Ode to J. Smith harnesses Travis’ knack for writing thoughtful and melodic pop rock and being able to implement that talent through larger sounding guitar and rhythm work; marrying the bold sound with delicate and ponderous songwriting.
Travis may have started out as a band whose mantra was proclaimed on their 1997 debut Good Feeling: “All I Want to Do is Rock,” but this quartet from Glasgow, Scotland has developed a following for their history of crossover UK indie pop hits such as “Side,” “My Eyes,” “Why Does it Always Rain on Me?” and “Writing to Reach You” which blend insightful and introspective lyrics with a winning mix of acoustic rock, banjo balladry, and Brit pop. Laying the groundwork for other successful UK counterparts such as Coldplay, Starsailor, Snow Patrol, and Keane.
On this, their sixth album, Travis ushers in a broader sound with more emphasis from their rock youth. Fuzz bass lead-in’s (“Get Up”), solitary guitar chords dropped in front of deeper tuned toms (the big chorused single “Something Anything”), and even a recorded choir (“J. Smith”) energize the songs to bring about a larger presence as well as fresh individuality. The other facit that make the songs so attractive on Ode to J. Smith is the thoughtful songwriting. Fran Healy’s lyrics have a natural contemplative deconstructiveness that caters to a broad appeal. He delves into the quandaries of making choices, ghosts of the fleeting past, the uncertain future, and the struggle to define relationships. On the opening track “Chinese Blues” Healy sings: “A million lonely people with their head in the sand/Trying to make some sense of what they don’t understand.” An exemplary highlight of one the universal applications of Travis’ ongoing struggle with life’s elemental mysteries. Most notably present in the appropriately titled “Song to Myself.”
In the spirit of exploring conflict through introversion, the album consists of many an ode to the hopes and fears of the people’s champion: Everyman, implied by the title J. Smith (being the most popular name found any city’s phonebook). These odes run the gamut of the human condition. From loyalty in “Friends,” to alarming fear in “Long Way Down,” and on to tender nostalgia in beautiful “When You Were Young.” Surprisingly, the album is absent of a traditional hidden track. But when you write “Something Anything” for Everyman, what’s left to hide?
Travis may have started out as a band whose mantra was proclaimed on their 1997 debut Good Feeling: “All I Want to Do is Rock,” but this quartet from Glasgow, Scotland has developed a following for their history of crossover UK indie pop hits such as “Side,” “My Eyes,” “Why Does it Always Rain on Me?” and “Writing to Reach You” which blend insightful and introspective lyrics with a winning mix of acoustic rock, banjo balladry, and Brit pop. Laying the groundwork for other successful UK counterparts such as Coldplay, Starsailor, Snow Patrol, and Keane.
On this, their sixth album, Travis ushers in a broader sound with more emphasis from their rock youth. Fuzz bass lead-in’s (“Get Up”), solitary guitar chords dropped in front of deeper tuned toms (the big chorused single “Something Anything”), and even a recorded choir (“J. Smith”) energize the songs to bring about a larger presence as well as fresh individuality. The other facit that make the songs so attractive on Ode to J. Smith is the thoughtful songwriting. Fran Healy’s lyrics have a natural contemplative deconstructiveness that caters to a broad appeal. He delves into the quandaries of making choices, ghosts of the fleeting past, the uncertain future, and the struggle to define relationships. On the opening track “Chinese Blues” Healy sings: “A million lonely people with their head in the sand/Trying to make some sense of what they don’t understand.” An exemplary highlight of one the universal applications of Travis’ ongoing struggle with life’s elemental mysteries. Most notably present in the appropriately titled “Song to Myself.”
In the spirit of exploring conflict through introversion, the album consists of many an ode to the hopes and fears of the people’s champion: Everyman, implied by the title J. Smith (being the most popular name found any city’s phonebook). These odes run the gamut of the human condition. From loyalty in “Friends,” to alarming fear in “Long Way Down,” and on to tender nostalgia in beautiful “When You Were Young.” Surprisingly, the album is absent of a traditional hidden track. But when you write “Something Anything” for Everyman, what’s left to hide?
Aaron Simms
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