From The XX to Miley Cyrus and even Michael Jackson, Bastille is giving hard core music lovers something to dance to. The hipster Brit brand covers popular tracks (apart from performing their originals singles) with their own twist to it. Front man, Dan Smith‘s, Brit-accent heavy vocals add a sense of romance (girls pay attention!) to each tune. Check them out and add them to your playlist!
We can’t Stop
Bastille just won’t cover a song without adding some flavour to it. In this cover of Miley Cyrus’ smash hit We Can’t Stop, the background score has shades of Eminem‘s 8 Mile mixed with beautiful violins. You like?
Psst! Towards the end there is a surprise
Earth Song/Common People
They dared to cover a Michael Jackson track. Not only did they manage to do it, they also mashed it with beats from Pulp‘s Common People. These guys have the guns to pull sh*t like this.
No Angels
Are you an XX fan? Do you remember TLC‘s No Scrubs? Well, now eat this! Bastille mashed them up and made one freaking brilliant track. Now this is what’s freaky about it: the little conversation featured in the track is pulled from the old Psycho movie.
Locked out of heaven/No Angels/Diamonds
Think of that time when you’re at the club and kinda getting a little too drunk, when you hear the words, “You make me feel like… I’m locked out of heaven.” Yup, it’s that Bruno Mars track and Bastille has covered it in their own organic, flavourful way with shades of XX’s No Angels (again) and Rihanna‘s Diamonds. I think there’s also some Jay Z and Kanye in there too!
Dreams
With Gabrielle Alpin, Bastille covered a classic. Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams got a resurrection and it’s beautiful.
Adagio For Strings/What Is Love/We Found love
You may have heard it at a classical orchestra set up or in an ecstatic version by Tiesto. Bastille added hard hitting drums and telephone-electronic rhythm to Adagio For Strings to set it in tune with another old school classic, What Is Love. If you stick to the end of the track, you’re treated with Rihanna’s We Found Love.
Of The Night
Stop everything and hear this. The 90’s re-invented by Bastille. This is the rhythm of the night and you can watch him sing it live in a skeleton costume!
Requiem for Blue JEans
Lana Del Ray‘s Blue Jeans with the background tunes of the Requiem For A Dream theme. Now that’s what I call eerie bittersweet old Hollywood romance re-visited.
What Would You Do
This is one of my favourite covers by Bastille. And I think it takes the original sung by City High to a whole different level. Although lyrically, the track is sad and speaks of dark times of some lives of real people, Bastille’s story telling is simply worth hitting repeat or standing in the sun like the people in video below.
Pompeii/ Sweet Nothing/ American Beauty
They took their own smash hit track, Pompeii and mashed it with the theme of American Beauty and twisted into submission with the lyrical brilliance of Florence Welch of Florence And The Machine and Calvin Harris‘ Sweet Nothing. Phew. Somebody bring me some water, they’ve set things on fire!
Bastille aren’t just about taking music made by others and covering them. They’re a talented bunch (God knows we need folks like them, now that commercial music is all about the money and no soul. #ThereISaidIt). In the video above, they work their single, Flaws, in an acoustic set up, with just a guitar and hand claps.
Have they covered a track you like? Tell us if you enjoy posts like these; I love sharing music and will continue to do so. Cheers!