Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another fine album from an excellent guitar band, June 12, 2001
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"!
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bittersweet, July 11, 2001
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Invisible? Listen to England's best kept secret, June 19, 2001
By A Customer
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.
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