Bastille probably never really thought that if their debut album, “Bad Blood”, was very successful in raising them to the surface and make the British band as one of the important names in the pop-rock scheme.
‘Pompeii’ may be the one of the most popular songs of the decade. With an emphasis on pop terms tend to be thicker than rock, it does not mean Bastille could not excite the audience that meets their concert arena or their hearing room at a smaller scale, whether bedroom, car, or club.
With the success formula, in fact, it wouldn’t be surprised if the Bastille and then forward in their sophomore album, “Wild World”. The distance about 3 years is not too long or tenuous. Moreover, Bastille took time to release some of the material again in the middle of the gap between the “Bad Blood” and “Wild World”. For example, compilation album “All This Bad Blood” (2013), “Remixed” (2013) or mixtape “VS. (Other People’s Heartache, Pt. III)” (2014).
in 2015, Bastile almost absent. But, they issued various singles ahead of 2016, with the release of “Wild World”. The road to it was opened with the ‘Good Grief‘ with pop-rock spiced titled disco 80s. With a vibrant tempo and tone bright cheerful, apparently Bastille ready to enliven the summer in which the song was released.
Then followed with a tinge of pop wrapped in EDM tempo was ‘Fake It‘. If you want to listen to the deep house if performed by a rock band, then the ‘Fake It’ might be one example. Their latest single ‘Send Them Off!’, which in general is still as arena rock anthem, but there are also affix RnB in it.
We not only can listen to three new songs from the Bastille, but 19 at once if listening in a deluxe version. It seems a pause of 3 years utilized properly by Bastille to satisfy their creative ability in the studio and produce material abundance. It could be a song that they recorded more than this, but with the economic interests and duration, of course, only 19 who could be included in the “Wild World”.
Listen to “Wild World” feels if Bastille really want to explore the realm of EDM more freely. Within the constraints of a rock band style of course. Only the election of rhythm, intensity and tempo of the song, and the melody selection was very supportive to it. Consider just tracks like ‘lethargy’ that will certainly be loyal colleague on the dance floor.
‘The Currents’ may sound like a pop-rock tempo toned roaring, but compositionally it is also perfectly into track drum n’ bass raging.
Not enough, the album also provides space for songs like ‘Glory’, an intriguing club banging, or ‘The Power’ and ‘Blame’ that can be adopted in various deep house.
Listening to ‘Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith)’ as Bastille want to channel the spirit of their Kygo. The uniqueness of these songs are not audible to force myself Bastille alias still feels natural. This has been advising them on this album as well.
Synth-pop presented in ‘An Act of Kindness’. Being more conventional disco synth try to present the ‘Warmth’. Actually there is nothing too new and inventive in the composition of the Bastille, only these tracks do sound very catchy and easily digested.
Interestingly, the bonus track on the deluxe edition explores the wider touch of pop-dance rock had an atmosphere that was almost absent. ‘Campus’ is an upbeat pop that seemed unaffected by moombahton. Then there RnB represented by the ‘Way Beyond’ and electro-pop in ‘Shame’.
In general, “Wild World” is no more towering than “Bad Blood”. Which certainly is not worse than their debut. Musically, they have the same quality magnitude. Sound production for the album is the development of “Bad Blood”, but with a twist approach to electronic dance music in emphasis to the rhythm and intensity.
To sum it up, “Wild World” is a dancey, vibrant and colorful pop album. May not be a fitting depiction of an album belonging to a rock band. However Bastille need to distinguish themselves compared to their counterparts in the same realm. Therefore depiction of these were a definitive description anyway to “Wild World”. Moreover Bastille does not really leave the rock, but only polish and rotate such that materialized in the form of pop songs fun.
[credit: Haris]
TRACKLIST
1. “Good Grief” 3:26
2. “The Currents” 3:24
3. “An Act of Kindness” 3:28
4. “Warmth” 3:49
5. “Glory” 4:41
6. “Power” 3:29
7. “Two Evils” 2:46
8. “Send Them Off!” 3:20
9. “Lethargy” 3:24
10. “Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith)” 4:12
11. “Blame” 2:55
12. “Fake It” 4:04
13. “Snakes” 3:17
14. “Winter of Our Youth” 3:23
+ Deluxe Edition
15. “Way Beyond” 3:19
16. “Oil On Water” 2:58
17. “Campus” 3:03
18. “Shame” 3:30
19. “The Anchor” 3:24