The Man Who .......dribbles? (The Man Who - Travis)

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Product:	The Man Who - Travis
Date:	03/05/02 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mellow,lyrically oustanding

Disadvantages: cant think of anything

Travis are a scotty band who had already come to my attention before this album with their previous release 'Good Feeling' but went from second division to premier league with this album,not just in my mind but many!

Released in 1999 it was the best selling album of that year and was in the album charts for months and months,from playing the likes of Leicester University this album made sure that would be a thing of the past as they went onto stadiums from then onwards.

Always a good crowd pleasing live band i had my reservations about the band becoming mainstream and their latest release backs my theory up as its way below standard however back to this album which is my favourite album of all time.

My main reason for this is its playability and its mellowness(id class Travis as a guitar band not either Indie or pop but somewhere in between-more pop as theyve aged as a band,not uncommon!)

The album is full of outstanding songwriting and has two classic singles that will still be being played for years to come in 'Why does it always rain on me?' and 'Driftwood'

Travis have always ,like most Indie style artist, had an emphasis towards album sales rather than singles and the success of this album has hindered them since with their record company trying to make them into a number one single band with huge amounts of cash going into hype and publicity rather than let them get on with what their good at!

1.WRITING TO REACH YOU
A lovely single whether you listen to the studio version or the acoustic.Very mellow and catchy, Fran Healy's vocals are oustandingly tender and the lyrics are very good too,on top of this add a great guitar solo in the middle and you have one hell of a start to an album. 9/10
2.THE FEAR
A slow paced album filler which is difficult not to sing along to even though its one of the weaker songs on the album. 7/10
3.ASYOUARE
A slow starting single about
being led on and being 'Asyouare' ,it gathers pace with stunning vocals and then follows a minute interlude with great guitar work and slows down again,lovely stuff. 7/10
4.DRIFTWOOD
My favourite song on the album and favourite Travis song in general.Great guitar intro is very familiar and an incredibly melodic feel to the song with superb lyrics about comparing someones life becoming driftwood floating along under bridges unimpeded.I still hear this song regulary on Radio1 which is rare as they increasingly turn to boy/girl bands to increase their listeners totals which is in turn a big compliment to the quality of this single.
Ive heard it a thousand times and i still love it. 10/10
5.THE LAST LAUGH OF THE LAUGHTER
A lovely mellow ballad and another with hauntingly good lyrics which includes a bit of french.Its a very dreamy single with drawn out tender vocals making it quite moving.Outstanding! 9/10
6.TURN
Much more energetic single with a quicker tempo.It reminds me a lot of one of their latest singles 'Sing' mainly due to boths repetitive vocals.Carries on in the same vein as the others in being superb lyrically.
Fran himself says he loves this single but i prefer others. 7/10
7.WHY DOES IT ALWAYS RAIN ON ME?
Most people will remember this single which was a summer anthem and coincided with that summer being the wettest for a long time.I remember being at Reading jumping up and down in the rain to this and it brings back great memories.Superb catchy guitar chorus and a massive hit for the band still probably their biggest selling to date. 10/10
8.LUV
This song has a sad,sad feel to it making it very emotional.Its about a relationship coming to an end due to distance coming between them and on a personal level i can relate to that and i bet so can many others,having said that its addictive and the lyrics are fantastic. 10/10
9.SHES SO STRANGE
Something a bit different here with very odd l
yrics about cats sniffing glue and a girl with a fake black moustache going to Birmingham-you get the gyst!!!!!Still has lovely mellow guitars and goes well with the album. 6/10
10.SLIDESHOW
Begins with someone closing their car door and putting a tape on which is quite clever.Im not sure what this songs about but whatever the lyrics are delivered beautifully and its another foot tapping single to go with the rest.The song ends and silence reigns for a couple of minutes before it kicks back into life which put the fear of life into me first time round!! 7/10

This is still one of the most played CD'S i own and ive got over 300 last count.I think the thing that i think is best about it is the quality of the lyrics which i always find very important and where a lot of artists lack.

On top of that it takes me back to 1999 which was quite an eventful year for me and quite possibly the best year of my life.

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