TRAVIS

“COMING AROUND”

b/w “Just The Faces Change”/”The Connection”/”Rock N’ (Salad) Roll”/”The Weight” (The Band cover)

Released 6/5/00

(Fran Healy)

I used to really love Travis; from 2000 til around 2003, I would say they were one of my favorite bands. I was won over by their second album (the massive U.K. smash The Man Who) and subsequently picked up their debut, Good Feeling. By the time The Invisible Band was released in the summer of 2001, my Traviphile tendencies were at a fever pitch. My friend Ryan and I even went to a Dido concert just because Travis were opening. In the middle of this period of devotion came “Coming Around”, a non-album single released to help ease the wait between records.

Now, the first thing you might notice when you hear “Coming Around” is that it sounds like The Byrds. Not just kind of like The Byrds. Just like The Byrds. My knowledge of guitars is nil, but I’d bet dollars to donuts that’s the 12-string Ricky on the track, the kind Roger McGuinn made famous. But I’ve never let blatant borrowing ruin my appreciation of a good song (Oasis is one of my favorite bands, after all), and almost a decade later, I still really like “Coming Around”. It’s got a good Fran Healy-supplied melody, and I’ve always been a fan of jangly guitars/ Now, it’s sounds like more of a transitional song to me than it did then; the melancholy of The Man Who being replaced by the (perhaps overly) sunny tones of The Invisible Band.

Unfortunately, that change also marked the beginning of the end for my time as an ardent Travis fan. I enjoy Band still (though it’s been years since I listened to it), but I think my affection may be borne more out of nostalgia than enthusiasm. I actually liked 2003’s 12 Memories, though after that my interest in keeping track of Travis faded. I bought The Boy With No Name, but it was out of habit more than anything and I seriously doubt I’ve ever listened to it all the way through. I didn’t even bother to get Ode To J. Smith. Some bands stay with you, and some bands are destined to fall by the wayside. But I still love The Man Who and I still love “Coming Around”…like I said, it was a transition, but I think it still has enough of a sweet spot for me, enough residual TMW qualities to make the cut-off of my Travis love. I also remember listening to it on a plane ride to Japan in the summer of 2000, and anytime a song can take you back to some of the best days of your life, it’s bound to have a positive effect on you.

Here’s the video…there’s a giant egg in it:

G.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Furl | Newsvine

October 12, 2009
Largo, LA

A dependable old lover

Oh Largo, you’re like a dependable old lover. Even when I try to walk away from you altogether, you lure me back in with the pull of good music and the allure of your distanced “I’m going to serve you from behind the safety of this gate” stance.  Although I successfully resisted your temptation since Butch Walker played there December 4, 2008, you sucked me in once again.

And it was even better than I remembered.

“Trust a little in Largo” was the door guy/ticket guy/MC’s response to a question I asked about seating.  I’m sure he has a name and I’d like to know it because he’s one of the reasons Largo exceeded my expectations tonight.  The other reason is, of course, Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop (Travis).

Andy Dunlop & Fran Healy

Healy explained that the concept of this tour was to play songs chronologically from the first song he wrote to the most recent song he’s written.  The idea is that they’ll write a new song every couple of days, and perform the new song as the last song of the set in the next city they play. “At the end of the tour, we hope to have written an entire new Travis album,” Healy remarked.

Whereas the model has been: make a record and then go on tour to support it, Healy and Dunlop flipped the model to: go on tour to support the making of the record.

Already, I loved them.

Then they played the songs, each preceded by Healy’s entertaining commentary.  Healy introduced “20″ as a song he wrote when he was 19, realizing the best years of his life may be coming to an end with his twentieth birthday.  “People make a big deal out of turning 21,” Healy said.  “But really, it’s 20 that’s the big deal because that’s when 17, 18, 19 come to an end.  And those are the best years because you’re doin’ everything for the first time.”  Healy also noted that this is the first song he wrote that he felt was a good song; a sign that he could make a career out of this.

If there’s one thing I like better than ice cream, it’s a funny musician.  Healy introduced “All I Want To Do Is Rock” by showing a slide show about Scotland.  He gave a humorous geography lesson and then ended the slide show with a picture of his view from the window in the building where he wrote the song.  There was a longer story about “Turn” which boiled down to being “a song about wishes.  A song full of wishes.”

“It’s an A&R man’s dream when a lead singer gets chucked,” Healy reflected. “Now he’ll write some proper songs,” said Healy, mocking the overjoyed A&R guy.  This insight set the stage for Healy and Dunlop’s performance of  “A Funny Thing.”

“Flowers In The Window” was written in a house where Travis once stayed.  The host introduced the band to the home saying, “Everybody writes a song here.”  Rebelliously, Healy thought to himself, “well, I’m not writing a song here.”  But that all changed after he received inspiration while looking at flowers in the yard, through a window (and his obstructed view the morning after).

It seemed as if the guys were playing all my favorite Travis songs.  In addition to the songs previously mentioned, they played “Good Feeling” and “As You Are”; “Writing To Reach You” and “Sing.”  Tonight was the 4th night in a row they played Largo and Healy said they’ve changed the set every night.  Although the songs themselves may change, one thing is consistent night to night – Healy and Dunlop remain true to the original concept, playing the songs chronologically during each performance.

Healy spoke about the inspiration for “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” which was written during a trip to Israel.  Somebody told him it would be sunny there (his one prerequisite for the vacation) so he journeyed to Israel.  The moment Healy arrived it began raining, and this song was written.

Healy also spoke about the lyric: “I’m being held up by an invisible man.”  “The invisible man is the A&R guy or manager who’s holding you up (supportively) so you can finish the record.  Of course, there’s a double entendre — they’re ‘holding you up’ (Healy positions his hands as if they’re guns) for the record as well.”  Healy looked at the audience and continued, “I’ve never explained that to anyone before.”   Then he looked at Dunlop, “I don’t think I even told you that. . .” Dunlop nodded in agreement.

Another lyric Healy discussed is: “pillars turn to butter” from the song, “Driftwood.”  He was looking to complete the lyric with the idea of one thing evolving into another, to follow the “Nobody”/”Everyone” dichotomy of the previous line.  “Caterpillars turn to butterflies” was the original line, but it was too long to fit the form of the song so Healy abbreviated it to “pillars turn to butter.”  “But that changes the meaning again. It’s another good visual – these strong pillars turning to butter,” Healy elaborated.

I spoke with the guys for a bit after the show.  Dunlop described how much fun these shows are and how they differ from a typical Travis tour.  “We don’t want to get comfortable during these shows.  When we’re on tour with Travis, we want to get comfortable because we’re going to be playing these songs over and over again, each night with the band.  But here – we don’t want to get comfortable.  There are some songs we may play every night, but we make the experience different.  Especially since we’re playing four shows in a row at the same venue – we don’t usually do that.  We’re aware that some people might come to more than one show and we don’t want them to think, ‘Oh. . . here we go with this again. . .”  Dunlop elaborated.

We also discussed the current state of the music business.  Healy and Dunlop are now off the major label and releasing music independently.  Dunlop reflected, “Music is getting back to what it used to be – small record shops, independent labels, the musician and the fan, spending time with our audience, more intimate shows and settings.”

I asked how they conceived of the idea to go on tour as the central creative process for writing another record.  Again, it was to do something different – to keep the tours and the music feeling fresh.  Dunlop shared his outlook, “You know, we may get nothing out of it.  Or we may get a lot out of it.  If nothing else, we get to travel all around and see some beautiful places.”

Then I shared a perspective, telling Dunlop, “We’d like it if you’d release a double-CD; one CD with all the commentary and another with the acoustic song performances.”  Dunlop mentioned that they’ve recorded everything from each show so far and that they may release it following the tour.

As of now, if you’re lucky enough to attend one of these shows, you can purchase a CD comprised of 80 minutes of live audio recorded during this tour.

A partir del dia de hoy Travis está regalando una canción en su sitio oficial a manera de celebración de esta nueva parte de su gira. La canción que se puede descargar en el sitio oficial es One Night en su versión en vivo, grabada en el Auditorio Coca Cola de Monterrey hace un par de años. Para poder bajar el track solo necesitan estar registrados y posteriormente ir a esta dirección.

Por último, les dejo un pequeño video de la banda pasando un buen rato en la ciudad de Monterrey durante esta reciente visita donde fueron teloneros de Peter Gabriel.

Acostumbrados a esperar un par de años entre disco y disco —o unos cuantos pares, como en el caso de Guns N’ Roses— llegan los chicos de Travis, publican su sexto trabajo de estudio transcurrido apenas uno desde aquel The Boy With No Name, y claro, pues nos sorprendemos. Nosotros, y ellos mismos, porque según parece, el disco no ha recibido la acogida esperada  en Reino Unido. Pero bueno, ya sabéis que lo económico finalmente es anecdótico, y más en un grupo sin un marketing tan pronunciado como otros —al menos en España—, y mucho más aún si las críticas que recibe son positivas. A sabiendas de que “las comparaciones son odiosas”, no puedo evitar establecerlas entre este Ode to J. Smith y su pariente de 2007. En primer lugar, por su proximidad en el tiempo. Para que os hagáis una idea, en febrero de 2008 los escoceses continuaban tocando los temas de The Boy With No Name sobre los escenarios británicos, y ese mismo mes empezaron la grabación del nuevo disco. Y esta cercanía derivó en una continuidad en el estilo, en la línea de las canciones anteriores. De modo que en dos semanas el álbum quedó visto para sentencia.

Explicado el motivo de la comparativa, comenzaré la casa por el tejado. Ode to J. Smith es peor, sencillamente. Esto no significa que sea un mal disco, pero no pasa de ser uno más, correcto y recomendable. Quizás hubiera obtenido una calificación más elevada de no haber sido publicado en septiembre de 2008, sino unos meses más tarde, también, pero la realidad es la que es. Escuché comentarios acerca del sonido del álbum; más rockero, con más guitarreo, pero mi opinión es otra. Unos punteos en Something Anything y J. Smith —muy buenos, por otra parte—, no justifican una valoración semejante. Más  eléctrico, sí, pero sin pasarse.

Y ya que hemos entrado en el aspecto de las canciones, continuemos. Las dos citadas son las mejores de largo, y en ese orden —los coros gregorianos del segundo le restan encanto—, muy rockeras ellas. A continuación situaría Long Way Down, bastante rockera también, con muchos guiños a la primera etapa de Travis en esto de la música (All I Want to Do is Rock). Y antes de dar paso a temas más suaves, tengo que referirme sí o sí a Get Up, con una percusión muy vistosa, las cosas como son, tanto que a menudo te olvidas de la voz del señor Healy. En cuanto a los temas más “baládicos”, siguiendo el orden del listado, Last Words, muy buena canción, de esas simpáticas capaces de arrancarte una sonrisa. Sin embargo, carece del punto épico que luce Before You Were Young, la última pista del disco, y la más sentimental con diferencia.

1.Chinese Blues 3:46
2.J. Smith 3:04

The Boy with No Name is the fifth studio album by the Scottish Alternative Rock Band-Travis. The album was released on May 7th 2007 in UK and on 8 May 2007 in the states.

This is one of my favorite english album of 2007.Travis is like soo unpopular here in Malaysia.

So please,download this album and try listening!

The Boy With No Name by Travis

P/S *Strongly Recommended

DOWNLOAD HERE
Password: incubusrocks.wordpress.com <3

P/P/S To those who never heard of this album,please love Travis after listening to this album..Go download 12 Memories too if you start loving travis.Its a freaking good album.

Enjoy Lah!

Los escoceses de Travis se han hecho de rogar: cuatro años han pasado desde que saliera al mercado 12 Memories. Las críticas negativas que recibieron les “invitaron” a realizar un paréntesis en su carrera; necesitaban tomarse un tiempo para disfrutar de sus vidas lejos de los escenarios y pensar en el futuro.

El paréntesis se cerró el pasado mes de mayo con la aparición de The Boy with No Name, un álbum que recupera la esencia del brit-pop melancólico que les encumbrara con temas míticos como Sing, Side o Flowers in the Window. 12 temas conforman el retorno de Travis, que a buen seguro les devolverá a lo más alto, y para ello han elegido Closer como su primer single.

Audio & Track List →

Bajo mi punto de vista no fue una decisión demasiado acertada, y más aún teniendo en cuenta que podrían haber sacado un mayor partido de Selfish Jean, su segundo single,  un tema con un ritmo contagioso. Siguiendo esta estela de agitación nos encontramos con Eyes Wide Open, una canción que sólo transmite una cosa,  vitalidad. Se podría decir que ambos temas son la excepción en el listado, y los restantes tienen un aire más sosegado en líneas generales, como My Eyes, Battleships, Big Chair y One Night.

1. 3 Times And You Lose - 4:14

2. Selfish Jean - 4:00

3. Closer - 4:00

4. Big Chair - 4:07

5. Battleships - 4:11

6. Eyes Wide Open - 2:59

7. My Eyes - 4:08

8. One Night - 4:00

9. Under The Moonlight - 4:00

10. Out In Space - 3:35

11. Colder - 4:06

12. New Amsterdam - 2:37

Sau mai exact: “The boy with no name”, albumul cel mai nou al trupei conduse de Fran Healy, Travis.

Una dintre lucrurile care te surpind la Travis, este faptul că deşi trupa are o vârstă de mai bine de 15 ani(mai exact 17), au doar 5 albume la activ, ceea ce pare destul de puţin. Ultimul, cel scos anul acesta pe 7 mai, îl voi prezenta în acest post.

Primul lucru pe care l-am remarcat la acest album, a fost muzicalitatea. Closer, Battleships, Colder, au o muzicalitate aparte, acestea fiind piesele care mi-au devenit cele mai dragi la primele audiţii. Tematica abordată, este, ca deobicei pentru Travis, infinitatea clipei prezente, a unei iubiri, în esenţă efemeră. Colder, în majoritatea interpretărilor care le-am citit, e considerată ca fiind un protest la adresa poluării, pe care artiştii ar considera-o ca factor principal în producerea încălzirii globale.

“One night” şi “Out of space” sunt piese care au o puternică influenţă de progressive, primul lucru la care m-am gândit când le-am audiat, fiind albumele şaptezeciste ale trupei “van der Graaf Generator“. Vocea lui Healy, însă, sună foarte interesant, mai ales pe “Out of space”.

a

“My eyes” single-ul care e promovat în prezent, de câte cei de la Travis, e o piesă cu un ritm alert, scrisă de Healy pentru copilul său.

a

Piesa care mi-a atras în mod deosebit atenţia, de la prima ascultare este “New Amsterdam“, mai ales datorită liniei melodice scotish. Dedicată de Healy, evident, New York-ului(pentru cei care nu ştiu New Amsterdam a fost primul nume al New York-ului), prima interpretare pe care i-am făcut-o, a fost, cum că ar descrie o ieşiere în oraş, seara cu prietena, ieşire, care se prelungeşte toată noaptea într-un cadru romantic în Central Park, din New York. Apoi am aflat că este inspirată din filmul “Paris, Texas“, film regizat de câtre Wim Wenders, după al cărui caracter principal Travis Henderson, Fran Healy şi-a botezat în 1993 trupa .

a

Acestea fiind spuse, vă doresc o ascultare cât mai plăcută! Mie cel mai mult îmi place “Battleships“! Vouă?

It’s been a while since I’ve heard Fran Healy sing. In fact, I think it was all the back to 2001 on “The Humpty Dumpty Love Song” from the lovely album, The Invisible Band where I last heard him croon like he could. I’m a proud owner of every Travis album, well, that is except the very dark and moody 12 Memories. Not that I don’t own it, just that I’m not a ‘proud’ owner of it. See, Healy once said himself that he likened writing songs to taking photographs in that sometimes you’ll take 12 pictures of the same thing and all of them will make sense. Well, in the case of 12 Memories, only about two of them were worth talking about and they came with names like, “Peace the Fuck Out” and “Re-Offender.” Sure, Travis aren’t always full of cheer, remember it’s not until track 4 on The Man Who before the mood lifts and The Invisible Band doesn’t feel uplifting until “Side,” which is all the way at track 5. So what happened with 12 Memories? It’s not that the songs aren’t good, in fact, I’ve had many discussions with fellow Travis-heads (hi gary, matt and christina h) that when these songs are translated live, they are energetic, passionate and unassuming. So what the eff went wrong? Not too sure, I guess you could call it a “travis-ty.” I do know that Fran Healy somehow became the ultimate Mr.Cloudy Day and refused to sing to his potential leaving songs at a humdrum, not moving anything to Glastonbury-like proportions. Although it feels like forever since we’ve had a proper Travis release, (excusing 12 Memories of course), Travis fans all across the world call mulligan now that The Boy With No Name is up for grabs (just released today in North America). Here at sniffyvon, your humble narrator will go through a track-by-track analysis of this new gem by your favourite Scots and gives it a “save your life factor” score out of 10.

1.) 3 Times and You Lose — On first listen it’s like, ‘oh uh’ Fran Healy’s still miserable and this is going to be 12 Memories Part II! But after a few go arounds, you take in all the sheen of the production and Andy Dunlop’s guitar-work and all is right again. Still a strange choice for an opener as it’s no “Writing To Reach You” or “Sing,” and heck, it’s certainly no, “All I Wanna Do Is Rock,” but we all knew that was inevitable. Still all in all, an enjoyable piece of work. Save Your Life Factor: 6.1

2.) Selfish Jean — Aha, this more like it! Begins with a bit of bombast and Healy’s in a good mood as his voice reaches the, “I give a shit” level. It’s got an early 60s-vibe and even treads into Good Feeling territory, which no one thought was possible. But this letter to an ex sounds more like an exorcism of sorts and the author seems to be on the better end of the stick. Save Your Life Factor: 8.4

3.) Closer – We were teased for a little bit with the release of this single (seems like months ago) and all ears concerned liked what they heard. This is the breezy, hook-laden pop that Travis has become great at perfecting and I can already hear the clicking of lighters for when they perform this track live. This could actually be Fran Healy’s finest 4 minutes as a vocalist, and that says a lot stacked up against The Man Who stuff. For further evidence check out the 1:55 mark – breathtaking. I remember Richard Ashcroft once claimed that he had a “Song For The Lovers,” well, he was wrong because this one is “it.” It’s the perfect male attempt at asking his mate for affection, but it’s a bit more endearing than say, Trent Reznor’s song of the same name? Save Your Life Factor: 9.6

4.) Big Chair – I really hate it when people say, “I heart this, I heart that, I heart Huckabees blah blah I Heart EVERYTHING,” so imagine my disgust when I hear the first line of this song. All is forgiven because although one of the drearier numbers on The Boy With No Name, it’s got that chug-along train thing going on and impossible to ignore. This is the sort of production that was missing on the previous disc and it’s probably what R.E.M. would record if they still cared enough. It’s also good to know that drummer Neil Primroses’ great pool accident from 2002 has had no ill-effects on his playing as he bashes his kit nice and proper in this one. Phew, Def Leppard jokes I have none. Save Your Life Factor: 7.8

5.) Battleships — As Phil Spector’s trial lengthens and spirals into uncertainty just as large as his whacked-out Afro, bands like Travis still get chuffed when they talk about what he was able to do in the recording studio. It’s evident in this track that they’re going all out with the wall-of-sound theory and making it known to its audience that The Ronnette’s “Be My Baby” cover was no fluke. One of the stronger tunes for sure, but what it lacks in lyrical imagination, makes up for in lush orchestration. Probably wouldn’t sound all that out of place on a recent Cardigans album. Save Your Life Factor: 8.2

6.) Eyes Wide Open — This foot-stomper has definitely got that David Essex, “Rock On” flavour thing going on and is the first time where a head-scratching moment is needed. As it evolves, it becomes a bit more listenable, but I still think it’s one of those tracks where it will excel in a concert, but maybe not so much when put to tape. Save Your Life Factor: 5.3

7.) My Eyes – Sounds like a close cousin to, “Flowers In The Window” and puts the album right back on path after a bit of a questionable song. Still, Healy’s no Shakespeare and doesn’t really hide that fact with lyrics like, “pretty soon you will see tears in my eyes,” but after all, it’s not always what’s sung, but how it’s sung. Has a nice piano break-down just before the last chorus and it’s quite satisfying after the song’s end. Save Your Life Factor: 7.1

8.) One Night — Fran Healy has never hidden the fact that his mom’s been a victim to spousal abuse (see: “Re-Offender“), and it seems that part of the reason 12 Memories was so melancholic was due to him getting it out of his system many moons later. “One Night” follows that same dark path, but where he once sang, “you say your sorrys, then you do it again, do it again,” is replaced with a solution/resolve, “one night can change everything in your life/one night can turn all your colours to white,” meaning, get the hell out! If this song was written by one of The Beatles, it was George Harrison. Save Your Life Factor: 7.4

9.) Under The Moonlight – This one has ’single’ written all over it. Problem is, it has a vocal hook that I’ve heard before that I can’t quite place and I think it might actually be from a Jan Arden song? It’s in the background and if anybody knows what I’m talking about, please let me know! It’s got to be a cover though, I’m almost sure of it. This is what, “Follow The Light” was to The Invisible Band – a single-worthy tune, but will probably not get the deserved attention being packed all the way the back of the album. Save Your Life Factor: 7.6

10.) Out In Space – Got an Iron & Wine or Sufjan Stevens vibe to it and probably the first time where the tempo has been at a slug-like pace. It’s a good way to wind the album down as it yawns in nursery rhyme fashion for pretty much its entirety, but is at least kept afloat with some spacey texturing in the background (glockenspiels, abrupt guitar bangs and vocal layering).
Save Your Life Factor: 6.7

11.) Colder – This reminds me a lot of what they did with their debut, Good Feeling, which began with a bunch of loud and upbeat songs, interspersed with some ballads in between, only to end with a few well-rounded softer numbers like this one. Not massively inspiring, but warm and comforting nonetheless. Save Your Life Factor: 6.0

12.) New Amsterdam — Certainly not “Slide Show” nor “The Humpty Dumpty Love Song,” that ended previous albums, but a very pleasant way to cap off an impressive collection of songs. Fran Healy’s lyrics read like a game of Pictionary as he name checks some actors, places and things. Being a film buff/art student (band name is taken from Travis Bickle’s character in Taxi Driver and The Man Who album was dedicated to Stanley Kubrick) it’s no wonder that he went all cinematic in this one. Listen to the car sounds in the background. If there’s one complaint, the way he sings the chorus is a tad annoying, but overall a solid tune. Save Your Life Factor: 7.7