Bad Blood

(Virgin)

Thank you, Bastille, for delivering your debut album at the very point my post-Brits cynicism had reached a peak. Just when I was ready to give up on commercial pop as an overblown exercise in lazy writing and industry greed, along come Dan Smith and his band with 12 courageously crafted songs that bring joy to the most jaded ears. Pompeii sets a bold template, setting classical allusions to an electro pulse, pounding Florence-style drums and a gloriously camp "eh oh, eh oh" male chorus that marches right behind Pet Shop Boys in the Go West video. Sometimes Smith is slightly in danger of developing a squint as he keeps one eye on the positive mainstream appeal of Coldplay, the other on cool pop-culture references to the likes of Twin Peaks. The result: Daniel In The Den could be Muse recast as a boy band. But at the core of every intriguing production arrangement is a pearl of a song that clothes the classy intelligence of its lyrics with top-class pop hooks. A singular talent has arrived.