coherent purpose on the album in terms of establishing any artistic intention. Despite the catchy verses, the chorus of Lethargy falls under a similar vein. The faster paced vocals from Dan Smith allows a decent level of intensity, but it really is nothing all that special. Snakes has decent percussion line back in it, but there is no real crescendo to pay off the first verse and chorus that feel like they are building up to something, and the payoff just doesn't come. I'm not going to deny that the song has potential, but elements of the execution lacked.

Despite everything negative I have commented on throughout this review, there are some moments on this album that do kind of connect. Blame is among the better tracks on the album as it tries to tackle some rock influences that I do appreciate with the howling guitars at the start. The clear instrumental focus works well here I'll admit that. Also, despite the whining synth line running throughout the verses, I can kind of get behind Warmth for its strong, heavy percussion and being able to deliver some intensity entirely thanks to the vocal layering on the hook, but it is disappointing that the guitar solo was so short that it's barely worth mentioning. I also quite like the great baseline (which there are are quite a few of on this album like on Good Grief) and horns on Send Them Off!.

I mentioned previously in this review that I like it when Bastille get a bit darker, and they do on tracks like Two Evils, Four Walls (The Ballad Of Perry Smith) and Winter Of Our Youth, the latter ending the album on a positive note. The production holds real presence, especially in the chorus. Two Evils is a pretty dreary attempt at darkness that bores me to tears that should have just been cut from the album. Finally, the most interesting song on this album, Four Walls (The Ballad Of Perry Smith), a song that discusses the death penalty, and specifically references a case in the title. Perry Smith was a criminal who was hanged for his murders on April 14, 1965. It takes quite a lot of courage to directly reference a criminal case. I can respect that.

Overall I can't recommend this album. It doesn't have any down right amazing songs. It's quite clear to me that this album is not destined to do a lot in the mainstream. I don't see a hit in any of these songs, so I'm giving the album a generous 2 / 5, and only a recommendation if you're a Bastille fan. Other than that, avoid this album.

Favourite Tracks: Warmth, Blame

Least Favourite Tracks: The Currents

Overall Rating: 2 / 5

Review of: Girl Problems by Chris Lane

Before I get into my review of the new Chris Lane record, let's talk about pop country.

Country music, being the popular genre that it is, has not only captured the hearts of fans, but also sparked the creation of several radio stations. The airplay that some country songs received on these radio stations allowed country to access the Billboard Hot 100. In recent times, several artists have taken advantage of this and, with it, created a whole new, mainstream-friendly genre, pop country. Artists such as Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Dan + Shay, have hopped onto the pop country trend to mostly huge success. Chris Lane is the latest artist to gain mainstream success with this genre.

So, how? How have so many artists gained popularity through one simple genre manipulation? The basic idea of this genre is that it has the potential to be relevant in the mainstream as well as be playable on country radio, hence giving it an extra push. One of the artists who I mentioned earlier who has taken advantage of this trend is Chris Lane. In 2016, Lane released a single called Fix along with a six-song EP of the same name. Four of the six songs made it onto the new record. The EP was widely criticised by country music enthusiasts for barley being country. However, for a pop album, I really enjoyed that record. So, I decided to check out Chris Lane's debut full-length album, produced by hit and miss producer Joey Moi Girl Problems. Was it any good?

Well, simply put, it was good, but not great. Chris Lane has put together a pleasant, but not amazing album. In fact, I would go as far to say that the Fix EP is more consistent at least than this new album Girl Problems. It has its highlights, don't get me wrong, but it also has its fair share of problems. Let's start with Chris Lane himself. He certainly has charisma, like on Fix, Let Me Love You, or Her Own Kind Of Beautiful, but occasionally he can come off as obnoxious, like on the worst track here, Who's It Gunna Be, where Chris Lane attempts to win over a girl by intentionally peer pressuring her to take him home instead of another unnamed guy, when the only line in the song that actually gives evidence as to why he would be a better choice than the other guy is 'And I've got what you like'. Obnoxious is an understatement really. It is not a particularly recurring theme throughout this record, but on this one song, it did frustrate me.

In terms of production, the album likes to switch between your 'regular' overproduced pop country sort of sound, breezy acoustic pop like on For Her and a more stripped back sound like on All About You and, while I understand the songs purpose on the album. It's a slow song in amongst a lot of overproduced pop country, but the lyrical content seems limited and pretty lousy. However, there is a song on this album that uses a lower tempo to its advantage. Back To Me is the example that I had in mind, and it is the lyrical content, particularly the honesty in the lyrics, that puts it firmly among the top tear of songs from Girl Problems. The lyrics speak about how Chris Lane's girl is looking to move on to a different phase in her life, one that doesn't involve Chris, or maybe no guy at all. But underneath all that, the lyrics highlight a glimmer of hope that she might come back. A hope that is translated in the glimmering instrumentation as well. The tone of the instrumentation combined with Chris Lane's softer vocal delivery gives this song a huge edge over songs like Who's It Gunna Be. There is one criticism that I have for this song that does make me a bit angry, and one that once I found, I couldn't ignore. There is a trap beat playing in the chorus. A hip hop based beat, playing in a soulful pop-country love song. It doesn't work. It clashes with the tone of the song that Chris Lane and his producers were clearly going for. It was almost as if the producers were aware that this song wasn't destined for greatness, and therefore, they just slammed the cheapest beat they could find over it to get it on the track listing as quick as possible. The fact that they don't even try to hide it by indulging the mix in melody makes this all the more infuriating. The song is still good, but realistically, it could have been better.

Then you come to the complete opposite end of the production style used throughout this album, and you come to songs like Fix. A decent catchy melody line anchors a strong hook and catchy melody line. But, in terms of themes, it's nothing that I haven't heard before. An issue that plagues quite a bit of this album. Especially on songs like All The Time which tries to express Chris' love for his girl, but doesn't do it in a way that is at all new or interesting in terms of the lyrical department. The distracting 'Aye Aye A' backing vocals are certainly not helping.

For Her tries to add some acoustic breeze to the instrumentation, but I would argue that Chris Lane's vocals sound better over greater instrumental texture than this like on Fix. One song that tries a similar production style is Her Own Kind Of Beautiful. While For Her went for light production, Her Own Kind Of Beautiful gets the balance basically perfect. Production that allows Chris to be expressive without sounding obnoxious. A catchy chorus that allows his emotions and feelings to flow freely. It works incredibly well, especially with Chris Lane behind the microphone. Maybe is similar in the production, but instead talks about the lead up to a break up with surprising detail where both parties could have tried harder. It's an interesting and enjoyable listen.

The title track Girl Problems is a simple song glorifying a girl with stupid lines like 'you're turning on everything but the light'. However cringeworthy that line is, it's clear that, not only am I not in the target demographic for this song, but that the track is clearly not trying to accomplish anything apart from Chris glorifying his girl, who he is clearly having a good time with. It's a fun song, but not in the top tier of songs from the album.

I've saved one of the most interesting songs to discuss for last in this review. The song that I am referring to is Circles which features MacKenzie Porter, a Canadian actress and musician who released her debut full-length self-titled album in July of 2014. I stand by my opinion of Chris Lane sounding better over slightly heavier production than this, but this sound seems to suit MacKenzie's voice more than anything else. The production has a certain elegance to it which I do like, and framing the song as a duet makes the song a lot clearer. It speaks about a relationship that both sides want to work, but neither are certain how long it will last. It's a nice touch.

In conclusion, there are some great moments on this album, but also a few moments that could have been ironed out. Overall, 3/5 seems like a fair score for Chris Lane's first full-length album.

Favorite Tracks: Back To Me, Her Own Kind Of Beautiful, Maybe

Least Favorite Tracks: Who's It Gunna Be

Overall Rating: 3/5

Try It Out: