Travis are not a music critics band. Unlike, say Radiohead to whom their earliest work owed a profuse debt, they have no interest in challenging the boundaries of modern music. Thus the third release from the Glaswegian band, offers no electronic experimentation, no forays into Jazz territory just twelve songs, traditionally performed with the chorus and verse formula all present and correct. Quite what Nigel Godritch who produced both bands new albums made of the gap between them would doubtless make interesting reading.
So now we’ve ascertained that Travis have made no drastic U-turn in their sound a review is perhaps in order. ‘The Invisible Band’ is Travis’ first album since the massive selling ‘The Man Who’, which transformed them from forgotten post Britpop darlings, who once attracted the praise of one Noel Gallagher to superstars in their own right. 1997s debut ‘Good Feeling’ captured a youthful band with a schizophrenic sound. One minute they were glam rockers thrashing out scuzzy pop such ‘U-16 Girls’ the next they were bed-sit poets, performing sparse songs of heartbreak. ‘The Man Who’ on the other hand saw Travis exorcising they’re poppy past and creating a whole album of maudlin melancholy.
Those who were hoping Travis would return to their roots on this album will be disappointed once again. The between albums single ‘Coming Around’, which sadly doesn’t appear here, was a misnomer. There is little evidence of its jangly carefree pop here. Which is a shame as ‘Coming Around’ was an exquisitely crafted
song sounding rather like rather like an outtake from The La’s debut. ‘The Invisible Band’ instead largely follows the model created by its predecessor. Despite denials from the band during the recording process, ‘The Invisible Band’ is at least in part “The Man Two” or at best a close sister to their second LP.
The album opens with ‘Sing’, which is no doubt all over your radio like a rash as you read this. Developing out of a controlled wave of distortion, which flicks in and out of the mix during track, is an electro-acoustic guitar line with what sounds like a banjo playing the lead. On a first listen the song sounds decidedly like Travis by numbers, the sound being eerily reminiscent of ‘Writing to Reach You’ and ‘Driftwood’. However, after several replays it reveals its true worth. A delightful reprised chorus, which grows a little more insidious with every repetition, a soaring vocal from Fran Healy, which blends in and out of the instrumentation. The way the guitars subtly change over the course of the track from acoustic to glacial electric’s and the wonderfully chiming solo completed by Healy’s wordless croon. The subtly controlled string section which lurks in the background add a slight chill of malice to the track, there is an indefinable darkness present.
‘Sing’ is one of only a few tracks that could be described as upbeat. Another is ‘Side’ which seems a fair bet for a single release at some point. The song opens with a slightly jagged minor chord guitar riff, which sounds ever so slightly distorted. That slight menace which characterised ‘Sing’ is present again. It is slightly offset by the seemingly sing-song chorus but the song darkens again as Healy sings “The circle only has one side.” The song’s bittersweet texture is characterised by the lyric “Life is but a major and minor key,” which sums up this track perfectly. The melody is haunting, not exactly catchy but compelling all the same.
‘Pipe Dream’ is another possible single, with its opening biting acoustic guitars it threatens to jar the generally chilled mood of the album. However, the song soon settles down to less unsettling pace, Healy again sounds resigned rather the angry, the sharp pill sugared by smooth harmonies on the main hook.
‘Flowers in the Window’ in contrast is Travis at their sweetest and no doubt will polarise people who will either vomit at the unpretentious declaration of love to Healy’s fiancée or find it touching. The song skips along driven by a chiming guitar, melodic piano and tambourine. It’s Beatlesish in a very Paul Mcartney type fashion although the entrance of a seagull and sea sounds in the background of the second verse edges perhaps a little to close to the edge of cheeziness. Taken at face value however, it’s offers light relief from some of the darkness, which surrounds it.
Healy might now be happily coupled up but it is the ghostly fingertips of a failed relationship, which tinge the feel of the album. ‘The Cage’ with its religious imagery “You broke the bread, you drank the wine, your lip was bleeding but it was fine.”, is the most explicit example of this. A gentle acoustic guitar plays in the forefront over a background of synthesised strings, Healy’s vocal sounding wistful yet resigned with a heartfelt lyric of longing and loss “For when this bird just flew away/ she was never meant to stay/ or to keep her caged and just delay the spring.”. The middle eight is particularly beautiful, a wordless sigh accompanied by spiralling strings and guitar.
‘The Humpty-Dumpty Lovesong’ is touched by the same resigned melancholy and possibly is on the same subject matter. Despite the clumsy title, the track has an effortless beauty to it. It begins with what sounds a drum rhythm on a Casio keyboard and lone guitar, which keep Healy’s vocal company before a sweeping string section enters on the second verse and a backlash of dark guitar as the chorus is reprised. The lyric manages to cleverly weave the classic nursery rhyme into a heartbroken cry. It contains my favourite line on the whole of the album, “An eye on all my horses / you’ve slept with all my men / I’m never gonna get myself together again.”
Whilst ‘The Man Who’ suffered from one too many dull album tracks; even the most average track here has memorable in some way. ‘Safe’, a song dating from the earliest days of Travis sounds perhaps a little lazy but then stirs itself into a powerful central section. The feedback on the guitars adds a slight bite to the sound. ‘Afterglow’ is perhaps the worst offender, jangling inoffensively along rather like a slightly speeded version up version of ‘Slideshow’, yet the clever chord and tempo changes make it impossible to be too scathing.
Travis seem to found a sound they are entirely comfortable with and this album is the highly polished result. However, despite some excellent songs and being a generally consistent enjoyable listen, the seeds of genius are not present. Despite the dark undertow to many of the tracks there is little rage or passion conveyed here. The album badly needs a track such as ‘Blue Flashing Light’ where Healy lets his guard down and unleashes the anger, which he frustratingly hints at.
So in conclusion then this is a good album. It repays repeated listening and barely puts a foot wrong during its 45 minute running time. Fans of ‘The Man Who’ will not disappointed. The rest of us however, are still waiting for Travis to produce the truly great album they are obviously capable of.
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The Invisible Bandmarks no major change in direction for Travis but this is no bad thing. ... more
That Travis are the most simplistic of the post-Radiohead groups may not sound like the heartiest of compliments but it undoubtedly accounts for their massive app...
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The Invisible Band marks no major change in direction for Travis but this is no bad thing. ... more
That Travis are the most simplistic of the post-Radiohead groups may not sound like the heartiest of compliments but it undoubtedly accounts for their massive ap...
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Advantages: Great sound of and tunes written by Fran Healy. Includes the excellent releases such as 'Turn,' Writing to Reach You,' and 'Why Does It Always Rain on Me?' Disadvantages: ?
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