FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Travis – The Man Who
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I could almost include…
Travis’ second studio album, The Man Who, in Second Spin. This is an album that sold really well, yet there were critics who were not that kind towards the album. Released in 1999, perhaps the sound of the album was a little soft; some may have felt that The Man Who was a comedown after years of Britpop and more anthemic music. The Man Who is a beautiful album that has some incredible tracks. 1999 saw some great Dance and Electronic music. Pop was still strong and evolving. Maybe, if The Man Who, had been released a few years before, it might not have done as well in the charts. Reaching the top spot on the U.K. album chart, The Man Who has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. I would encourage people to buy the album on vinyl. In the years since The Man Who’s release, it has gained new acclaim and respect. It is one of the most memorable and important albums of the 1990s. Over twenty years after its release, I don’t think The Man Who has dated. Since its arrival, there have been bands and songwriters who take that album to heart and deliver music similar to that of the Scottish band (Fran Healy – vocals, guitar, piano, Andy Dunlop – guitar, Dougie Payne – bass guitar and Neil Primrose – drums). If you have not heard The Man Who before, then go and check it out.
As I do with these features, it is worth sourcing a couple of reviews. I am going to end with a very glowing one. Before then, there is one that Pitchfork in 2000. Although they are not entirely positive in their assessment, they definitely have some kind things to say about The Man Who:
“On The Man Who, power comes from restraint and space. There are enough subtle flourishes buried beneath the pillowy snow to reward repeated listens-- the chimes and ominous keyboard under "As You Are," the wind in "Slide Show," and the sitar strums on the dramatic chorus to "The Last Laugh of the Laughter." The hidden track even rewards those who need to rock with bellowing choruses, gong guitars, and unnerving cymbal ticks.
British bands tend to leave a bad aftertaste with American audiences with their cognizant conceit. If anything, the raw humility of Travis is refreshing. Figures that this has still only seen release in the UK, while Gay Dad is being dumped on us from bombers”.
Not only are singles such as Driftwood and Why Does It Always Rain on Me? worth close listening. Non-singles like The Fear and She's So Strange are incredible. It is testament to Fran Healy’s strengths as a songwriter that The Man Who is a consistent and varied album that offers immediate rewards and reveals new pleasures the more you listen.
I am going to wrap up with a review from AllMusic. As the album is so accessible and easy to love, it is not a shock that so many critics reacted positively. AllMusic wrote this in their review:
“After a debut album that presented Travis as mostly cheerful Brit-poppers and had a clear, crisp Steve Lillywhite production, the band changed things up on their second album, The Man Who. The foursome turned to Radiohead and Beck producer Nigel Goodrich to give their sound some depth while also writing a batch of songs that delved deeply into melancholy and sadness. So much so that when the record label first heard the results, they sent the band back into the studio to write some more upbeat tunes. Songwriter Fran Healy responded with "Driftwood," a seriously catchy song that nobody would dare call cheerful. The dourness and gloom of the songs is a perfect fit for the richly spacious production Goodrich brings to the table and Healy's majestically crooned vocals. He has pipes and range enough to fill a stadium or whisper in the listeners' ear just as convincingly. The band proves skilled at crafting big, echoing songs that never lapse into pomposity and can be taken down to low volumes and not lose any intensity. "Driftwood" is one stunning example of their blend of quiet tenderness and expansive reach; its acoustic guitar underpinnings, soaring guitar lines, strings, and Healy's heavenly vocals all combine to drive the song deep into the memory.
Even more sticky is the band's early career highlight, "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" It's a jangling, heartbreaking song with a huge chorus, beautiful strings, subtle production, and truly lovely vocals. These two tracks are hard to match, but much of the album comes close. "The Fear" is rambling, loosely played, dark pop that conjures up vintage Van Morrison, "She's So Strange" is a lilting Beatlesque ballad with nice vocal harmonies, and "Writing to Reach You," with its rollicking tempo and fiery guitar leads, almost rocks in context. Only "Turn" strays a bit too far into overwrought territory and sounds out of place among the other quietly melancholic and blue songs. The band and Goodrich work hard to create a mood and apart from that one song -- and the much heavier "Blue Flashing Lights" that the band added as a secret track -- it remains unbroken and a heavy gloom lingers over the songs, which gives the soft melodies and sympathetic performances some real weight. The Man Who is a career-defining record for Travis, setting a course for their brand of medium drama guitar pop and trumpeting Fran Healy as one of the great voices of early-2000s British pop”.
I have been listening back to The Man Who a bit over the past few days. It takes me back to 1999 when the album first came out. It scored some memories back then. Now, in 2021, I can view it in a different light. The band released their ninth studio album, 10 Songs, last year. It is a great album though, to me, Travis were at their absolute peak…
ON The Man Who.