The Man Who

This is Radiohead meets Oasis--maybe it's not sufficiently unique or groundbreaking to warrant being on this list, but it wasn't a bad listen.

The Man Who Listening to this now and looking back its kind of strange how big Travis became off the back of this album. But also kind of inevitable with its soft and muted Post-Britpop hangover vibe, pointers to Coldplay and its channeling of Britpop’s softer edges, most notably Oasis on the opening Writing to Reach You, lifting the Wonderwall guitar rhythm and namechecking it in the bridge. They clearly have a good facility for melody and hushed, shuffling atmospheres, The Fear works really well in this regard, but it often feels to me they struggle to break out of the deliberate, tasteful restraint they’ve imposed on themselves. As You Are builds with some overdriven guitar and anguished vocals, but it feels too controlled and far less impactful as a result. Of the big singles I was never really a fan of Why Does it Always Rain on Me, although I can appreciate the festival-singalongness of the chorus, but I do like Driftwood, the music matching the theme of drifting, even if the lyric does dip into banality too frequently. I’ve always liked Turn too, a good bit of safely moody indie rock. Outside that it's all tastefully fine, if not particularly memorable or interesting, The Last Laugh, Luv and She’s So Strange feel pretty fillery, but I do quite like the 60s-ish Slide Show, referencing all those songs. Alongside Writing to Reach You, The Fear and Driftwood the strongest point is probably the production, it’s perfectly matched to the songs and their style, a bit more rounded than the prevailing trebly Britpop sound. It is a very three-ey album, so it has to end up as a 3. 🌧️🌧️🌧️ Playlist submission: Turn

Decent moody indie band

Solid pop stuff kind of Coldplay or The Bends era Radiohead esque, not always into this kind of thing but it doesn't overstay and it's got some good tracks on it

My God what a dreary album. Many of these songs are almost suggesting a melody more than they’re actually playing one, and while the production is pretty good, that doesn’t move the needle much when the atmosphere on every song is “sad, with strings and shiny guitars.” This is everything people dislike about Coldplay with none of their upside.

Next to the word "britpop" in the dictionary is a photo of the ban Travis.

Kind of bland.

Great post-britpop

Was ok for its time but hardly something that lasts

I think I liked one song a bit. They sound like a Coldplay knockoff, maybe some Thom Yorke (Radiohead) inspired singing, but nothing jumped out and grabbed me. Pretty boring album.

Mid miis miiiiiid mid mid

This is a powerful album, such a gentle enormously beautiful voice

4/10

I knew "Why does it always rain on me?" but didn't know the rest. The first track starts out sounding a lot like Wonderwall. And some other parts have the vibe of early Radiohead.

I feel like Travis lives somewhere between Radiohead and Coldplay. They are nowhere near as innovative as the former, but their restrained has aged better than the laters tendency to always swing for the fences. Could be a 4 star.

Whatever

Weak Album

so boring

schon ok, aber langweilig

Selten langweilige Scheibe. Britpop zum Einschlafen.

Some good songs. Quite a chilled album

Let's face it, Travis can be a bit dreary but there's a few catchy songs on here and they did cover Britneys "Hit me baby one more time". So a solid 3.5 stars.

Bland as hell

Man tada sajuta, ka vins censas atveidot kkadu radiohead vai citu #iminmyfeelings #nobodytalktome artistu, bet nesanak:D

mid mid mid

Good album. It is not that memorable, but it is a consistent album. "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" is the best track.

Chill indie rock

Dette er ikke så ille som jeg fryktet fra bandet som står bak en av de jævligste låtene jeg noensinne har hørt (Sing), men det bærer fortsatt spor av de verste innfallene popmusikken noensinne har hatt. På sitt beste høres det ut som en dårlig kopi av The Bends. Nå er det på det punktet hvor jeg begynner å lure på hvordan verden hadde sett ut om The Bends aldri ble laget. Er det slik at Radiohead burde bli stilt for retten for en formell utredning på om The Bends utløste samtlige overtredelser av god smak?

A mediocre and boring album.

Nothing crazy about it. 5/10

Meh. Inoffensive but ultimately boring.

Track By Track Writing To Reach You - I don’t know if it’s because I’m listening to this in good speakers, but it sounds great in terms of mixing. Good production. Clear sound and I can hear the whole band. They sound balanced. I know this one, it’s kind of nostalgic for me. The Fear - Quite decent, not sure I liked the electro stuff at the beginning. Not a big stand out but nice. As You Are - This is very moody gloomy Scot vibe. Very pleasant and a nice tune to it. Like a slow ballad but with just enough groove & movement to keep the interest. I can actually hear the Radiohead comparison here! The guitar solo two-thirds of the way through is really great and a highlight for me. Driftwood - Nice jangly guitars happening. I think I have heard this before. This sounds like a ‘song’, if that makes sense. Quite a typical structure to it. Well written for sure, even if it didn’t move me as much as others of theirs. The Last Laugh Of The Laughter - Again, like the progression and the way the guitar melodies move and are alive and kind of carry a lot of the song. Like each member is bringing their own emotional perspective. Pretty chorus, very simple. Turn - This sounds very ‘90s in its production and sound. The echoey guitars. Very nice. It’s very earnest and heartfelt, almost dramatic feel to the song, with the climactic chorus. Why Does It Always Rain On Me? - Such a classic. I wasn’t sure it was gonna but it really, really holds up. It’s so mournful. Big fan. Luv - Harmonica, nice! Got a mournful feel to it, continuing from the previous track. Liking this too. It’s a good slow ballad-y vibe this one. She’s So Strange - More of an atmospheric one, not as much of a standout. Although, again, I liked the guitar in it. It lends a nice counterbalancing melodic counterpoint to the song. Slide Show - Get a communal vibe to this one. Seems quite Beatles actually. Can also hear Coldplay’s first album in it. Nice strings. Quite novel referencing other lyrics (Beck, Oasis). This interim period of silence had me thinking of empty slides (analog). Probably prompted by the title of the track. Blue Flashing Light (Hidden Track) - Vocal sounds like a Blur track or similar. Not bad. Quite 90s. Haven’t heard it, but it perhaps harkens back to their early days as a more rock/grunge inspired outfit? Overall Review: I read a couple of reviews of this saying it was budget Radiohead or just forgettable crap but it’s just different in my opinion and fruitless to compare too much, even though I can hear the influence on a few tracks. I really like this. I was introduced to this as a teen & have fond friendship memories tied to it. Did not like every track. Very pleasant band. 3.5/5 Favourite Songs: Writing To Reach You, Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

This is very good - never heard it before - when wanting mellow indie rock, this can be a solution. 4/5

At its best, this album evokes Radiohead or The Shins to me. But it was less exciting than the former and less catchy than the latter. Ultimately, one day after listening, I'm struggling to remember much of this album at all.

boring ass album by a band with boring ass name

It's like if Coldplay and Radiohead had a really boring baby

I liked the first song at least.

So yesterday, I was given Britpop album (Blur by Blur), which was, in my estimation, the 10,000th Britpop album of this list. I listened, enjoyed it, lamented on how exhausted I was with the plethora of Britpop albums on the list, and was really looking forward to something different. I was ready for some NWA, AC/DC, Lauryn Hill, Eurythmics or whatever else this musical universe might be able to bestow upon me. Lo and behold, yet ANOTHER Britpop album was foisted upon me. My 10,001st Britpop album of the list. Lord save me from my misery! And the absolute worst part of it: I like the album. I like the chill vibes, the late 90's bops, the semi-falsetto vocals that were copied heavily in the -00s by so many bands, the normal, inoffensive instrumentation, the fine lyrics. It's just a normal album where I want to learn a few of the songs on guitar so that I can be "deep". Unfortunately for me, I like this album, which means that the 1001 Albums gods will bestow 20mil more Britpop albums upon me.

i love that this album isn't trying to be anything it's not. just really solid indie rock. a lot better than the so-called "classics" on this website.

Kinda like 90s soft rock. Not bad.

Writing to Reach You 3.5 The Fear 3.6 As You Are 3.4 Driftwood 3 The Last Laugh of the Laughter 3.4 Turn 3.5 Why Does It Always Rain on Me? 3.3 Luv 3.1 She's So Strange 3 Slide Show 3.2 Score: 3.3

Great album

Obviously inspired by Radiohead not quite as technical but still a good listen I enjoyed it

Not heard this album for a while, though the chart songs often are played, good to hear the album again, and I enjoyed it on a cool Sunday morning.

It started off pleasant enough. Easy listening if a bit miserable music in the background. Then Driftwood...I loved it, made me put my proper listening ears on. The next few tracks after that were pretty good but it tailed off back to a pleasant enough listen.

Wuss rock. It's a bit meh and sounds like lots of other things at the time.

Тонкий и прозрачный звук. местами похоже на Радиохед. Приятный альбом, слушал с удовольствием.

nice enough

Like most people (I guess) I quite like Travis, but can't generate enough emotion about the band to either love or hate them. Even back in 1999, they were middle of the road pop rock, chart and media friendly - a safe bet. Perfectly listenable as an album, a few times I found myself humming along (Why does it always rain on me...), but that's about it. On balance, a 2 because I can find the enough enthusiasm to add another 0.5.

A bit too sad boy for me yesterday, it was an ok listen but nothing really stood out to me. Maybe if I was in a different mindset it would have hit better.

The man who... Bored me when my sister was into it. Who brought back memories of drizzly days in the car. Even the hits are dreary. I'm also really glad that the "secret last track" fad has passed. There was a Mitch Benn comedy song called "Everything sounds like Coldplay now" lamenting this stylistic dreariness. I don't recall Travis even made the cut for a parody song on radio 4. I'm never voluntarily listening to this again. For the musical dreariness a very low 2, for the memories it's a 1.

Ok

It's fine. They obviously have some talent. Would I seek this out to listen again? Probably not Would I rage if someone were playing this in my presence? Probably not

It's ok

Pegada meio Radiohead misturado com Coldplay em seus primórdios. Gostei

Non male, album in linea coi tempi

To Wilco what Coldplay is to Radiohead

Ihan ok levy. Kuuntelin 20th Anniversary Editionin ja sen biisit ja coverit olivat melkein mielenkiintoisempia, kuin itse albumin.

Like a completely boring and nondescript diet version of Radiohead. Why this is in the book beggars belief.

Forgettable

i enjoyed this one! never heard of these guys before, but i really liked this kind of indie music - it just felt pleasant. i particularly liked "driftwood" and "why does it always rain on me".

More like 3.5, but I can’t complain about flute

A wet dirty weekend in Scotland with the ex a long long time ago.

I mean, I liked what I heard from this album, but then I also really like Coldplay and Radiohead, and Travis sounds a lot like if Thom Yorke fronted Coldplay. It's a positive for me, of course, but still.

If you see a band on the 1001 you've never heard of, there's usually a 50/50 chance it's gonna either be a nothingburger of an album, or something you can add to your daily rotation. Thankfully, this is the latter. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 4.5 that I think I’ll bump up to a 5. The man who… what, exactly? I think I know the rest of the answer. If you really listen to these tracks, they’re all loosely centered around the fear of things coming to an end. “Writing to Reach You” is him clinging to a one-sided love that’s in the void otherwise. “The Fear” is abstractly about being scared to face the future. “As You Are” is about the fears from his past relationship gripping his ability to move forward. “Driftwood” is about self-imposed complacency inevitably breaking one’s ambitions. “The Last Laugh of the Laughter” is about wanting to stay in the joy of a seemingly final moment. “Turn” is loosely about the fear of the world as he knew it in 1999 going down the wrong path, unable to turn, going towards an ending that we still feel pretty potently in 2026. “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” is just a man stuck in a never-ending rut, one that he fears may never end. “Luv” is just about the fear of a relationship ending, one that’s not as one-sided as before, only killed by fear of distance & circumstance. “She’s So Strange” is about the fear of a quick 15 minutes of fame ending, with a robber left directionless after their notoriety has faded. “Slide Show” feels like someone who’s finally allowed themselves to stop & smell the roses, for just one moment, not wanting to lose the memory of what may be their only perfect day. It’s probably why “Blue Flashing Light” is a hidden track, since it doesn’t really thematically fit with that fear. If anything, it’s the opposite; there’s probably happiness that such an abusive relationship might finally be over. It’s someone desperate for an end. The rest of the answer is “The Man Who Feared The End”, at least to my mind, but leaving it empty feels more fitting as a title. I know it’s actually taken from Oliver Sacks, but still. I happened to like the album a lot; I wouldn’t have paid as much attention as I did otherwise. Yes, there’s a bit of an ‘insecure Coldplay’ energy underlining the whole thing. Yes, there’s some weaker tracks (namely “Luv” & “She’s So Strange”, neither of which particularly hooked me in). Yes, a lot of it is platitudinal & a bit woe-is-me for what seemed to be a pretty healthy & happy culture back in 1999. I understand the critiques, and if someone’s at a 3 because of them, I wouldn’t blame them at all. It’s why I’m at a 4.5. For me, though, a lot of them just clicked, especially “Driftwood” & “Turn”. This album just carried a momentum to my ears, from the opening riffs & loose shots at Oasis, almost all the way to the slammed trunk of a finish line. I think it’s a really cohesive flow for 40 minutes (43-ish if you count the bonus track), and I just happened to enjoy it. I don’t know if it’s necessary to hear before you die, but I’m glad I did. Hence, a 4.5 bumped up to a 5.

6/10

This is so damn boring

Painfully dull. Sounds like a dentist's office.

Pleasant-ish, inoffensive, boring. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would deem this a must-listen. 2.5-3

Sleepy pop rock

For most people this would be a bit 'meh'. But there are a small number of people - mostly men now in their mid-40s - who have a core memory of being at T In The Park and listening to Travis sing "Why Does It Always Rain On Me". For them, this album will always be a 5/5. I am one of that group.

Day 40 I liked it better when they did Wonderwall Fav track: Writing to Reach You

I hope Thom Yorke and co. received royalties for this album because this is a complete rip off of The Bends. Along with Snow Patrol, Travis are one of those wannabe Radiohead bands that emerged during the late 90s and early 2000s. The songs are decent it's just lacking personality and edge. I guess when they rip off your favourite band of all time it's hard not to appreciate it somewhat. 6/10

unremarkable. did like the drummer for the most part

Fucking terrible, complete horse shit. Seriously?

Hey 1001Albums! Can you recommend me a very specific sort of album? It should be post-Britpop, low energy and unthreatening. The sort of thing that a BBC 6 Music DJ could play on a loop while they nip out for a cup of tea and a smoke, and no one would notice or complain. It should also sound a bit like the Beatles ‘Across the Universe’ by way of Oasis, but not close enough to be accused of plagiarism. The lyrics don’t need to be super clever or original but there must be one absolute ear-worm of a hit single that would go down perfectly on a wet afternoon at Glastonbury when everyone is hung over and covered in mud. I want a guaranteed two stars or maybe three if I’m being charitable for some of the interesting twiddly bits in the background. 1001Albums: Have I got an album for you!

3.5

This is right up my alley.

This gets a 4 just based on one song.

interesting. would listen again

A great introduction to Travis. They deeply understand their sound and use hazy instrumentation and vocals to make unsettling yet satisfying effects. The album listen is a great, emotional journey, although there isn't much range across songs.

It's a bit tough to rate because while I don't feel its not overly exceptional, I was surprised to find a good deal of personal enjoyment. The comparison of Keane riffing on Bends era Radiohead is pretty spot on. And personally I've always liked Keane and I like the Bends, so... Milquetoast? Yeah, a bit but earnest where it could take the overconfident and pretentious route.

Anthemic and nostalgic

Great voice

Listening to albums in this list I'm becoming more and more convinced that Radiohead did irrecuperable damage to music post 2000. Maybe it was a one two punch of Radiohead and Coldplay. It really was not required for every band to try and sound like them, but so many people thought it was. It's not necessarily bad. It's just really boring.

Nothing special idk why this is on here

felt like not good radiohead Will I listen to again: 1%

A couple of stand out tracks and an overall worthwhile listen.

This wasn’t bad, i prefer the latter half of the album. The hidden track might be my favorite.

A lot of reviews here on the site are comparing Travis to a “3rd rate Radiohead”. I don’t think that’s what they are going for at all. Radiohead were always weird and experimental. This is an album of pretty songs sung by a man with a pretty voice. In that sense, I’d compare this more to Art Garfunkel. Then you get to the hidden track at the end. It’s a real jump scare, the way it pops up after 4 quiet minutes, and how it is so angry and brutal compared to the rest of the album. The song is about a neighborhood full of people ignoring domestic violence happening right next to them. So it’s kind of “meta” how this song angrily jumps out of a long stretch of silence, with jarring language and fierce vocals. It’s a strange way to end the album, and its cleverness earns my respect.

I have never heard Travis’s music. I know a little bit about the band. They are a Scottish indie band. Sounds like I might like them. This is a good album. The vocals are quite good. A lot of the songs are quite catchy. They write their own songs. The songs are guitar based, mostly electric with some acoustic. They actually use real instruments on the album. The lyrics sound depressing and sad. The songwriter must have been going through some personal difficulties when he was making the album. All of the songs are about 4 minutes long except for the last one except for the last one which is over 10 minutes long.There are a lot of good songs on this album: Writing to reach you, As you are, The last of the laughter and Why does it always rain on me. This is a very good album. Most enjoyable. Four stars.

⭐️Slide Show

depois de ouvir esse the low end theory, tudo parece meio medíocre as you are é... ok? sla, álbum depressivo de menino branco, todas as músicas parecem meio iguais a guitarra é legalzinha, o vocal é interessante, os primeiros 5 segundos de 'driftwood' é promissor e depois vira música de menino caucasiano hétero... mas não é a tribe called quest. cara, é bizarro como umas músicas desse álbum ás vezes ameaçam ficar boas, vc fica com uma leve esperança, mas aí é só uma ameaça mesmo que álbum chato do krl hein

De la pop de bonne facture mais dans un style très limitatif

Encore de la pop qui se laisse écouter.

That was one of the most cringey interactions that I have ever had with Scottish people. Another one has to be getting side hugged by a big burly soccer fan in a Boston bar during the World Cup. At least, there was some passion and joy behind the embrace. Those elements were lacking from this album.

I kinda really liked this a lot more than i thought i would.

Many here say it's like Radiohead ... I agree. It also went on too long for me.

Va una racha de discos muy bonitos, variados y de grupos que me han gustado en algún momento de mi vida. Travis es uno de ellos. Canciones favoritas: Writing To Reach You, Driftwood, Why Does It Always Rain On Me?