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
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