Bastille’s New Album Wild World Reviewed & Ranked

Track 15: “Way Beyond”, 3:19

Bastille goes hip-hop. Kinda. Lead singer Dan Smith is definitely singing, but in this track the vocals sound a little like a rap. The beat is definitely old school hip hop, and there is even some synth back there, way back in the layering of the instrumentals, that reminds me of 90s pop radio hits (Think: “Here We Go” by N*Sync or “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” by Will Smith).

So the subject matter, then, lends itself to just this type of song. So what is the subject matter? Well, it’s a sort of homage to the crazy shit that goes on in the world and how most of us just sit at home, watching on TV, wondering what’s real and what’s not.

"“Movies and news on television Sometimes it’s hard to tell the differences oh When real life’s more fucked up than fiction Do you wanna be free of this?”"

So all of that I’m okay with. Throwback beats and lyrics that make me go, “Yep, totally”. So what doesn’t work?

The big thing I don’t quite understand are the voice samplings. This song has a couple, and they are rampant throughout the entire album. My immediate thought when a band puts in a bunch of sampling from movies/tv/other voices/speeches, etc., is that they are afraid their listeners aren’t going to “get it.”

I get it. I can probably do without the stoner in the beginning asking me what the F I’m doing, and the news caster at the end reminding me how ridiculous society is.

I do really love the chorus, though. Makes me wanna put my hands in the air and wave ’em around like I just don’t care.

Next: Lethargy