Bastille Creates an Intoxicating Eruption With "Pompeii"

And now... something a little under the radar of the pop charts. Bastille is a four man band hailing from the UK where, if memory serves me right, loads of kick ass music has originated. Their latest single is "Pompeii". Good title for the primary reason that the drummer, Chris "Woody" Wood (could there be a better, more focused name for a drummer?) is capable of launching from playful to cavernous without breaking too much of a sweat. If you listen closely you'll realize that when Bastille hits its chorus, that's when Wood launches into that devilishly brief "I'm serious! One false move and I'll peel the hairs off your inner ears with the power of my sticks!" display of manly bravado. Nowhere is the word "Pompeii" mentioned but I suppose that's because the boys explode enough on their own without a volcano reference cramping their ample style. Lead vocalist Dan Smith's one time solo project blossomed into this outfit. If you remember nothing about "Pompeii" other than the massively effective drum work or the church sanctuary discipline of the chorus then you've left the listening experience a better person than when you began. Drill like in their persistence keyboards dot this curious other world. Dan's cranking out some decorative notes as are Kyle Simmons and Will Farquarson. Will's bass playing is the steadfast heartbeat guiding the song through its chain mail warrior twists and turns. For my money the keyboards cock the gun and the drums pull the trigger.  From there it's off to the races we go with some tight melding of voices. Lyrically optimism is under scrutiny. "Where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?" Probably a good many people, although not in that exact framework, have pondered the same question about their own universes.Haven't many of us closed our eyes only to find we're in the same situation as before? It's relationship water treading at its most disconcerting. "Pompeii" can be found on the band's first studio album "Bad Blood". The blood's flowing nicely here. "Pompeii" is one eruption of tight as nails noise you'll be happy to dig out from under.