RELEASES: Oblivion – Bastille

Bastille have announced that the final single to be taken from their phenomenally successful debut album Bad Blood is to be Oblivion. For Bastille fans and owners of the album this song is nothing new, but the band is taking the last opportunity to push their existing material out to new listeners before going to work on their all-important second album.

Bastille are probably best known for their memorable vocals and catchy drum beats, so Oblivion may sound a little different to the untrained ear. This track is one of the simplest and most stripped back of Bad Blood, featuring just lead singer Dan Smith’s vocals, piano, strings and an electric drum kit. Oblivion is pretty much open to interpretation, but basically it tells of a person struggling to keep up with the state of mind of someone else, but eventually accepting it.

Too often, after the lead single of an album is released, the other singles do not get the same recognition that they deserve. We hope that this will not be the case for Oblivion, although there is the worry that it could be eclipsed by the success of Pompeii, Bastille’s mega-hit. Whilst this song was never going to be a club favourite like its predecessors, it’s clear that Oblivion still contains the essential ingredients of every good Bastille song – talented song writing, strong instrumentation and a deeper meaning than most other songs in the charts.

Today the official video for Oblivion was released on the MSN website. Already it has received a mixed response, despite Bastille being well known for their cryptic, confusing music videos. We, however, like the video – it really struck a chord with us, and, for once, we actually understood the story on our first watch. It also features Games of Thrones actress Sophie Turner. Make up your own mind and watch it here: http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/bastille-oblivion/2t5djvpx

It’s a little sad that Bastille have almost reached the end of the line with Bad Blood, but it’s positive too. With a new album comes new songs, performances and opportunities for the band. So whatever’s in the pipeline for Bastille, we’ll never stop being excited about what’s coming next.

NEWS: Streaming now included in the Official Singles Chart

The Official UK Top 40 has always been seen as a reliable indicator of today’s most popular music. However, as music consumption has evolved, the charts have been under intense scrutiny to ensure that they keep up. In a move that demonstrates they know what people are really listening to these days, the Official Charts Company have announced that this week’s chart will also include streamed songs from services such as Spotify, Napster and Deezer.

Instead of the charts being made up purely of purchased singles, streamed tracks will also count, with every one hundred streams being equivalent to one sale. This dramatic change will inevitably benefit some artists, and may be a fairer reflection of how music is consumed. For example, last year Pompeii by Bastille only reached No. 2 in the charts, despite it being the UK’s most streamed song ever.

We think that this is really exciting in terms of the music industry, as it conveys that new ways of listening are being taken seriously. Today the charts are often ignored by fans who want to discover alternative music that may not have reached the ears of the more casual listener. However, the merging of streams with purchased music may allow less popular artists to gain a foothold in the charts, which in turn may lead to more mainstream success. Only time will tell whether this decision will truly make an impact on the charts, and ultimately what we listen to.

ARTISTS: Bastille

We first heard the silky-smooth tones of Bastille’s Dan Smith in March 2013 when their hit Pompeii was topping the charts. One minute we were curious, checking what all the fuss was about by listening to clips on iTunes. The next minute we were hooked. Well over a year later, our devotion, and their success, is still going strong. But their fame has been anything but sudden. For the last few years they have been gradually building up their support in order to take the charts by storm.

It all started when lead singer Dan Smith was entered into a music competition by a friend whilst still at university in Leeds. He won, and this led to him putting his ambitions of being a journalist aside in order to pursue a career in music. After performing under his own name for a couple of years, Dan decided to form a proper band. Bastille – named after the French holiday on which Dan’s birthday falls – was born. Dan, along with keyboard player Kyle Simmons, bassist Will Farquarson and drummer Chris ‘Woody’ Wood continued to make music with Dan’s song writing skills at the forefront.

The group continued to expand their ever-growing fanbase by releasing new material and playing minor festival slots, and little by little they began to get more attention from the media. In 2012 they released their free mixtapes, Other People’s Heartache Part 1 & 2, which featured mash-ups of covers with their own songs. By this time they were signed to Virgin Records, and destined to go far.

In hindsight, 2013 was always going to be Bastille’s year. They had been building up momentum with the releases of their singles Overjoyed, Bad Blood and Flaws during 2012. The release of their debut album Bad Blood and their fourth single Pompeii in early 2013 propelled them into the mainstream. Cue a whirlwind of tours sending them as far as Australia and the US, television appearances and slots at major festivals such as Glastonbury.

With all the dashing about between tours and promotions, you could think that the four would be running out of steam. Yet Dan, Kyle, Woody and Will still remain down-to-earth and focused on their music. Read or watch any interview and you will find them humorous, sarcastic and cripplingly self-deprecating. Yes, they have success, fame and have probably made quite a bit of money, but it is clear that they don’t take any of this for granted, or think that it is going to last. However, this only makes them more likeable.

So what’s next for Bastille? A new album and mixtape in the works shows that they have not stopped working hard, despite their success. Fingers crossed that these releases will be out before the end of the year. It seems that only time will tell if they will be able to replicate the success of their first album. We know that whatever comes next for Bastille, we will be watching, and eagerly waiting.

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