& [Ampersand]

by Bastille

Overview

Created by Dan Smith while the rest of the band's members took a break after the Give Me the Future tour, & [Ampersand] is something of a return to Bastille's roots, since it was originally Smith's solo project. As if to reflect the slimmer lineup, Smith dials down Bastille's usual high-impact sound, favoring gentle vocals and softly strummed and plucked guitars for the album's stories of historical and mythological figures. Even if & [Ampersand] doesn't sound quite like Bastille's other albums, the way Smith gives familiar tales a fresh perspective harks back to the "Pompeii" days, especially when the chanted hook kicks in on the prologue "Intros & Narrators." There's still something endearing in the wonder he finds in the world and people around him as he brings his songs' subjects down to earth while celebrating their accomplishments. On "Marie & Polonium," he champions Marie Curie's ultimately fatal devotion to her scientific discoveries as "the most rock 'n' roll thing that I might have ever heard." & [Ampersand]'s more intimate settings let Smith's thoughtful lyrics take the lead on "Eve & Paradise Lost," which tells the story of that fateful bite of the apple and its aftermath ("I will always take the fall for us"), and on "Seasons & Narcissus," a clever retelling of the mythical love story ("Life rolls by/While we waste away"). Smith doesn't forsake cloud-busting sonics entirely. The Paul Robeson-inspired "Essie & Paul" boasts Bastille-sized choruses even without lavish instrumentation, while "Blue Sky & the Painter" turns Edvard Munch's battle with depression into one of the album's most buoyant highlights. While & [Ampersand]'s arrangements occasionally sound too similar to each other, the album's gentler, more reflective incarnation of Bastille still offers plenty for fans who love the band's way with storytelling as much as their usually epic sound. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/2024
Label:	Emi Import
UPC:	0602468033752

Tracks

1. Intros & Narrators
2. Eve & Paradise Lost
3. Emily & Her Penthouse in the Sky
4. Blue Sky & the Painter
5. Leonard & Marianne
6. Marie & Polonium
7. Red Wine & Wilde
8. Seasons & Narcissus
9. Drawbridge & the Baroness
10. The Soprano & Her Midnight Wonderings
11. Essie & Paul
12. Mademoiselle & the Nunnery Blaze
13. Zheng Yi Sao & Questions for Her
14. Telegraph Road 1977 & 2024

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bastille   Primary Artist
Bim   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Charlie Barnes   Keyboards,Wurlitzer,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Steel),Lap Steel Guitar,Bass,Piano,Guitar
Jonny Abraham   Guitar (Bass)
JF Abraham   Bass,Trumpet
Natalia Brown   Viola
JFAbraham   Bass,Trumpet,Guitar (Bass)
Moira Mack   Vocals (Background)
Isla Smith   Vocals (Background)
Ric Elsworth   Marimba,Vibraphone,Glockenspiel
Jack Duxbury   Piano,Guitar
Josh Taffel   Vocals (Background)
Ciara Ismail   Violin
Bim Amoako Gyampah   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Abimbola Amoako-Gyampah   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Grant McNeill   Vocals (Background)
Dan Grech-Marguerat   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
James Earp   Bass,Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Stephanie Benedetti   Violin
Matt Ingram   Drums
Rachael Lander   Cello
Ralph Pelleymounter   Vocals (Background)
Dan Smith   Piano,Vocals,Mellotron,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Charlie Barnes   Producer,String Arrangements,Arranger
Jonny Abraham   Arranger
Amy Sergeant   Engineer,Recording
JFAbraham   Arranger,Producer,Recording Arranger,Synthesizer Programming
Seb Maletka-Catala   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Gili Portal   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Cassius Whiley-Morton   Assistant Engineer
Dylan Grafftey-Smith   Assistant Engineer
Harriet Bruce   Illustrations
Theo Hersey   Printing Engineer
Joe Horridge   Photography
JF Abraham   Producer,String Arrangements,Additional Production,Synthesizer Programming
Emily Lazar   Mastering Engineer,Mastering
Bim Amoako Gyampah   Composer
Luke Burgoyne   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Abimbola Amoako-Gyampah   Composer
Stuart Jones   Design
Dan Grech-Marguerat   Mixing,Programming
Tony Lyons   Design
Dan Wilson   Composer
Lee Smith   Mixing
Mark Crew   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording
Ralph Pelleymounter   Composer
Dan Smith   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Vocal Arrangement,String Arrangements
Manon Grandjean   Mixing
Michael Osborne   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Dan Priddy   Composer
Luke Gibbs   Assistant Engineer