The Man Who
Travis
1999
Album Summary
The Man Who is the second studio album by the Scottish rock band Travis. The album was released on 24 May 1999 through Independiente. It saw a change in musical direction for the band, moving away from the rockier tone of their debut Good Feeling (1997). Four singles were released: "Writing to Reach You", "Driftwood", and the top 10 hits "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" and "Turn". The Man Who initially received mixed reviews and sold slowly. Boosted by the success of "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" and the band's appearance at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, it eventually spent a total of 11 weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart and brought the band international recognition. As of 2018, according to Concord Music, The Man Who has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. It was among ten albums nominated for the best British album of the previous 30 years by the Brit Awards in 2010, losing to (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis.
WikipediaListening to this was like eating saltine crackers dipped in skim milk.
Where do I start with this dumpster fire? This is the type of music you listen to when you have no strong opinions about music. It's music for people whose idea of a bad day is that Starbucks got their mochacchino order wrong. Jangly, sad bastard shlock that desperately wants to be Radiohead. I hate that this band exists and if you enjoy this type of music, your taste in music sucks.
Every song on this album is what i hear when i think of riding in the back of the car while my dad drives us home in late October of 2006 and its 4 pm, kinda dark and raining and the car doesn't have a aux so we have to listen to NRJ Radio and they are playing the 11th most played song of the week and i am listening and feeling miserable because i have to do my math-homework when i get home because i have a test tomorrow and all i can think of is that the song thats on the radio is so bland that it makes me anxious even though i don't even really have a music taste yet because i am 9 years old but what i do know is that this aint it
The answer to the question, "What if Keane had a Bends-era Radiohead phase and did very little to hide it?"
just kinda soft rock stuff, kinda catchy background music and nowhere near as gay as coldplay. 3/5
This is like if Coldplay or early Radiohead didn’t have a knack for good songwriting.
A weak attempt at a Beatles facsimile, which I found was not uncommon in the 90's. Oasis did similar productions, and I would argue they did it with more passion and balls. Nothing flat offensive about the album, it was just relentlessly forgettable.
Attractive voice with quiet acoustic guitar motifs. A bit boring, but still enjoyable to listen to.
À mon humble avis, la suite manquante du groupe de mots désignant cet album n'est certainement pas "speaks french". J'en veux pour preuve le morceau The Last Laugh of the Laughter au cours duquel le chanteur croit duper son audience avec un baragouinage qui ne fera plaisir qu'aux non-francophones : "It's the last laugh of the laughter Sur la dernier page do chapitre On the last day of the year Ma vie Tout ma vie When the spotlight fade away" dit-il selon la retranscription qu'en fait Google. Bien évidemment, le chanteur ne fait, dans la chanson, pas une seule de ces fautes à l'oral et prononce d'ailleurs admirablement bien les passages en français. Mais peu importe. En resumé : un projet ni fait ni à faire.
Tasteful, gentle, soporific. I was expecting proto-indie-filler, with completely forgettable tunes, and it was marginally better than that. But I never need to hear this album again in my life. The production is a little bit edgier and interesting than I expected (thanks, Nigel Goodrich), but at best, at its most hard-rockin', this comes across as OK Computer Lite. Actually, I'm just listening to the coda of As You Are, and this is the worst case of Thom Yorke wannabe-ism I have ever heard. I don't hate this, as it is custom made to be un-hatable, but it has no grit at all.
Amazing album all the way through. Tons of great tracks with big sound. "Turn" especially. Sounds of the 90s which were refined from their first album. Secret song is also a surprising but great addition to the album
Perfect in every way. Used to listen to this constantly in the first few months of our marriage.
I liked all of it. Quite solemn, but the production is very bright and clear. Nice!
After listening to this I can confirm that Travis are pretty much the beige, mid-tempo, pop rock band I thought they were. However, what they lack in fun and excitement they make up for with craft - these songs contain really solid melodies and progressions, the format is just a little bit dull for 2022.
Put simply, this is the kind of music I remember college dorm dudes playing from their lower bunks on acoustic guitars because of the misunderstanding that college girls liked sensitive guys. 'The Man Who' is sensitive guy music, lots of feelings expressed, sad feelings that we hope might make you girls want to hold us guys with our heads resting snugly between your breasts. ‘Everyday I wake up alone,’ singer Fran Healy laments (his go-to emotion) on ‘As You Are,’ ‘because I’m not like the other boys.’ Another song asks the musical question, ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me?’ giving rise to yet another question: ‘Why don’t you just get out of it, moron?’ Besides, that’s simply your own delusion anyway, no doubt grounded in some repressed fear you’ve not yet successfully dealt with. 'The Man Who' dredges it all up, in all its weary pessimism, both lyrically and it's accompanying music. There was only one instrumental solo on the entire album, when at 2:40 on ‘As You Are’ Travis finally delivered a fairly decent, brief guitar solo that did rock, temporarily. So, it is down there in these boys, they just have to dig for it. Mostly, though, the melodies, overall tunes, instrumental accompaniments, tempo, etc are soft, slow, and sad. The popular 1970’s soft rock band, Bread, sung and played harder than these guys. The one exception was ‘Driftwood,’ a rare uptempo tune, and with some decent, Dylan-esque lyrics to boot: ‘You’re driftwood, hollow and of no use. Waterfalls will find you, bind you, grind you… So, I’m sorry that you turned into driftwood, but you’ve been drifting for a long, long time.’ Following that respite from relentless self pity, though, we returned right back to… well, the next song title says it all: ‘The Last Laugh of the Laughter.’ I must have missed the last laugh, or I guess it happened before the composition of the song. At any rate, no laughter transpired. Not even a grin, until the final and morbidly slow closer, ‘Slide Show,’ and the most restrained castanets performance I believe I’ve ever heard. It found myself whispering ‘Ole’ with the vigor of said college dude after a Valium and a couple of PBRs. This whole alt folk/rock genre often strikes me as contrived ‘cool.’ That’s not accusatory, I’m just tossing it out there for consideration. What I would like to expose for fact, though, is the unfortunate misunderstanding of the sensitive guy, playing these Travis tunes, ever attracting any girl reaction. Consider with whom, generally, are college girls actually having sex? The bad boy, that’s who! They might eventually marry the sensitive guy, but they’re fucking the bad boy. So, to whom this may concern, if you’re genuinely looking to get laid, then stop learning these self-pitying Travis songs, and cover some Van Halen ones instead.
Wild how clearly influenced by Ok Computer this record is. I feel like Travis owes Radiohead a billion dollars just based on the song "As You Are" alone. This isn't bad but it's like that meme where mom tells you we have Radiohead at home. This is the Radiohead at home. Update: Holy shit, even "The Last Laugh of the Laughter" (dumbass title) is literally just ripping off "Paranoid Android." This is egregious!
Remembered this as dull, soulless beigery. Listened without prejudice in case it’s aged well. It hasn’t. I’d remembered it correctly. (IMHO)
Keimzelle eines Gefühls des richtigen Ankommens in Köln, so jung, noch so viel übrig, das danach trachtete, versaut zu werden. This album was the soundtrack on the journey of ‚the man who‘ I was about to become. Forever 5.0
I like the beginning of this one. It has an alternative sound, which is my jam. I really liked this album and would look up more of this band. I’m surprised I didn’t hear more of it when it was new.
Best song is the hidden track "blue flashing light", perhaps because it has not been overplayed; the drumming is unusual at points, but not in a bad way; Fran can really sing, this is especially obvious on "as you are"; not sure why there is a song half in French?!?
I'm surprised I'm not familiar with this band or album, because the sound/style is pretty similar to some of my favorites. Good find.
A deserved classic from the 1990's. Beautiful songs, an album that's worth another listen time and time again
A timeless sombre soft indie collection made for miserable Scots by miserable Scots. Love it. Almost every track is a stand out including miserable secret track.
Best song is the hidden track "blue flashing light", perhaps because it has not been overplayed; the drumming is unusual at points, but not in a bad way; Fran can really sing, this is especially obvious on "as you are"; not sure why there is a song half in French?!? Extra point for being Scottish!
What a gorgeous album. I hadn't heard this album before and really enjoyed it, every single song was beautiful. Will revisit this multiple times in the future.
A classic from the end of the 90s. Sombre and melancholy at times. This is one for a cold winter's night, wrapped up in front of the fire. Such a brilliant album that I listened to a lot, back in 1999.
How in the heck have I never heard of this band? Dude's soothing vocals are calming, and it reminds me of the early 2000s indie rock/folk era that became super popular at the time. This album sounds timeless, though, and I ended up listening to hours of Travis. What a great find. 5/5.
Another great memory from the 90’s. I first heard Travis while watching MTV’s with the “Why does it always rain on me? "video. I loved that kind of music and also loved Driftwood. I don’t think I heard the full album until a few years later but still it has a good place in my youth memories. I knew a girl who was the #1 fan of this guys, and for many years I would only see her at their gigs lol. We got together later but it wasn’t in the cards I guess, we never got to see them live while together neither. I recently learn she saw me with my girlfriend at their last gig here and it broke her hart (her words). I won’t be risking going to their next show (which is next month) because they’re hers. Hope she does go, this band is great and she deserves to be happy. I have my vinyl and my memories nevertheless. This album deserves its place on this list as it is a great time stamp and because it has great timeless songs like Slideshow, that song will always get me.
Some of my favorite hidden tracks on a CD, too bad digital doesn't exactly capture the "magic" of hidden tracks.
Really great album. Just well above average songs from start to finish. Highlights are Writing to Reach You, Why does it always rain..., She's So Strange...could go on. 4.5/5
Fantastic. Need to listen to this more, but it sounds a bit like a slightly folkier version of Radiohead.
Love it, reminds me of why I got this album the first time. Like pulling a warm blanket over yourself on a cold morning.
A thoroughly enjoyable album from front to back. Fran Healy's airy vocals are the perfect complement to the low-key, often acoustic-driven musical arrangements. A great example of what the late 90's/early 2000's 'Britpop' genre had to offer.
I had never heard this one but really like this album. It is like a mix of Wilco and Muse.
Vielleicht die letzte Band der 90er Jahre. Schöne Lieder voller Zweifel und Taumel und Verlorenheit, vielleicht auch wegen der Zeitenwende. Was nun wohl kommen mag? Naja, ich sag mal so: the rain kept raining down on you, und Klimawandel hin oder her, weniger wurde er bestimmt nicht. 3,8. Letzte macht’s Licht a
I never realized how much '90s Travis sounds like a Radiohead / Oasis lovechild. A bit precious, a bit tranquil, more enjoyable than I had expected. Also, do you remember when bands used to hide a bonus track on the final track of their CD just by adding a bunch of empty space in the middle of the track? I was startled when, after a few minutes of silence and thinking the album was over, some music kicked in.
I love this album so much! It has lots of memories of teenaged anxt and a glorious summer. I haven't listened to it for years, but was instantly transported back and knew all the words :)
Veoma zanimljiv album. Nisam baš upoznat sabritanskim bendoviam 90-tih, ali ovo je sjajno. FAV TRACKS: Writing To Reach You The Fear Driftwood Turn Luv Slide show Why does it have to rain on me
Some great tracks on this - front of the album probably slightly stronger than the back, but an enjoyable listen.
A little slow and ballad heavy for my tastes, but there were some really great tracks on this one. Reminded me of Oasis.
One of the better picks so far. Real indie feel to it. Definitely want to give it another listen!
Great band with killer melodies. I've taught Why Does It... for many years, so very familiar with this band. Songwriter Fran Healy has a great way with wordplay, and a knack for a memorable melody. Favourite tracks are Why Does..., Turn, Writing to Reach You, and Driftwood.
I liked this more than I was expecting to. Reminded me of Radiohead, only more accessible, and maybe a little of Rufus Wainwright, but less maudlin. It was mellow but still held my interest. 3.5 stars, rounding to 4.
8/10. Feels quite enjoyable on a first listen, but I am not sure if it is something that will start to bug me if I relisten, or if I'll grow to like it more. Always fun when the 5th song on an album spontaneously decides to be half in French-as-a-second-language. Hidden tracks don't work well on Spotify at all.
J'ai beaucoup apprecié cet album, je regrette cependant deux points que je vais énoncer ci-dessous, mais avant je voudrais vous partager le score de mes trois derniers entrainements au Grand Quiz du Generateur: 11/20 - 9/20 - 13.5/20 Des resultats en dents de scie qu'il va falloir veiller a stabiliser pour esperer une victoire sous les yeux de Jarry et Arnaud Ducret. - le passage en français était une horreur absolue, et je sais de quoi je parle parlant moi-même la langue de Molière avec une aisance toute particulière, propre aux ressortissants français dont je fais partie - y en a marre des artistes qui croient berner leur monde en laissant 2mn de vide avant un son caché, de 1 on s'en branle que tu rajoutes un son ou non, de 2 quand on voit 10mn de bande sur le dernier son et qu'il n'y a plus de bruit après 3mn on se dit que soit tu es completement abruti et tu as oublié de couper l'enregistreur (ce qui est deja arrivé, cf The Doors), soit tu nous a dissimulé un son.
Never really heard anything by Travis apart from ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me?’ but I was pleasantly surprised by this album. 3.5/5
I find this surprisingly enjoyable, a solid sense of millennial doom throughout. Definitely reminiscent of some other sounds around the late 90s, but I think I just liked this particular flavor.
Classic, late 1990s Brit Pop. Will have to give it a deeper listend beyond "why does it always rain on me"
Very much in the Britpop vein from the drum sounds to the chord changes. I can also hear a fair bit of Neil Young and Radiohead influence as well. This album features memorable melodies as would be expected and some interesting instrumental bits. The last song with its period of silence was a bit annoying but overall, a good album and great exploration into the influence of Britpop
wasn't sure about this at first, but eventually, it grew on me, occasional moments of brilliance on this album but plenty of mediocrity as well, overall above average but nothing special
I thought I was going to hate this, "Oh God, not Travis!" Maybe the catalogue of middle of the road 70's whining had lowered my expectations. Maybe Travis have some good riffs, with lovely mellow bits and unexpected angry bits, lyrically sound too.
So this album sits in a box with so many other Uni bought CD's, memories of 4am plays, and melancholic regrets about girlfriends I never had. Musically, hasn't aged that badly, it's full of lovely, well written catchy tunes.
Upon second listen I loved it much more than at first. I went on to listen to a lot of Travis' discography and really loved it. I think the band has better music on other albums, but this one was still great.
Surprised I hadn't heard this before, it sounds like something I would like, and I do like it. Reminds me if bands I was listening to in the mid 00's - Guster, Keane, Radiohead (The Bends specifically). At times it got too sappy for me, at other moments the grooves were just euphoric. Interested in learning more about these fellas.
New addition to my library. Somehow missed them on their original release.
Very nice electric acoustic. "Driftwood" is an excellent song, which is why this is 4 and not a 3
It's not too much my vibe these days but this was an album I listened to a lot growing up, so nostalgia.
Verging on a five but never quiet got there, lots of Radiohead and Bowie influence