2015A2Esha: Track: Bastille, Poet

For my final package I have decided to use the track 'Poet', by the British band Bastille.

Bastille, stylised as BΔSTILLE, belong to the indie pop, rock and electronica genres. [1] The band's front man Daniel Campbell 'Dan' Smith (thumbnail and khaki jacket) is the lead vocalist, producer, songwriter and founder of the band. [2] The other three members include Kyle Simmons, Will Farquarson and Chris Wood. [1]

The band gained recognition from 'Pompeii', the fourth single released from their debut album Bad Blood (2013). It reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, number 4 in Australian ARIA Chart, and number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was also top of the Alternative Songs chart. [3] Furthermore, according to the Official Charts Company, it is the UK's most streamed song of all time, as of June 2014. [3] [4] It has become the band's signature song.

The band are signed to Universal Music Group under the label Virgin Records. [1] Virgin EMI distributes to the UK, whilst Capitol Music Group does so in the US. [5]

The track I have chosen in particular is from a reissue of the band's debut album, this time in the form of a double album titled All This Bad Blood (late 2013). [1] [6]

I chose this track as I liked the more upbeat quality it had, and how this does not make the song distinctively happy or sad. The lyrics also stood out to me as unconventional and dealing with a more meaningful song appealed to me. These blurred lines between the purpose behind the song adds a sense of mystery, I feel. I also thought that the pace was quite steady and the length of the track not too long, making the editing process more convenient. I had in mind before to only have one main performer, and although Bastille is a band, only one main vocalist is needed for this song.

Once looking into the song more I discovered that it has drawn inspiration from and based on Shakespeare's Sonnets 18 and possibly 81. Smith admitted on Twitter to a curious fan that the song was based on Sonnet 18. [7] Here it is recited by David Tennant:

However, more comparisons can be drawn from Sonnet 81 and some fans speculate that this may also be an inspiration [7] However, as far as I am aware, this has not been confirmed: