Out from Under The Weight of Living4 Out Of 5 Stars
Quite accomplished for a debut, Bastille's "Bad Blood" takes a lot of influences and blends them into some seamless pop. Far from being another 80's revivalist band, they take their compositions semi-seriously, but not so much as to be pompous. The opening vocal chant to "Pompeii" sets a tone of grandiose things to come, but then settles for a neat pop hook and sing-along chanting. It's much the same though "Bad Blood," songs that come on strong and morph into feel good poptime.
There's nothing wrong with that, as anyone who follows my reviews will note that I'm a sucker for a well done pop CD. Bastille make clean, clear (no loudness wars!) sounding songs that stick like candy. They love the cinematic production and the fact that you can hide darkness with a deceptive arrangement (using "Laura Palmer," the fictional murder victim of David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" is the most obvious giveaway) shows that parlor trick. Heck, even the CD cover is a movie poster mock up.
For a change, the grandeur and the sugar mix well. There are plenty of good songs to choose from here, from the warning cry of "Weight of the World" to oft told tale of "Daniel In The Lion's Den." Lead singer and songwriter Dan Smith has a solid grasp of songwriting and sense of what it takes to sell the drama. "Bad Blood" is one of my favorites for 2013.
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