- 2024-09-14
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MUSIC
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Bastille Releases Two New Songs “Blue Sky & The Painter” & “Leonard & Marianne” as “& (Ampersand), Part Two”
British pop rock band Bastille released two new songs “Blue Sky & The Painter” and “Leonard & Marianne” as “& (Ampersand), Part Two” on September 13, 2024.
Two songs are taken from their upcoming album “&” (Ampersand), which is set to be released on October 25, 2024.
“& (Ampersand), Part Two” follows up “& (Ampersand), Part One”, including four songs, which was released back in July.
The album consists of four parts as a collection of story songs that intertwine the lives of remarkable figures from throughout history, including poets, artists, anthropologists, scientists, and figures from religion and myth.
The band frontman Dan Smith said of two songs, “I'm so happy that these songs are out now because they show two very different sides of '&'. There's an intimacy & lushness to 'Leonard & Marianne' and an abrasive, brash euphoria to 'Blue Sky & The Painter' - both of which I fucking love.”
He continued, “Both songs are about famous artists-Edvard Munch and Leonard Cohen-who led complicated, fascinating lives. They were massively prolific in their work, and both documented their experiences, their joys and their struggles in loads of detail.”- “Blue Sky & The Painter” is inspired by the Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch and his relationship with his depression.
It was written by Dan Smith. Produced by Mark Crew and Dan Smith.
Back in May, the band frontman Dan Smith performed the song in the middle of the Sargasso Sea, an important marine ecosystem, in support of Greenpeace.
Dan Smith said, “'Blue Sky & the Painter' started on a scrappy acoustic guitar in my kitchen and it's morphed into this raucous thing—full of electric guitars and distortion-that I love so much in a completely different way. I was fascinated to read Edvard Munch talk about his relationship with depression - how understandably difficult it was to live with but how the art that made him famous wouldn't have existed without it. When I saw his painting “Self Portrait Against a Blue Sky” it struck me to see the bright blueness of that sky behind his darkened, complicated facial expression. I liked the idea of making something about that moment of finally seeing hope through darkness.” -
While, “Leonard & Marianne” is a love song about longing and loss, influenced by the complex relationship between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen.
The song is one of the first tracks that Dan Smith wrote for the project in 2020.
The track was written by Dan Smith and Dan Wilson. Produced by Mark Crew and Dan Smith.
Dan Smith said, “'Leonard & Marianne' is the song that kicked off the whole '&' concept. It's inspired by the fantastic documentary 'Words of Love' which brings to life Cohen's relationship with his partner and muse, Marianne. It was also inspired by a lifelong love of Cohen's music and words, which filled the house when I was a kid. I got to work on this song with the incredible Dan Wilson during lockdown, and I'm so happy that it's finally finished. It's transformed from a little song that for years existed only on late nights being played on a piano for friends, into this beautiful arrangement with incredible strings and backing vocals by Moira Mack.”
The new album comprises a 14-track, produced by Mark Crew and Dan Smith.
Dan Smith said of the album, “I've always loved writing story songs and using tales of other people as a way into making music and talking about my experiences in life. Over the last few years, I've been working on a whole load of songs about people who I think are fascinating and whose lives really spoke to me.”
He added, “I didn't really know what project of mine was but I knew I wanted to go about making it in a new and different way. I reached out to loads of amazing creative people, musicians, artists and a whole lot more inviting them all to be part of this storytelling project. For me, it's been the most brilliant, fun and chilled process, while also trying to do justice to the lives and stories of these amazing people.” - source : Apple Music
