Sorry about the title, it is my poor attempt at humor, and a joke at the title, ‘The Invisible Band’, just to save me having to explain it later. Anyway on with the feature presentation.
This album may not exactly be the latest release, but this is Travis’s latest album and the follow up to ‘The Man Who’, something I really enjoyed when that was first released. After hearing a few of the singles off it, I decided to go and get it, they sounded as good as ever and promised a lot.
Travis, consist of four members, the lead singer Fran Healey I have a lot of time for, I think he is a very talented singer and guitarist, as well as writing all the songs, and coming up with some cracking lyrics. As a band they produce top quality guitar music. ‘The Invisible Band’ is their third album, flowing up to their 1999 success ‘The Man Who’. The other members are Dougie, Neil and Andrew, all Scottish, but I wont hold that against them. On this album all the mixing and editing was done by Nigel Goodrich, and the album was released under Independent Limited. The cover and inlay includes all the lyrics (something I like), with plenty of snaps of the band members with the cover being, all the members in a wood. Don’t quite get the title, as I can very clearly see all of them in the photo, or I might be missing the point. I got this album off CD-WOW for the great price of £8.99, see my opinion on them for music at an unbeatable price.
So what is this album like? Read on for all the tracks, lyrics and my thoughts….
1. Sing
Turn,
turn, turn, no whoops wrong song, this time the chorus is sing, sing, sing. Easy enough mistake to make, the songs are pretty similar, but that is not really a bad thing. A good song, catchy and with a nice sing a long chorus. Good song, already released as a single, and a nice easy way to start off the album with quality.
“But if you sing, For the love you bring, Won’t mean a thing Unless you sing, sing, sing” Sing, sing, sing, sing
2. Dear Diary
Not my favourite track on the album. Slow moving, mournful and quiet. The slow tempo may be to some peoples style, and the fact that it is sandwiched between two of the better songs on the album, but I do not get along with this, it drags on too long.
“Dear Diary, What is wrong with me, Cos I’m fine between the lines, Be not afraid, Help is on the way”
3. Side
My favourite track on the album, even at this early stage. A great upbeat chorus, superb lyrics all the way through, and guitars provide a good backing. Another big single off the album, and it grows on me every time. Very nice.
“The grass is always greener on the other side, Neighbors got a new car that you wanna drive, And when time is running out you want to stay alive, We all live under the same sky, We all will live, we all will die, There is no wrong, there is no right, A circle only has one side, Side Side Side”
4. Pipe Dreams
Good song, that has grown on me over the times I have listened to it. Good chorus which again is catchy and pleasant to listen to. Lyrically good, though not as good as ‘side’. Nice song, overall one of the better on the album, but just off the title of my favourite.
“I’d pray to god if there was heaven, But heaven seems so very far from here, And it all boils down to the same old thing, Just a yin and a yang, Or a couple of pipe dreams”
5. Flowers in the Window
Good track, and a single again released from this album. A good song, same sort of upbeat chorus of ‘side’, a song that is just piped to my favourite by the fine ‘side’. A banjo playing gives it an interesting twist, and a good lyrical song, and by no means a bad tracks.
“Wow, look at you now, Flowers in the window, Its such a lovely day, And I’m glad you feel the same, Cos to stand up, out in the crowd, You are one in a million, and I love you so, Lets watch the flowers grow”
6. The Cage
Slow song, unlike ‘side’ or ‘flowers in the window’, but I still like this one, with a memorable chorus and meaningful parts to it. Not a bad song, better than the average on the album
“Oh to keep her caged would just delay the spring, You broke your word, Now that’s a lie, We had a deal that you would try”
7. Safe
Not too bad, lacks that touch to make it very good, but I like the chorus, the vocals are very good, and a fine display of Mr. Healey’s talents. The main line consists of ‘I feel safe, so safe’, well sung, powerful and upbeat, and there is constant quality acoustic guitars in the music, and is a good enough song.
“And I feel safe, so safe And I feel safe, I feel so brave, I’m not afraid, Of anything they have got to say”
8. Follow the light
I like this song, at in the middle of the album, a good chorus which sounds up tempo and happy, reassuring lyrics. Very nice, well sung, although the guitars do not back it up too well in my opinions.
“Cos it’s all right, just follow the light, And don’t be afraid of the dark In the moonlight dance till you fall, And always be in my heart”
9. Last Train
Dark, and mysterious song that say this is the last chance. Personally not one of my favourites, I prefer the more upbeat tracks like I said, but this is just not in the same quality bracket as others. Interesting variation with songs on the album, but not for me.
“This could be the last train, Search within yourself for feelings, Everybody’s got them”
10.Afterglow
Not a bad song, but like ‘dear diary’ I get board of this song pretty quickly, and may not listen all the way through. Very average, but that may just be my taste and style, but this is a slow tempo song, with mumbling words. Really drags on in the end, with a wailing till the finish of the track.
“You are the afterglow, Feeling my way all the time, All the time doing fine”
11.Indefinitely
Bad way to end, as though they ran out of good enough material after ‘follow the light’. Slow moving, and eventually stops after getting nowhere slowly. Not my taste at all, but it is just far too slow for me to cope with. Some good lyrics though, as shown below.
“Time exists, but just on your wrist so don’t panic, Moments last and lifetimes are lost in a day, So wind your watches down please, Cos there is no time to lose, And I’m going to stay here indefinitely”
12. The Humpty Dumpty Love Song
A twist on the nursery rhyme, with good lyrics if you listen in to them. Very little music backing, and there is a 30 pause at the start, that made me thing my CD player had gone. Good way to end the album on a note that shows the quality of the writing, but a slow and disappointing musical track.
Overall I was slightly disappointed by this, especially after Travis’s last offering, ‘The Man Who’. I only just brought this within the last two weeks, so some of the tracks I did not like now may well grow on me. Also this album was released a long time back, in June, so I was expecting a lot after hearing live clips of all the singles, Travis are just not as good in the studio as they are live. That is not to say this is a bad album, all the singles are on here, as well as song great ones that have not been released, so I would still recommend you to go out and buy this, just don’t expect too much.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Excellent piece of writing. The quality and style of your ops are always impressive. Hmm.....maybe i could do the same...if only
davegroom 25.10.2001 23:06
I love that song "the grass is always greener on the other side..." its so catchy and stays in my head for ages! great op! dave ;)
Chris_Padden 25.10.2001 19:25
I prefer a bit of the louder stuff, this is at the end of the spectrum for my music tastes. Not a bad album, with a few good songs that I really like, and still worth getting I feel. Chris
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...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Easy to listen to, excellent lyrics, good musical accompaniment, great album to work to Disadvantages: None really, apart from the fact that there were only 12 tracks
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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