The Boy with No Name (track-by-track review)
So here's the moment you've all been waiting for...or not. I'm giving you a review for Travis's 5th studio album that is long overdue if I may say so myself. After 4 years of anticipation and fear that they might call it quits, Travis offered their fans and critics salvation after the horrible reception of their 12 Memories album. Personally, I didn't think it was as bad as everyone made it out to be. Beautiful tracks like "Love Will Come Through", "Quicksand" and "Re-offender" (and I didn't really mind "Beautiful Occupation" which some seemed to deem a catastrophy).
The Boy with No Name doesn't only show Travis returning to the style that gave them such a large fanbase (even the album cover is reminiscent of their pre-12 Memories covers), but also has them improving on it and showing some talent we haven't seen from them in a while since their first album. So, without further ado...
The Boy with No Name
Travis
So how about we jump straight into the album?
3 Times and You Lose
You might be tempted to roll your eyes and shake your head at first thinking they've decided to make a slow track but fear not, 44 seconds into it the guitars kick in and you know this is going to be good. Yes baby, everything you loved about Travis is back! It's a very elevating track and yet manages to stay harmonic throughout. It's a great start to a great album!
Selfish Jean
You haven't heard Travis do anything like this since Good Feeling and it couldn't have been done better. You just know that when a British song has the name of a girl in it, it'll just become a classic and I have no doubt this one will since it is the upcoming second single from the album. If this song ever plays in a bar/pub, you know I'll just have to get up and bust it singing "I HEAR YOU SNORING JEAN, THROUGH THE WALL".
Closer
The first single from the album and I'm not all surprised that they picked it. It was kind of a "hey guys, we're back and you're going to love this as much as you loved our other songs"! Very sweet song about intimacy in a relationship. What's so good about this song is that you can play it in any occasion and it'll fit perfectly. At a wedding: "And when I see you then I know you will be next to me"; at a funeral: "and when I need you then I know you will be here with me"; a boyfriend making a promise to his lover: "I'll never leave you"; and a couple trying to patch things up: "just need to get Closer, closer, lean on me now, lean on me now".
Video
Big Chair
Chris Martin, while hosting a radio show, played this song saying that Travis invented Coldplay. It is so hard not to love thing song. Even the first line, "don't you know that I heart everything about you" will not make you cringe at the "heart" word. Spread out your arms, look up at the sky and sing: "Here we go, fast and slow, on the Big Chair/ but we don't know, where we're going on the Big Chair". This needs to be a single. It just must!
Battleships
This songs reminds me of "Driftwood" from The Man Who. Fran is singing with KT Tunstall about the everyday arguments that a couple usually have as he says: "when will you figure it out / that it's not worth the fight, little darling". KT's voice, although brief in the song, makes the song more powerful than you'd expect it to be.
Eyes Wide Open
beat...beat...beat. This song leans on the darker side and relies on the drum and guitar mostly, and Fran's beautiful voice obviously. Very rock & roll. Although the lyrics talk about "shoot[ing] the gunner" and deal with insomnia, Travis manage to insert some sweet emotion with the chorus's "and I can't stop crying/and I can't stop trying/ cause the day is drying, dying dying / with my eyes wide open" before the quick end.
My Eyes
Wow. I recommend this song to any person with a new-born. Usually songs about babies bore me real quick. But Fran just sounds so honest and so happy about his new baby boy that I can't help imagine him singing it to him. It's just an incredibly cute song with lines like: "welcome in, welcome in / shame about the weather", "yea yea yea, you got my eyes" or "pretty soon you will see / tears in my eyes".
One Night
This song, about how one night can "change all your colors to white", at first seemed a bit corny. But by the second listen I realised that it's only the chorus that's cliche. I mean, I love the melody the chorus is sung to, but the lyrics of the verses are just so smart that I can't help listening to this song and seeing what Travis were trying to do here. Romance isn't dead kids.
Under the Moonlight
Following in the previous song's footsteps, here's another cutesy love song. Wouldn't be odd to hear this song playing at a highschool dance or prom or a movie about a school dance or prom. I wouldn't even be surprised to hear it on something like The O.C. and knowing that bands such as Arcade Fire, Death Cab, Stars and others have been featured on the show, only makes me prouder.
Out in Space
Hmmm. I'm still not sure which previous Travis song this one reminds me of but I'm leaning towards one of the 12 Memories songs, but don't worry, it's more cheerful.
Colder
Another wow track. Now I know what they mean by anthemic. When the first chords of this song start playing at a concert, everyone there will scream knowing what's to come. And what's to come? "The sky is falling down / and there's an angel on the ground / it's getting colder/ i'm standing looking down / there's not a sound around the town / it's getting colder". I just had to write out the entire thing. It's so beautiful, it's so moving, it's so uplifting. It is magnificent! GO TRAVIS!
New Amsterdam
When this song first started playing, I was like: Is that English or are they singing in French again?". Fortunately when they got to De Niro, I realised he was just mentioning some names and after some research, they were all celebrities born in New York. This seems to be a homage to New York with "the park that is central" and the sounds of horse's hooves and police sirens. Not sure why he's singing to New York. I guess he likes it a lot.
Sailing Away (hidden track)
This is the hidden track in the album although I think it should've been switched with New Amsterdam. Hell, I think this should've been one of the first tracks to catch you when you're all freshly into the album. It's so poppy and catchy with a fun 'KA-POW' in the middle. This line has been in my head for the past few days and once you hear it, you'll understand: "Cause I live by the river / live by the river and die by the river". Apparently, Fran wrote this track in mourning of his pet goldfish. Fish always bored me but I guess this one didn't bore Fran. A very fun ending track.
You need to catch this band in concert if you can since they are on tour. For my Canadian friends, here's something if you can catch it:
July 19: Kool Haus, Toronto, ON
That was from their website. For all their tour dates just go on: www.travisonline.com
Thanks for reading...if you did.
The Boy with No Name doesn't only show Travis returning to the style that gave them such a large fanbase (even the album cover is reminiscent of their pre-12 Memories covers), but also has them improving on it and showing some talent we haven't seen from them in a while since their first album. So, without further ado...
The Boy with No Name
Travis
So how about we jump straight into the album?
3 Times and You Lose
You might be tempted to roll your eyes and shake your head at first thinking they've decided to make a slow track but fear not, 44 seconds into it the guitars kick in and you know this is going to be good. Yes baby, everything you loved about Travis is back! It's a very elevating track and yet manages to stay harmonic throughout. It's a great start to a great album!
Selfish Jean
You haven't heard Travis do anything like this since Good Feeling and it couldn't have been done better. You just know that when a British song has the name of a girl in it, it'll just become a classic and I have no doubt this one will since it is the upcoming second single from the album. If this song ever plays in a bar/pub, you know I'll just have to get up and bust it singing "I HEAR YOU SNORING JEAN, THROUGH THE WALL".
Closer
The first single from the album and I'm not all surprised that they picked it. It was kind of a "hey guys, we're back and you're going to love this as much as you loved our other songs"! Very sweet song about intimacy in a relationship. What's so good about this song is that you can play it in any occasion and it'll fit perfectly. At a wedding: "And when I see you then I know you will be next to me"; at a funeral: "and when I need you then I know you will be here with me"; a boyfriend making a promise to his lover: "I'll never leave you"; and a couple trying to patch things up: "just need to get Closer, closer, lean on me now, lean on me now".
Video
Big Chair
Chris Martin, while hosting a radio show, played this song saying that Travis invented Coldplay. It is so hard not to love thing song. Even the first line, "don't you know that I heart everything about you" will not make you cringe at the "heart" word. Spread out your arms, look up at the sky and sing: "Here we go, fast and slow, on the Big Chair/ but we don't know, where we're going on the Big Chair". This needs to be a single. It just must!
Battleships
This songs reminds me of "Driftwood" from The Man Who. Fran is singing with KT Tunstall about the everyday arguments that a couple usually have as he says: "when will you figure it out / that it's not worth the fight, little darling". KT's voice, although brief in the song, makes the song more powerful than you'd expect it to be.
Eyes Wide Open
beat...beat...beat. This song leans on the darker side and relies on the drum and guitar mostly, and Fran's beautiful voice obviously. Very rock & roll. Although the lyrics talk about "shoot[ing] the gunner" and deal with insomnia, Travis manage to insert some sweet emotion with the chorus's "and I can't stop crying/and I can't stop trying/ cause the day is drying, dying dying / with my eyes wide open" before the quick end.
My Eyes
Wow. I recommend this song to any person with a new-born. Usually songs about babies bore me real quick. But Fran just sounds so honest and so happy about his new baby boy that I can't help imagine him singing it to him. It's just an incredibly cute song with lines like: "welcome in, welcome in / shame about the weather", "yea yea yea, you got my eyes" or "pretty soon you will see / tears in my eyes".
One Night
This song, about how one night can "change all your colors to white", at first seemed a bit corny. But by the second listen I realised that it's only the chorus that's cliche. I mean, I love the melody the chorus is sung to, but the lyrics of the verses are just so smart that I can't help listening to this song and seeing what Travis were trying to do here. Romance isn't dead kids.
Under the Moonlight
Following in the previous song's footsteps, here's another cutesy love song. Wouldn't be odd to hear this song playing at a highschool dance or prom or a movie about a school dance or prom. I wouldn't even be surprised to hear it on something like The O.C. and knowing that bands such as Arcade Fire, Death Cab, Stars and others have been featured on the show, only makes me prouder.
Out in Space
Hmmm. I'm still not sure which previous Travis song this one reminds me of but I'm leaning towards one of the 12 Memories songs, but don't worry, it's more cheerful.
Colder
Another wow track. Now I know what they mean by anthemic. When the first chords of this song start playing at a concert, everyone there will scream knowing what's to come. And what's to come? "The sky is falling down / and there's an angel on the ground / it's getting colder/ i'm standing looking down / there's not a sound around the town / it's getting colder". I just had to write out the entire thing. It's so beautiful, it's so moving, it's so uplifting. It is magnificent! GO TRAVIS!
New Amsterdam
When this song first started playing, I was like: Is that English or are they singing in French again?". Fortunately when they got to De Niro, I realised he was just mentioning some names and after some research, they were all celebrities born in New York. This seems to be a homage to New York with "the park that is central" and the sounds of horse's hooves and police sirens. Not sure why he's singing to New York. I guess he likes it a lot.
Sailing Away (hidden track)
This is the hidden track in the album although I think it should've been switched with New Amsterdam. Hell, I think this should've been one of the first tracks to catch you when you're all freshly into the album. It's so poppy and catchy with a fun 'KA-POW' in the middle. This line has been in my head for the past few days and once you hear it, you'll understand: "Cause I live by the river / live by the river and die by the river". Apparently, Fran wrote this track in mourning of his pet goldfish. Fish always bored me but I guess this one didn't bore Fran. A very fun ending track.
You need to catch this band in concert if you can since they are on tour. For my Canadian friends, here's something if you can catch it:
July 19: Kool Haus, Toronto, ON
That was from their website. For all their tour dates just go on: www.travisonline.com
Thanks for reading...if you did.