Bastille is an up-and-coming band from London, England that consists of singer/songwriter Dan Smith, drummer Chris 'Woody' Wood, guitarist Will Farquarson and keyboardist Kyle Simmons. The name Bastille comes from Smith, whose birthday is on Bastille Day (July 14th). They were signed by Virgin Records in 2011.
A favorite of mine is “Sleepsong,” which starts out as a simple piano melody and escalates into a light beat with stringed instruments, continuously repeating the phrase “Don’t talk to strangers.” “Sleepsong” relates loneliness with dreams and is quite an amazing song: “Oh you go to sleep on your own/ and you wake each day with your thoughts/ it scares you being alone.” The fast paced chorus is infectious and is one you’ll be singing hours after listening to the song.
Bastille would also sound amazing live, which you can tell by listening to their acoustic and A Capella versions of some of their songs. Smith’s voice, backed by claps and basic stringed instruments, is remarkably fervent; giving the band’s songs a powerful feeling. Overall, Bastille is a band that deserves to get more attention.
If you like this, you might like: Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Mumford and Sons
Bastille an alternative band, with more of an indie edge. Smith’s voice in Bastille is haunting and intense and sounds very similar to that of Ed Sheeran, epitomizing a passionate singular statement. Focused on producing a timeless sound, Bastille take inspiration from life experiences and relationships with lyrics such as, “You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve, and I have always buried them deep beneath the ground,” from the song “Flaws,” which debuted in June of 2011. They avoid anything too cliché with their lyrics as they connect to people and draw them in with their empathetic melodies.
Bastille began with a few electronic/dance music singles before “Flaws,” which are extremely different from their most recent music. But their other music is exceptional. Unfortunately, Bastille only has six songs from their recent music up on iTunes, which makes each song even more powerful. The songs are split up into a few EP's which each contain around 5 songs. Each EP contains one or two of the worthwhile songs while the others are just remixes by different artists and DJ’s.
A favorite of mine is “Sleepsong,” which starts out as a simple piano melody and escalates into a light beat with stringed instruments, continuously repeating the phrase “Don’t talk to strangers.” “Sleepsong” relates loneliness with dreams and is quite an amazing song: “Oh you go to sleep on your own/ and you wake each day with your thoughts/ it scares you being alone.” The fast paced chorus is infectious and is one you’ll be singing hours after listening to the song.
There are many more songs by Bastille which you can find on youtube. One of these is “Falling,” which is a haunting song that starts out with dialog between a young girl and boy, wondering what happens to your heart when you grow up. It has beautiful, low melodies and harmonization and is a much slower song than the others Bastille has recorded. This, along with songs such as “What Would You Do?” can be downloaded on their website (bastillebastille.com) for free by going to the "mixtape" link.
Bastille would also sound amazing live, which you can tell by listening to their acoustic and A Capella versions of some of their songs. Smith’s voice, backed by claps and basic stringed instruments, is remarkably fervent; giving the band’s songs a powerful feeling. Overall, Bastille is a band that deserves to get more attention.
If you like this, you might like: Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Mumford and Sons
Sleepsong
Flaws (Live Recording)
Overjoyed (acapella)
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