So give me the future - it's golden and bright

Continuing my trip forward in time through the album charts

11/02/22 : Give Me The Future - Bastille


Bastille always seem to be one of those bands that it's popular to sneer at if you like "proper music" but I've got no problems at all with Bad Blood (which is nearly ten years old now!) and listen to the best bits of it on a regular basis.  I've also caught them live at Glastonbury a couple of times and they put on a decent set and give the crowd what they want.  However, I have to admit that any attempts on my part to engage with any albums after Bad Blood haven't exactly met with great success and I don't have any great expectations that things are going to change as a result of this album.

And a first listen would seem to back this up - it's all perfectly fine and I can see I'd probably get into it if I gave it enough listens, but that's just not going to happen.  "Shut Off The Lights" was probably the track that jumped out the most, but that's more than likely because it's the current single - I have to admit to being slightly surprised it was the fifth single from the album released over the past six months.  I was also at times mildly surprised by the depth and literacy of the lyrics - some of the words have been properly thought about, but I'm afraid I wasn't convinced they were worth the effort.  It's just all a bit too serious at times - I'm not entirely convinced this is what their audience are looking for (but I apologise profusely if they are).  The "spoken word interlude" (as Wikipedia calls it) really doesn't work for me though, I'm afraid - but I quite like the album cover in a "this is what the future will look like" kinda way.

We're at #1 again this week, with an album debuting at the top spot for the fifth consecutive week (I believe that tends to be a thing in January and February, but I'll guess we'll see when it stops).  We had four other new albums in the top 10 - Mitski or The Divine Comedy's best of would have probably got my top votes for a listen.  Dave also jumped 67 places to get back into the top 10 which suggests that people really like his Brits performance (and the man certainly knows how to make an impression).

Wikipedia doesn't have a lot on the album, other than making the point that we're supposed to take it seriously, what with it being "a tribute to humanity in a tech age that reflects on the strangeness of living through times that can feel like science fiction".  If you say so, boys...

"Customers also listened to" Bob Moses, Gang Of Youths, George Ezra and Tame Impala - which seems like an odd mix to me.  I didn't mind this album but it did somewhat wash over me and there's nothing here to divert me from Bad Blood, I'm afraid - although I imagine they still put on a good show live.

04/02/22 - An antidote to the blandness
18/02/22 - Not an immediate grab for me

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