Bastille - &

Across their 14 years so far, Bastille have regularly pushed against the expectations of your average indie-pop band; from their propulsive breakthrough hit ‘Pompeii’ and its gruesome lyrical roots, through to their ReOrchestrated shows - in which the band reworked tracks from across their discography to perform with a full orchestra and choir - Dan Smith and co. have rarely seemed content sticking to the rulebook. This time, the famously restless frontman has returned to his history-mining roots to create a collection of “story songs”, written entirely from the perspective of characters from across myth and decades of culture. For anyone expecting a new Bastille record under a different guise, look away now; billed under ‘Bastille Presents’ - a somewhat clunky but necessary differentiation - this fourteen-track project is a different beast entirely. Closer to the intimate, acoustic leanings of their standalone film soundtrack ‘Hope For The Future’, ‘& (Ampersand)’ is ambitious in its scope of protagonists and narratives but gorgeously stripped back in musical nature. As a result, there’s an intimate, hushed feel that accompanies the whole thing, amplifying its spirit as a storytelling vehicle. ‘The Soprano & Midnight Wonderings’ is a particular highlight, with lead vocal duties taken up by band collaborator Bim to create a truly stunning offering, while sonic textures (strings, gang vocals, even lyrics sung in French) are used throughout to help anchor each track’s atmosphere and context. Granted - as the record’s opener ‘Intros & Narrators’ cleverly outlines - these are very much tales told from Smith’s perspective, as opposed to a comprehensive history lesson, but it’s an innovative, immersive and wholly enjoyable project nonetheless.