An ampersand intimately and magically joins things together. “&” (Ampersand) is also the name of a beautiful new Bastille project from Dan Smith, a collection of story songs that intertwine the lives and wide worlds of startling women and men.
Poets and artists, anthropologists and scientists, characters from religion and myth, outsiders, and trailblazers, all come to life here in the hushed, spellbinding soundworlds Smith has created – a new twist on the melodic power for which Bastille have been adored for over a decade. This is an album fed by new collaborations, dazzling arrangements, and an infectious spirit of musical freedom with a desire to open ears, hearts, and minds to others – every track joining ideas and us as listeners together. Watch Dan introduce the making of “&” here
Released in 4 parts ahead of the full “&” album release on 25th October, Part One is out now and includes four beautiful tracks that introduce this special record. On gorgeously fingerpicked guitar, Intros and Narrators sets out the album’s mission and tone: Smith positioning himself softly in the background, outlining how the people in the stories emerge “bigger, bolder, braver” than he’ll “ever be”. A stunning one-take video for this was recorded earlier this year in the Sargasso Sea in the Bermuda Triangle, one of the most important marine ecosystems on the planet, to which Smith was invited by Greenpeace to help raise awareness about protecting our oceans. It moves from him singing in the deep blue in his lifejacket the camera pulling further and further away, reminding us how small we all are in this world. Watch here
Eve & Her Paradise Lost is about the burdens of loving women cruelly made to feel blame and shame from the dawn of time. Seasons & Narcissus is a curious, twisted love song between someone and their own reflection. Emily & Her Penthouse In The Sky is about the revolutionary internal life of 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson, and how her life is framed often as being tragically reclusive, rather than terrifically radical.
The rest of the songs on “&” uncover people misunderstood in myth, culture, and society. We meet fascinating individuals neglected by mainstream history, whose stories are often not given enough time and space to breathe and sing. There is also a touching song inspired by Dan’s family that connects him with his father’s poetry, his mother’s singing, and the idea of how music is shared and passed on.
Music as a channel for storytelling, performed in natural ways with friends, collaborators and even family, full of warmth and the energy of connection, is what “&” is all about. It’s a collection of songs about looking out at the world, disappearing into other lives rather than into ourselves, and about the humanity that can crackle and shimmer as a consequence.
Full Track listing below.
Intros & Narrators
Eve & Paradise Lost
Emily & Her Penthouse In The Sky
Blue Sky & The Painter
Leonard & Marianne
Marie & Polonium
Red Wine & Wilde
Seasons & Narcissus
Drawbridge & The Baroness
The Soprano & Her Midnight Wonderings
Essie & Paul
Mademoiselle & The Nunnery Blaze
Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her
Telegraph Road 1977 & 2024
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