'Things We Lost In The Fire' textual analysis

Here, I will be analysing the music video 'Things We Lost In The Fire' by Bastille. Bastille began a solo project with singer-songwriter Dan Smith, whom later moved to Ireland in purpose to form a band. The band now comprises of the four members; Daniel Smith, Chris Wood, William Farquarson and Kyle Simmons. The name of the band derives, from Bastille Day, the date of Daniel Smith's birthday. Bastille produce music of the Indie Pop genre, likewise to the unsigned band whom I am working with. 'Things We Lost In The Fire' was written by the lead vocalist and likewise produced with the help of Mark Crew. The video doesn't explicitly fit into the typical conventions of the Indie Rock genre however, the artist is heavily involved within.

Firstly, when looking at the relationship between lyrics and visuals, these are seen to be contradictory. For example the two consequential lines, 'All that we've amassed' 'sits before us shattered into ash'. In the first instance a middle-aged man is shown picking up, what I assume to be a bullet. The word 'amassed' refers to a gathering together therefore, this contradicts the lyrics as the shot only encompasses a lone man and bullet. This then leads onto the visuals of a wolf standing high upon a car rooftop. The lyrics at this current point are 'sits before us shattered into ash' this immediately controverts the visuals as the four legged mammal is shown standing. Additionally, the two are irrelevant against each other, not even having the slightest link. However, a slight few lyrics are narrated in tenuous way. The last repetition of 'lost' is imaged with a gun falling to the ground. A gun is a lethal weapon therefore, symbolic of death. Exploring this further, a death is a loss due to permanent decease hence, the visuals could be said to narrate the lyrics significantly at this instance. Moreover, the lyrics represent the Indie Pop genre as emotions are explored, those of both sadness and loneliness.

Considering the relationship between the music and the visuals, this is seen to be fairly strong and consistent. The music sets in 16 seconds into the video, following 3 long shots, establishing the setting. For here on in, transitions between shots fall on either the eighth or fourth beat depending on the tempo of the beat. For instance from 3 mins 20, the chorus emerges, altering shots on a time signature of four four over the time period of the verse.

The message behind 'Things We Lost In The Fire' isn't self-explanatory. From a personal approach I feel that the lead singer, Daniel Smith is traversing through a dream full of symbolism. The most noticeable theme I feel is death. Apart from the gun, death is also shown in a stereotypical manner with the inclusion of Muslins in burkas. Furthermore, this could be said to relate to a wide audience as everyone witnesses bereavement in their lives and the lingering emotions from such an event. Other audiences may also include those who listen to bands such as; The Wombats, Mumford&sons and The Hoosiers, as these all commonly collected under the Indie Pop genre.

When looking at the artist throughout the video, Dan Smith, isn't represented as a significant figure as a characterised role isn't played. However, the inclusion of the lead singer enables the audience to form an image of the band, taking into account the costume and overall look of the artist. Further, a large amount of materialised goods aren't displayed, suggesting the artist to be an 'average' man. In turn this creates a greater connection with the audience, as it is believed that the artist is more comparative with the audience. This opposes other music videos in the same genre such as, 'How To Be A Heartbreaker' by Marina and the Diamonds where the female singer is seen to be surrounded by half naked mean. This is something most females would contemplate as unprovable.

Additionally, when looking at other videos by Bastille, these are seen to follow both a Narrative and Concept-based structure. A story is always told in a subtle manner however, the lyrics and visuals contravene. The slight difference nonetheless, is that the artist doesn't always appear in the music videos, for instance in 'Of The Night'.

Within the video there is a certain notion of looking. This is especially apparent from 1:19 to 1:30 when a young girl is seen walking through, what I assume to be a bar, turning heads of the males present. This represents the female as an icon of beauty. This opposes some representations of women in music videos such as, 'Pour It Up' by Rihanna, where females are represented as sex objects from a male viewpoint.
Like both my textual analysis' on 'Sunshine' and 'She's so lovely', this music video isn't used for the purpose to promote. One key reason why other media platforms aren't represented in any of Bastille's music videos is due to the band being contemporary. Unlike 'She's So Lovely' featuring in both a TV series and film, Bastille is too recent to have yet taken advantage of these opportunities.

Penultimately, when considering the production of 'Things We Lost In The Fire' this is seen to be both Narrative and Concept based. This means that the video follows a storyline, of which it does but in a vague manner. This can be seen however, with the outcome at the end of the production. The video is furthermore Concept-based, as the visuals don't support the lyrics. For instance, 'I was the match and you were the roar' sees corresponding visuals of a car pulling away from a junction, showing no links between the two components. However, I feel this technique allows the audience to interpret the storyline themselves.

To conclude my textual analysis for 'Things We Lost In The Fire' by Bastille, Indie Pop characteristics are noticeable with the lead singer taking an active role in the production of the music video. Not only does he appear in the video, but Daniel Smith also took part in writing and producing the song. Furthermore, the song plays to a large audience as the artist portrays himself as a comparable figure to the audience. Likewise to previous videos, the productions are fairly similar, encompassing a concept-based narrative in relationship to the lyrics and visuals. Surreal clips are used to reflect Daniel Smiths love of David Lynchs style and themes, replicated in the bands videos.