Infinite Shuffle

I’ve mentioned before that I rarely ever listen to pop radio anymore. On rare occasions, when I’m in someone else’s car or abode, I don’t have a lot of say over the music — although, I certainly try to enforce my will.

Well, a few weeks ago, while riding with some friends along the back roads of Michigan, the discussion turned to music — as it often does with me. About that time, Lorde popped on the radio and I was informed that they’d heard of the Kiwi songstress well before I ever wrote about her.

While coming to grips with this news, another song came on, and I begrudgingly admitted to liking it but having never heard it.

“Oh, that’s Bastille,” I was told.

And now it’s my duty to pass this on to you, my loyal reader. Although, I get the feeling more than a few of you probably had heard of this band well before it reached my ears.

The pop quartet from London produces the kind of music that seems tailor-made for today’s mainstream radio — catchy tunes filled with pop bombast, a little folk and enough electronics to not be overbearing.

One reviewer in the band’s native England aptly described its sound as “not unlike a mildly clubby Coldplay.”

Bastille was formed in 2010 by lead singer Dan Smith, owner of a signature bouffant coiffure. The group quickly created a buzz with its uplifting tunes that belie darker, melancholic lyrics.

After releasing an early EP, the band signed with EMI and Virgin and set forth releasing the debut full-length, Bad Blood, which came out in the States this past September.

Prior to that, the group had put out a number of singles, which created enough hype at home that the album debuted at No. 1 on the UK charts upon its March release.

In the midst of a worldwide tour, Bastille is currently making their way through the Midwest before heading back to Europe. They’ll return to the States in the spring — including a stop in Chicago on March 31 — before jetting to Australia.