Customer Reviews

The Invisible Band

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really enjoyed both of the last two albums from Travis ("Good Feeling" and "The Man Who"), so this has been one for my list of most anticipated releases of 2001...

... and it really delivers! Building firmly on the musical foundations of "The Man Who", "The Invisible Band" contains another set of beautiful melodies, soaring vocals and leisurely tunes effortlessly roll out. Kicking off with the excellent first single "Sing" (the video for which is one of my all-time favourites), the album is stuffed with hummable, relaxing tracks. They may have a hard time deciding which ones to release as singles.

This is not just "The Man Who, Part II"! While some tracks are definitely in a similar vein, the album has some slightly more urgent and upbeat tunes ("Flowers in the Window", for instance), and some tracks - including "Sing" - even make amazing use of the banjo!

If there's one thing that does surprise, it's that the earlier UK single "Coming Around" wasn't sneaked onto the track listing. It's a real shame. On the other hand, the tracks here stand perfectly well as a collection without it.

If Travis' brand of guitar-driven music appeals to you as much as it does to me, you need to own "The Invisible Band"!

There used to be a time when the Brits made all the heavy rock, while the Yanks turned out winsome, countryish pop-rock. Now all the heavy stuff comes from the States, while the U.K. is reduced to turning out the slow-fi, introspective rock typified by Mogwai, Radiohead and Coldplay. Obviously this is the result of Britain having changed from a chest-thumping industrial society to a wimpy service economy. Anyway, it means that it is now OK for British men -- and, in Travis' case, even Scotsmen -- to have feelings in song.

After trying to jump on the Britpop bandwagon in 1997 with their excellent debut album, "Good Feeling," and missing, Travis decided to discard the rock swagger and just be themselves, which in singer/songwriter Fran Healy's case is a gentle, bittersweet, melodic genius with a common touch.

1999's "The Man Who" completely bypassed the music cognoscenti on its route to national ubiquity. "The Invisible Band" repeats the fresh, unaffected approach of its predecessor but with a stronger batch of fey, countryish, pop songs.

Creating clouds that are later dispersed by a gentle burst of sunshine appears to be the secret of Travis' success. Downbeat numbers like "Dear Diary" and "Afterglow," with its beautifully haunting guitar figure, create the shadows that are then illuminated by tracks like "Flowers in the Window" and "Follow the Light."

The best songs include both moods. In "Side," Healy sings, "The grass is always greener on the other side/Your neighbor's got a new car that you want to drive/When your time is running out you want to stay alive." Hardly profound but, set against Andy Dunlop's crying guitar, it's stirring stuff.

While the subtle British invasion stormed across the Atlantic over the past few years most Americans were only aware of Radiohead and then Coldplay. For some reason, American radio all but ignored Travis, not realizing that they were making some of the most interesting warm pop records we've heard in decades. While "The Invisible Band" may not be quite as instantly captivating as "The Man Who", it still has the same charms - lots of acoustic guitars and soaring melodies that get under your skin after just a few listens. Nigel Godrich offers his typically beautiful production but leans more towards R.E.M.'s "Up" album rather than the cold treatment he gave the last few Radiohead albums. With the opening banjo riff on "Sing", the melody interweaves itself with guitar, and we're immediately reminded of a similar arrangement from Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Love Me" from 1975. The formula works wonders at getting this song implanted in your brain for good. The same can be said for "Pipe Dreams" and "Flowers In The Window", songs that would have fit comfortably as Buckingham or McVie tracks on Fleetwood Mac's mid to late 70's records. Now if only radio were as friendly to this wonderful pop sound as it was back then, Travis would be taking the music world by storm.

"The Invisible Band" is Travis' third,eagerly awaited(by Travis fans, anyways)album.

It's a *excellent* one.I'm biased,of course =)

The whole album is great,but I would have to say the standout tracks(in my opinion) are:

"Side"

"Pipe Dreams"

"The Cage"

"Safe"

"Flowers In The Window( *very* Beatlesque)

"Humpty Dumpty Love Song"(the baby crying in the background on HDLS is Neil Primrose's daughter Lola)

I also have to give special mention to the bonus tracks on the US version- bassist Dougie Payne's "Ring Out The Bell" and guitarist Andy Dunlop's countryish "You Don't Know What I'm Like"

These two men haven't had many chances to show off their writing and singing talents up until now so it's nice to see them getting that chance.

A fine return to form from a *great* band.The wait for this album was well worth it. I can hear the influence of a lot of bands on this album-The Byrds,the Beatles,Neil Young.In these days when all the modern artists are copying each other,it's nice to see a band that is harkening back to the great bands of the 60's and 70's.but they do it in a very original way.

Travis fans will buy this album,of course,but I really hope that people who don't know who Travis are discover it as well. They're bound to make some new fans while touring with Dido.

This is the type of album that comes around once in a great while, and here it is the third time Travis have created a masterpiece like that. Serving as another example to the edge that UK bands have over the Americans, "The Invisible Band" opens with their first single from the album "Sing". Hailed as the song with a banjo, it is composed with the elements of Travis music that makes it always so good- heartfelt intelligent lyrics, excellent musicianship, and that extra unlisted ingredient that is best left to listening rather that analysis. The album consists of twelve new two tunes plus two b-sides that are lead by other members of the band, showing that Travis are not the type of band whose main talent rests only with the singer. But Fran Healey, with his melodic voice and stunning lyrics is definately a good reason to listen to the band. "The Invisible Band" is a perfect next step for this Scottish who already have two other amazing albums out. "Dear Diary" is a soft, slow tune which showcases the emotional depth that Travis easily reaches. The very next track, "Side" returns to the upbeat, positive pop sensibility that got Travis to where they are. "Side" is a catchy song on the surface, but when listened to more deeply reveals the beauty that sets Travis apart from other traditional rock/pop bands. To wrap it up, every track on this disc is very good, and each deserve their own personal attention, and the only way to truly experience the music in that sense is to get the album and wear it out! I promise you will be singing their music in the strangest places, and have their melodies and words in your head if you give it a good listen

Travis is more than just a pop band. They're a phenomenon in today's music industry: they're genuinely nice guys, they're grounded and humble, and Fran Healy writes the best pop songs this side of the Beatles and Neil Finn.

There are a few misconceptions about Travis, though. First off, they aren't Radiohead wannabes. They pride themselves for their accessibility. And just to set the record straight, Fran doesn't really sound like Thom Yorke at all. I love Radiohead, but if Yorke ever sang with the earnestness and emotion that Fran Healy does, I would eat my shoes... with ketchup. Also, they don't want to save music. They want their music to save music. Ok, now that that's established...

THE INVISBLE BAND is the best Travis album yet. And that's BIG STUFF when you consider Travis' last album, the jawdroppingly wonderful THE MAN WHO. That album had a handful of hit singles and even more perfectly crafted pop songs. THE INVISIBLE BAND definitely picks up right where THE MAN WHO left off. Healy has written some even more gorgeous and delicate melodies than before. Songs like the lilting "Pipe Dreams," the magical "Humpty Dumpty Love Song" and "Afterglow" boast tear-jerking melodies and arrangements. Elsewhere, "Side" is the catchiest song they've written since "Why Does It Always Rain On Me," and "Flowers In The Window" and "Follow The Light" are so sunnily beautiful that they would make McCartney blush with glee.

The only thing that seems to be lacking from THE INVISIBLE BAND that THE MAN WHO possessed is a sense of purpose. THE MAN WHO wasted no time in commanding the listener's attention. But where THE MAN WHO used a "Driftwood" or "Turn" to wow the listener into conciousness of the amazing album in their possession, THE INVISIBLE BAND is snakey and subtle. The melodies are immediate, but something about the play order makes the album's intent intangible.

But repeated listens reveal that the band is simply content with their place in pop. THE INVISIBLE BAND is a soundtrack to life. There are songs about love ("Sing," "Flowers In the Window," and "The Humpty Dumpty Love Song"). Songs about failure and disillusionment ("Pipe Dreams"). Songs about following your beliefs ("Follow The Light"). And songs about just being content with life in general ("Indefinitely" and "Safe").

Travis may never be as idolized as Radiohead, as wistfully remembered as Simon and Garfunkel, or as revered as The Beatles. But (and I say this with the full knowledge that many will guffaw at this statement) Travis is every bit as good as those bands. Only time will prove that this is one invisible band that will become more relevant as the years and trends pass them happily by.

It only takes a look at Travis's two most recent album covers to notice the thematic differences between the two. Their album The Man Who, with its cover photo of the band in a snowy winter landscape, sounded like Fran Healy & Co. were reveling in their own misery. On this new cd, The Invisible Band, with its lush cover photo (which in a weird way reminds me of the cover of The Association's Greatest Hits), the group lets the light in.

The Invisible Band is hopelessly optimistic, sometimes echoing Paul McCartney's first solo album, which is a bit of a surprise, judging from The Man Who's chilling closer 'Blue Flashing Lights'. Gone are the loud guitars; the album has a mostly acoustic flavour, and the entire album feels as bemusedly relaxed as hanging out on a porch swing in the summertime. This whole record swings: the fabulous 'Sing' and its ingenious inclusion of the banjo, the equally catchy 'Side', the sweet-sounding, McCartneyesque 'Pipe Dreams', 'Flowers In The Window', and 'Follow The Light', and the wonderful, goofy-titled, bittersweet 'The Humpty Dumpty Love Song'.

There are some tunes on The Invisible Band that are a bit weaker than others, like 'Safe' and the out of place 'Last Train', but nothing that's worth complaining about. Fran Healy's lyrics can be hopelessly banal and cringeworthy at times ("Dear Diary/what is wrong with me?"), but he delivers his lyrics so sincerely that you can't help but give the guy a break.

Released on the heels of Radiohead's miserable (but equally good) Amnesiac, The Invisible Band serves as a sunny counterpoint. Seen as a bit of a Radiohead clone a year or so ago, Travis have veered off that path to find their own niche, which is making simple, good music that even your mother would like. And there isn't anything wrong with that one bit. Not at all.

For those Travis fans yearning for the band's more rocking numbers, you may as well pull out that first album again, you won't find them here.

It becomes apparrent that the effects of marriage, girlfriends, family and newborn babies have really influenced the mold these guys were made from. But, this third album continues to do what they seem to do best... write great, slow, melodic pop songs. Travis seem to have the uncanny knack to tap into everyone's head in one way or another. The Invisible Band is a record perfectly at home in a college dorm, a cabin in the middle of nowhere, or at your local department store. But do not think that all the places it fits means it's diluted, it's not. The Invisible Band is a great record, no doubt about it, it fusses with the understated and paints all those beautiful pictures we loved on The Man Who.

The first single, "Sing", with its plucking banjo and obvious advise, is a wonderful opener that sets you up for the rest of the LP. The truely moving "Pipe Dreams" is a sure fire single to be. A pair of past live favorites - "Flowers In The Window" and "Safe" really sound terrific all polished up here. The very interesting "Follow the Light" also has single potential in the UK if not here. And the last two hidden numbers, show the slightest hint of playfulness but stay on the album's original path.

In these days of Coldplay, Turin Brakes, Doves, Elbow and other introspective songsmiths, Travis stake their claim with a flag of pop sensibility that everyone can digest.

Sing. Fran Healy and Travis do that. Not many people do these days. Now, I'm a 20 year-old college student from Pittsburgh, PA, so what do I know about British music? I know it's better than anything on the radio in the United States. Travis is by far my favorite. What can I say about them. "The Man Who" and now "The Invisible Band" both sound so beautiful; so natural. They are easy albums to listen to, the lyrics are playful, but insightful, the melodies are familiar but completely original. The addition of banjo to the "Invisible" album is a gorgeous touch. The songs bounce with a sort of McCartney feel to them. "Flowers in the Window" and "Side" must be my favorites, down-beat bass and drums make them infectiously bouncy. "Follow the Light" feels like a glorious tribute to 70's popular music. I must also congratulate Travis on their design. The photography for "The Man Who" and all of it's singles, as well as "Invisible" and the first single, "Sing, " is outstanding. The uniform typography on all of the band's releases makes for quite an eye-catching collection. And please-don't forget to track down every B-Side. There's a whole other album out there if you take the time to piece it together! Fantasic!

Had never even heard of Travis before this past Christmas, as the station we listen to never plays their songs. "Side" was getting good airplay on a Chicago adult-contemporary station at Christmas and I immediately LOVED the song! It sounded so different from the garbage our hometown station plays. Got "The Invisible Band" CD as a birthday present recently and absolutely love it. I must admit, my knowledge of Brit pop is very limited, and I haven't heard "The Man Who", but I sure know I love just about all the songs on TIB. "Dear Diary", "Pipe Dreams" "The Cage", and "The Last Train" have such haunting sounds to them; the instrumentation and Fran Healy's emotive singing are superb. His phrasing is extremely effective; he comes across as a vocal genius! Yes, the lyrics can be simplistic at times, but the way they're delivered packs quite a punch. I prefer these songs to the more upbeat "Sing" and "Flowers In The Window".I know I'm dating myself here, but some of the synthesizer sounds reminded me of Alan Parson's "I Robot" when it came out over 20 years ago. Not that that's a bad thing, for I loved that album when it came out too. If you're in the mood to hear something different from the run-of-the-mill pop sounds out there, try this CD!