The Man Who

Bad Radiohead rip off. Didn't like it then, don't like it now.

Beautiful record. Was absolutely obsessed with it when it came out and still know all the words today.

Another entry in the beloved music catalog “601 Albums You Must Listen To Before You Die And Also 400 Bad Britpop Albums From The 90s”

dude did he write these lyrics in a single afternoon

It was fine, but mostly forgettable. Enjoy the mellow last song "Slide Show" the most I think. Did not like the songs that sounded the most like Radiohead. When it ended nothing played next... then I realized 'hidden track!' In the most 90s CD possible way with like 5 minutes of silence on the last track and then another song. I liked it! Not just for the nostalgia reasons, but it was a good song.

Does this album resemble a more radio-friendly version of Radiohead or a tamer version of Oasis (they even name drop Wonderwall on two separate songs)? Yes. Did I have it on constant rotation when it came out? Also yes. I totally understand if people find this album bland and uninteresting. I remember my own mother once asking if I could put on something else because this album was making her sleepy lol. I probably wouldn't include it on a list of albums you absolutely must listen to in your life — it's a competent album, but it's not really innovative or influential. But damn it, I love it anyway. This album reminds me of the folkier aspects of 70's acts like George Harrison or Cat Stevens. Even if it's derivative of better albums that came before it, I'm a sucker for jangly guitars and harmonies. I don't know why Travis spoke to me when so many similar bands didn't. But for whatever reason, this album and their next album, The Invisible Band, are some of the few I've kept in my personal music collection for over twenty years, and I still dig them. I'd take Travis over Oasis or Coldplay any day — if nothing else, Fran is the strongest singer out of the three. Sometimes you just like what you like and you can't explain why. "Driftwood" and "Turn" are and will always be bangers, and that's a hill I'll die on. This album is also cool because it included a secret track at the end, which was always a fun easter egg in the CD era (it's also a much darker and heavier song than anything else on the album). Personally, this is a 4/5 for me. Trying to be objective about it, I'd give this a 3/5. It's a good album with repeat playability (in my opinion at least), but I agree with people who don't think it belongs on this list. Therefore, I'll give it a neutral rating. And I'll continue to listen to my boring, beige music, thank you very much.

Boring, could have died without hearing.

This was great! Travis must be a cool guy to make such a good album.

Enjoyed the space this album put me in, comparisons to a sort of coldplay are apt. I enjoyed the last track a lot, slide show. Good album

This is a tough one to rate. because I like it quite a bit, but I also think it sounds a little same-y, you know? I don't think it sounds dated, per se, but it does have a very specific 90s sound to it like Keane, or Train. Kind of an Oasis wannabe with a bit less swagger and gobs more sensitivity. I don't know. I like it. 3.5.

A lot of people calling this boring but tbh it was quite a nice chill thing and sounded great. 4 stars

would-be anthemic indie pop - slightly melancholic, but tiresome overall

Restaurant guide: Change of underwear =🔥🔥🔥 Forehead sweat = 🌶️🌶️ Safe for babies =🍍 Literal milk = 🥛 . . . . Travis = 🎤

very cliche indie/acoustic sound. Feel like some of Coldplay’s songs at times. I just googled it and Coldplay were influenced by them, so.. makes sense.

The Bends spawned a bunch of middle of the road bands in the late 90’s, Travis being among the middlest of the road.

I've been excited to hear this one as I've heard a lot of positive reviews and I know it was produced by frequent Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. I have to confess that I wasn't blown away though. I see the appeal but it's not a top one for me. It sounds like what Radiohead could have sounded like if they wanted to play it safe. And that's completely fine, just less interesting than I'd hoped for. "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" is certainly an earworm but not in a great way.

This was pretty “meh” throughout. Sounds like watered down Coldplay, with all the songs being their throwaways. And all sound similar, creating a boring listen.

... this is a tricky one. Nothing super interesting, bit very ahead of its time. I hear a lot if "Radiohead" and then ... I don't. Perplexing... So I land MOTR

I could never hear the connection between muse and Radiohead until the third song of this album started. Because he's clearly trying to sing like thom Yorke but sounding like the lead singer of muse. It's wild how there is a whole subgenre of bands that tried to rip off the sound of the bends when no one really liked that album outside of England. I feel like this was an album that was advertised everywhere but I never actually heard a single song off this album. I'm a sucker for yearning voices but I don't know how relevant this is as an album

78% Best: Writing To Reach You; Driftwood; Why Does It Always Rain On Me? Must-Hear? Not quite

Hahahahahahahaha I actually liked this. I really love the song "Writing To Reach You" and thought the rest of it was genuinely good. I listened to this twice. Did you know that my first concert was Coldplay? I actually cried when I went, I cried so hard because I was so overwhelmed that I was in the same building as Coldplay. I was 11 and that was probably the last time in my life I was genuinely very happy. I have a soft spot for all this whiny ballady turn of the millennium Radiohead-knockoff garbage because that was my very first steps into being a rocker! My equivalent of someone else's Slipknot or System Of A Down or something. I was a truly boring and innocent kid and if I had any edge at all it was only because poor social skills and growing up too fast forced me to fit in better with freaks. Anyway. Travis is one of those bands that started out being praised but would get lumped in with stuff like Coldplay as bad supermarket mom music. This album is somewhere in the middle of early Radiohead and late Oasis. Some of it is chef's kiss melancholic supermarket music and some of it is truly absolute garbage that I kind of forgot how bad it was ever since rap and EDM claimed rock's throne of being the Western world's elevator music. It's very late '90s. That's fine for me. I just truthfully like Gen X mom music slop. Made me feel some kind of way. It's nostalgic for me and endearing. I definitely prefer this to all the garbage that UK music critics pushed after like The Libertines as a reaction against stuff like this.

The band who bored the world.

Surprisingly I did Luv this album. Give this one a Turn.

Another "reprieve" album - something that's easy going and likeable. I'm very stingy with the albums that I consider to be reprieving, so I can't actually remember the last album I bestowed the moniker to. I guess "Melody A.M." from 10 albums ago, though I don't think that album qualifies because I genuinely like it. The reprieve album before that was "Heartbreaker", which was 23 albums ago. I'm well overdue for a break. I can commend this album for being ahead of the curve. The sweeter parts of this album are very reminiscent of the sickly-sweet acoustic pop/rock ballads that became popular throughout the 2000s. The electronic sounds that underscore some parts of the album were quite pleasant and nice. I genuinely quite like "Writing to Reach You" and "Why Does It always Rain On Me?". While I did appreciate this, I think the album loses itself somewhere down the middle. The more lively tracks on here (especially the hidden bonus track on the closer) didn't hook me. I'll see if I'm open to revisiting this in the future. I would say that I have no idea how this album landed on the list, but in the time since I last busted out that line I have upped my game by obtaining a legal copy of the 1001 Albums book that I robbed from the digital book store. Let's see. Produced by Nigel Godrich. The band started out in Britpop (a genre I have been absolutely inundated with as of late). Apparently it was the best-selling album from a British band in the UK in the year of 1999. That's the reason, bucko. The people on this site really aren't lying when they complain about the strong English bias. I would close out this review by reflecting on my experience and ruminating on the journey ahead, but I actually know what's in store for me, at least as far as the next 30 or so albums go. In Utero is two albums away. I vowed to give Nevermind a relisten when I got to the next Nirvana album, though I think I'll pass while I get my backlog in order. Two albums after that is Electric Ladyland. My first Jimi record. I'm curious to hear what one of the most iconic guitarists sounds like. Neon Bible. I listened to Funeral by Arcade Fire in my own time and really did not like that album, though I'm always open to second chances. Revolver. One of the Beatles albums that I'm less enthusiastic about. I'm keen to give it another evaluation. Paranoid by Black Sabbath. My second Elvis Costello album. A whole lot of nothing. Looking forward to it.

This is nothing.

It was ok, the tracks that were released as singles were definitely the best tracks on the albums

Hat irgendwie alles gestimmt, auch wenn kein Lied irgendwie herausstah. War gepackt vom ersten Song, auch wenn zwischendrin ein paar schwächere kamen.

Nothing to see hear (geddit?)

#518. Intentionally uneventful background radio rock. 2/5: meh

Britain, why do you keep celebrating such boring albums? Having 1 Radiohead band is already too much in the world.

Good but simple songwriting. Nostalgic to me which might affect the rating.

. . . fine. This era of British rock is okay.

'The man who' damn I wish he wouldnt

Shit

Oasis ass kissers

3.5

So this is obviously not revolutionary, and all the reviews calling this Keane does The Bends are pretty accurate, but it is mostly pleasant and listenable. I'm not upset by it.

A bit bland but very on point for earnest late 90s soft rock.

Boringly depressing. Bland Coldplay with a kiss on the cheeks of Oasis. Even the band name is boring.

Has a lot of good elements but it just feels rather bland.

Whiny, high pitched voice. Slow, monotonous, and boring music accompanying that whiny voice = not my kind of music

the one actually inspired track was hidden behind 3 minutes of silence

83/100. The Man Who by Travis is a beautifully crafted and deeply melancholic album. It explores themes of vulnerability, despair, optimism, and the struggle to find hope amid life’s ups and downs. While the instrumentation itself doesn’t always feel overtly sad, the vocals and lyrics are striking, adding an emotional weight that lingers. Fantastically done, this album made me reflect on events in my own life—a testament to its depth and impact.

Nice mellow style. Lead has beautiful voice

Love this band.

the first song makes me lol cause there's a wonderwall reference, but today isn't gonna be the day that i feel something in this album. and they even got nigel godrich for the production. ok, so now that's some radiohead like stuff going on. maybe there's gonna be some people who like it, but after all, i'd like go back to wonderwall and the bends. old britpop is the best britpop. 3/5

A change from their rockier past? Well it worked, such a lovely meloncholic vive :) Faves: Driftwoord, Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

Huh, I already had this in my library - turned out to be a janky 128kbps copy. I think it was an artifact of the early oughts when I'd offer to sort out the tagging of friends' digital music collections in exchange for absorbing them into my own. Sourced a new copy at a decent bitrate, but I'm afraid it didn't make the music any less bland. I guess blandness is good in a sense, because the singles from this album were _wildly_ overplayed, but they're not triggering too much irritation in me hearing them now. 🤷 I see some people comparing this to OK Computer-era Radiohead.... ...wat. Fave track - uh, let's say "Slide Show" - I liked the little lyrical nods to Beck and Oasis...

It... is.

This album made a bit more sense when I saw it had been produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. The vocals come across like Thom Yorke's, without the bite. The songs recall Jeff Buckley, who had died only a couple of years before this album's release. None of it gets off the ground. The record starts with five homogeneous ballads. Then "Turn" steps into Oasis territory with a barely mid-tempo rocker. The hit "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" returns us with a song that could have been torn from a melancholy teenager's diary. An essential must-listen? I don't think so, unless you are a melancholic teenager, I guess.

Utterly insignificant and kind of a slog.

Really bad. Not quite 1 star, but close.

Wispy Britpop.

I'm sure everyone wanted to work with Nigel Godrich after OK Computer, and somehow this mediocre Britpop band got the chance. The songs are pretty mediocre and the singer's near-constant falsetto is definitely grating, but Godrich makes sound as good as he can.

There’s nothing wrong with this album. There’s also nothing particularly great about it. It was an easy listen as all of the songs were smooth and made for good background music. I think it’s the type of album that got kind of lost in the fold of its era. There are many other bands with similar sound like Snow Patrol, Coldplay, etc who had much more sustained success really for no fault of Travis’ own. Again, it’s genuinely a perfectly fine record that doesn’t do anything to set itself apart, but also didn’t make me want to skip any tracks. A perfect 2.5 candidate, but I will round up

It’s very funny having a connection with this album, having bought it based on a video I saw for “Turn” on impulse. There’s nothing grand or incredible about this record, but that’s kinda ok. The songwriting is good, and when Coldplay burst on the scene in 2000 I remember feeling like they were just copying Travis. “Driftwood” and “Turn” are hits for a reason, and “Slide Show” is a gorgeous tune at the end. Nothing great, but also nothing terrible. Solid 3.

nothing like the britpop album opening with the wonderwall chords makes sense that nigel godrich produced this considering it sounds like an extended version of the dreamier bends stuff. a couple nice songs! inoffensive

A perfectly decent album nothing about it screams "this is amazing"

A muted, neutered alternative rock album that trembles in the shadow of it's predecessors. Some songs had a few budding ideas, but ultimately it fell short because it sounded like Pablo Honey era Radiohead, mixed with early Oasis about 9 years too late. 2/5

A trip down memory lane! Nothing extraordinary but Fran Healy can write a catchy hook. A band that understands their strengths and produce some solid pop songs.

Solid Meh

One of the last great pop albums of the nineties.

Produced by Nigel Godrich, he certainly still carries the essence left over from "The Bends" - for better or for worse. A soft rock album with a relatively nice vocal, but at times sounding too much like Thom and the rest of Radiohead. Who's to blame or praise here? I don't know.

I can't be objective when it comes to Travis or this album. Been a fan of Travis since I first heard them and still love them. I loved this album when it came out and still love it. Their music just speaks to me. Favorites: Writing to Reach You, As You Are, Driftwood, Turn, Why Does It Always Rain on Me Would I listen to it again: Yes

I thought it was pretty boring

There are a 1001 albums not on the list that can replace this. I like the quieter side of music but this is a beige buffet. It’s stuck in 1st gear. Again that cd that people who don’t really like music all had, and now found in every charity shop never not be heard again. 2 Star - it isn’t shit bad to be 1 star, driftwood and why does it rain being familiar having been on the radio at the time lift it to 2. And the cover and crap font definitely advertise the content.

I like it more years ago

"We've got Radiohead at home"

On a positive note listening to this can give you a little more understanding of the quality that Coldplay and Radiohead bring. If you've only eaten cheap American chocolate you might be perfectly happy, but when you finally have some good chocolate you learn how ignorant you have been. Oh I've heard, "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?". It is kind of catchy, but I'd be fine forgetting it.

It's so late 90's/early 00's. Whiny rock but it doesn't seem like they mean it.

radiohead for morons

The rain song is a 90’s masterpiece. The rest of the album is filler but it’s listenable filler.

This is like the love child between Oasis and Muse. I’d say Driftwood is a low point on the album, at least the first low point. Turn has then returned the album back to its starting position. This is Brit rock as we know it. The Brit’s have a formula when it comes to tasty spoonfuls of music. I didn’t want to like this album because I don’t like the way the band looks and I hate someone named Travis but I’m sold on them. Choice cut: Why Does it Always Rain on Me

Really nice album. I liked it.

own

11/1089 - The rhythms, textures, and riffs are homogenous and could be more interesting throughout with more variation instead of relying on background woosh effects.

Mostly boring as hell. No clue why it's on this list. Turn is a nice song, though.

This is what I would call "Bob" music, after my friend Bob who likes this exact type of music. 90s British Alt. This is the 90iest Brit-alt of all 90s brit alt. Also, I imagined guys from Glasgow would have stronger accents when they sing, but they don't. There's some good tunes in here though. I didn't dislike the album, but overall it was pretty mid. The series of references to other songs in Slide Show was fun though.

I went into this album with no expectation as I had no idea who they were. I have to say, I was pretty impressed. I actually think there's a lot to like about this album and for me it was the songwriting. I thought each track was unique and intricate and it formed the album very well. There's also so pretty catchy parts throughout. It really reminds me of Radiohead and I honestly thought the first song could have been a ripoff of Wonderwall with the guitar intro. I think I liked it more than most of my 3 star ratings

A couple of top notch songs but mostly sounds like a Radiohead cover band

5/10

Fantastic 90s alternative soft rock. Radiohead after a rejuvenating and sentimental adult summer camp. Some U2 elements as well, but much better.

Not really my genre. Like Oasis but less overwhelmingly and unapologetically British. Guitar solo on 'as you are' was extremely jarring.

Accused of trying to sound like Radiohead or early Coldplay? I mean I could think of worse things. This is a solid album, Fran Healey’s vocals are lovely. Good songs with great melodies lacking the genius of RH.

Less annoying than Oasis, but only just.

Very Radiohead inspired and I feel like there must be a few other bands mixed into their inspiration. Ben Folds? Not sure. Certainly some big hits on this one. Album is goodish.

Boring. The guy thinks he’s Bono but he’s annoying.

Coldplay wannabes. And Coldplay isn’t even good anymore

Listened to this one twice, it makes very easy background listening. Standout Tracks: - Turn - Writing to Reach You - Driftwood

Never heard of these guy. But being a 99 album there might be hope. There are lots of times this guys voice sounds like the radiohead guy. Awe Luv was really cute. I like what I've heard. But there is a bit of monotony through out. I'm giving this one 3 stars. Oh wow there's a hidden track lol. So 90s.

Dreamy pop that fades as it plays. A coupe of songs I like on here, but “Slide Show” is a farce of an album capper.

Another surprise.

Reminds me of oasis. Not here or there, but I would introduce someone to it if they were down that road. Still nothing to buy a shirt over.

If I told AI to create music based on all the styles, sounds and production that I hate in music then it would create this album. 1.0

I have this album and I still listen to it from time to time when I want something quiet. The hidden track used to always catch me, though it's not the same when you're streaming the album.

a very laid back and soothing rock album that feels very nostalgic and familiar but also really sad and lonely. great album.

I'm tempted to give this a one, as there really is some whiny shit on here. The singles, Writing To Reach You, Driftwood, Turn and Why Does It Always Rain On Me are just about acceptable enough to give it a two. It's still music for bedwetters though.

I knew Why Does It Always Rain On Me? already, which is still kind of a mood for when you're feeling melodramatic but want to laugh at yourself for it. But otherwise, this album felt like a really long run-on sentence. No punctuation, no dynamics. Just a lot of droning on featuring cheese ball rhymes. This one was not for me.

EHHHHH

Ok but not very interesting or memorable

Soft pop. Lethargic, boring and uninspired.

Alguma pessoa aleatória ouviu fake plastic trees e achou que poderia fazer uma música igual. Frustrada que não conseguiu fazer algo exatamente igual, fez um disco com todas as tentativas de imitar essa música, onde falha miseravelmente em todas.

no início dava pra tankar mas passou 14 minutos e lentamente se tornou uma goteira desacelerada na minha testa e eu não tinha boca para gritar e pedir socorro

I thought the hidden track at the end was kind of clever, but that's everything that I found to be unique about this album. It's pop. Decent pop, but just pop.

Knockoff radiohead. And I am not a fan of Radiohead. The hidden tune was the best. More of that, less of the crying in a corner.

The singles are good but nostalgia aside this is a very boring album

Fine. Boring. Listenable. Inoffensive. Inessential. 3/5

Mariekjeksens musikk, kjedelig. Dårlig coldplay

It's like Radiohead but without interesting ideas

4 sterne

FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN FEIN

Don’t think it will ever be my favourite album but contains a number of great songs

Even though the album is bland, unoriginal and rather boring most of the time, it has a good production, and none of the songs are bad, per se. There are even a couple of nice songs, not including Why Does it Always Rain on Me.

There's a generous version of me that gives 4 here. Pleasant album, good singles, and especially decent in the context of the barrrn wasteland of British music in 1999 but I probably won't return to the album as a whole so it's 3 from me.

This album had a good vibe

In a nutshell: purveyors of Scottish sad bastard music Bland and boring. I wouldn't be surprised if this album influenced Coldplay when recording Parachutes. Overall: 1/10

As one half of iconic UK depressing indie duo Houmous & Chutney, I know a thing or two about making seriously depressing music. It takes real guts to make a record without any hope whatsoever. Well done Travis. 2.1

4.5

It's a long time since I've listened to this album (or Travis in general). I had forgotten how much I liked this album. Blue Flashing Lights is a contender for my favourite closing track to an album.

Pleasant enough as background music but it didn't blow me away

Hard to articulate how I feel about an album I've listened to probably over 100 times. When you listen to an album so much, there's a drift in your favourite tracks. Ones you didn't notice so much at first come to the forefront, and what initially peaked your interest in the album can fade back. I think that's a sign of a really great album, one for which you feel all the tracks individually are excellent, and there's some coherence throughout the album. The Man Who fits this criteria for me. This is an album I've enjoyed for over 20 years, and one I expect to put on intermittently for the rest of my life. Not so much a critical review as a love letter. Do not sleep on the hidden track.

One or two tracks that were semi good but my god is this dull and dreary

Despite the cold album cover I found the music too sound warm. Hidden track at the end has cool guitar in it, worth the wait.

Precursor to the sound of Keane and Coldplay, taking elements of the 90s Britpop giants of Oasis, Radiohead and Pulp. Can't go wrong. But Travis have their own lyrical style and vocal delivery, really enjoy a lot of their work. Fav track: Turn

I was familiar with their big hit "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?", but apart from that I hadn't really listened to Travis. Sort of cross between Coldplay, Radiohead, and The Beatles. Not very cheerful, but not actually depressing, which seems to be normal for the the late 1990s.

This album is like toast and butter. It's not bad, in fact you could say it's good - but it's just dull. The obvious highlight is 'Why does it always rain on me" and even then it's somehow duller in it's context than it is as an isolated listen. I feel like one star would be unfair, but at the same time being boring is sometimes worse than being terrible...

Solid album with a couple stand out tracks

Love those millennial rhythms and I had missed this band in high school

I think this is the first album where I am generally baffled why it is an album I need to listen to. It was just so cookie cutter, mediocre, boring. What a waste of time.

Nice “Slide Show” really wants the 90’s to end, paraphrasing Manic Street Preachers, Beck and Oasis one after another Of course it’s produced by Nigel Godrich- that’s why I kept getting the feeling I was listening to a gentler, slower, alternate-universe The Bends I heard a lot of sadboi alt-lite growing up, but never Travis. Actually, maybe I heard the rain song on some movie or commercial. 3 stars for now. I guess you just had to be at Glastonbury in 1999 HL: “Writing to Reach You”, "Driftwood", "As You Are"

Very late 90s. Somewhat overrated. Heard it back then, not sure I needed to hear it again. Certainly doesn’t warrant it’s place on this list. Enjoyed the opening track (and first single), but it’s all very similar after that. I was mystified “…rain..” was the big hit. The original Q review was quite funny though. “Dynamic variety stays in a locked cupboard labelled Dynamic Variety: Do Not Touch”

Not as bad as the Stereophonics.

Mom can we have mid-late 90s Radiohead? We have mid-late 90s Radiohead at home. Mid-late 90s Radiohead at home:

It’s easy to underestimate Travis. You definitely shouldn’t, though. It does very little to offend anyone but still manages to leave its solid mark.

meh kinda boring

“The band are credited by the media for paving the way for bands such as Coldplay to achieve worldwide success throughout the 2000s, particularly with the success of The Man Who.” Wikipedia damns. I remember no specifics of the grey wash that followed Radiohead, but I’m guessing there was a lot of critical bullying and it was all deserved. This accomplished wishy-washyness reminds me of the adroitness of Taylor Swift in making the sentimental, humdrum ennui of the privileged fun through concrete detail and cattiness. This is all “Dave is sad, O Dave is sad.”

Typical grey late '90s bilge. Vaguely nostalgic of our time together, Mark, but not enjoyably so. I did once have a mild soft spot for "Writing To Reach You" but it sounded pretty dull and uninspired today. Healy is an awful lyricist - "What's a Wonderwall anyway?" is both clumsy and unfunny, and substituting literally any other sentence in the English language for the rejoinder to "Why does it always rain on me?" would have been an improvement - and there is some real shit on here ("The Last Of The Laughter" features not only frivolous French lyrics, but unpleasant falsetto and a well-behaved sitar in the background) and the obligatory terrible "hidden track". There will be worse from this period/genre on this list, no doubt, so I will own up to liking both the first Embrace album and the occasional Idlewild song if we can please avoid Keane or Snow Patrol. Deal?

Another one that I had and haven't listened to in forever. 3.5

Another album that reminds me of my best friend. Very soothing and relaxing. Oh snap, I forgot Blue Flashing Light was a hidden track on this album! I had some angsty times with this song.

Great album! This is the total reason I like this email reminder a day heard of them never really gave him the lesson. Definitely gonna spin this in the future.

Never heard of these guys. Love the title (from the book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat). I suspect if I listened to it several times I'd dig it even more. Some groovy tunes.

Another britpop snoozefest.

Yawn inducing

Tom Yorke vocal vibes - produced by Nigel Godrich, maybe that’s why. Not very interesting otherwise.

It is not that it's bad, it's just bland. 3/10

Never really listened to this all the way through. I can see why it sold a gazillion copies. I like it. Downcast, melodic, simple songs.

Interesting sounds and style, very 90s, reminded me of Radiohead.

Never even heard of these guys before, but I really liked this. Got some Radiohead vibes going on.

Favorite Track: Writing To Reach You

Sounds remind me of Oasis and Crowded House and the vocalist reminds me of Thom York. Some mellow radio hits from a Scottish Band... Writing To Reach You The Last of the Laughter Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

I’ve listened to this off an on for a number of years. Never been a diehard fan but a great album.

Thom Yorke: "He copied my whole fucking flow! ... word for word! bar for bar!"

Loved it. A time capsule, and “She’s so strange” was a fab surprise!

Meh

Sounds like a blatant rip off of The Bends. Boring and bland..

Very nostalgic, quality overall, lots of strong tracks. Like driftwood a lot

The prefix of “post” can be both a positive and a negative. When you slap it on and create something like post-punk or post-rock, then I’m on board. But when you present me with something like post-britpop, I grimace. Even just what that name potentially suggests is slightly vomit-inducing to me. Britpop is already not my favorite. I haven’t had much success with it in the past, and it unfortunately dominates a portion of this list far bigger than is necessary. In a way, I had no expectations for this, but also knew exactly what to expect. The best way I can describe this is like the wet cardboard or stale bread of music. Even the cover itself is representative of this. Everything about this album feels so lifeless and devoid of substance. I can’t even pretend that this record’s very best moments are worth your time. Because most, if not all people have heard an indie pop, or even britpop, album better and more interesting than this. This band belongs in the same category as groups like The Verve or Keane. Maybe Kings of Leon too. Except nothing on here is even remotely in the same universe as Bitter Sweet Symphony or Somewhere Only We Know. The one thing this did for me is made me realize that The Bends really is a britpop album, as much as I didn’t want to accept it. Unfortunately for these guys, they don’t have the talent or songwriting prowess of the fellows in Radiohead, so this is just boring as all hell. Rating: 4/10

2.5 Lite FM Radiohead

Me: mum can we listen to Radiohead? Mum: we have Radiohead at home The Radiohead we have at home:

The man who.... bored us to tears.

I expected to hate this solely based on the band name Travis alone. Like, if I’m naming a band just a generic name I’m not going Travis, I’m probably going Bruce but only before Springsteen bc I wouldn’t want confusion. I suppose Hank works ok too. The more I think about it, if I could name a band, I probably wouldn’t give it a generic dumb name to begin with. Travis is such a dumb name to give your band. This album was fine I suppose. 3 Hanks

take the most boring bits from britpop and much it with unwarrented bends-filter you get this whatever ass album

not bad, a bit boring, but i liked a few tracks

Este es uno de mis discos favoritos de fines de los 90. Probablemente el punto más alto que alcanzaría Travis. Un disco de canciones reposadas y bellas.

"The Man Who" is the second studio album by Scottish rock band Travis. This album was a change in musical direction away from the rockier tone of their debut album "Good Feeling." Wiki classified this genre as post-Britpop. They really should have called it Scottish emo. The album was recorded over six months in six different studios with producer Nigel Godrich. The band is Fran Healy (vocals, guitar, piano), Andy Dunlop (guitar), Dougie Payne (bass) and Neil Primose (drums). The album initially sold slowly and had mixed reviews but after the success of their single "Why Does It Always Rain in Me?" and their performance at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, the album reached #1 in the UK and had positive retrospective reviews. The first single "Writing to Reach You" leads the album off. A wobbly lead guitar and melodic rhythm guitar. Healy has a high tenor voice and goes falsetto. He name checks Oasis' "Wonderall" and they give us an Oasis-like guitar solo. He's mixed up after a breakup. An electric guitar intro begins "Driftwood." A strumming acoustic rhythm guitar and melodic chorus. A pleasant song about someone who has all the potential but doesn't use it. "Turn" has echoing drums and a slashing guitar. Soaring vocals and they get the soft-loud-soft dynamic going in this melodic rockin' song. Their big hit "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" has a violin intro. Catchy vocals. A happy-sounding song and avery good pop-music structure as it builds. Healy's best lyrics in the album and is based on his vacation experience in Israel where he went to a place that supposedly never rains and, of course, it rained the entire week he was there. The released singles, mentioned above, are very melodic and all decent songs. Healy has a very good voice and when he goes into soaring mode sounds a lot like Thom Yorke. Yet, on this album as a whole, there's way too many soft and ballad-type songs. Also concerning the lyrics, about midway through the album, I wanted to grab Healy, shake him and say "wake up and get on with your fucking life." Bad luck, failed relationships, not getting over relationships, unsuccessful friends....woah is me. Post-Britpop..no...it's emo at it's tear-dropping worst. I can only recommend this album for its released singles which individually are good songs.

Schoenenstaarmuziek van de broertjes van Radiohead. (Of zijn het ze zelf?) Gelukkig zit er een leuke inhaker met hitpotentie in, met de vrolijke vraag waarom het altijd op mij regent, dat maakt zo'n album net een puntje meer de moeite waard.

En weer kan ik een recente rating van mijzelf kopiëren en plakken. Weer moet een plaat van mijn reisgenote afgezet worden wegens tergende saaiheid. En weer ben ik het wel met haar eens. De zeurstem heeft daarbij een flinke rol. Maar ook in dit geval is dit puur een kwestie van smaak. Het is gewoon niet mijn ding. Tegelijk is het ook wel relatief. Ten opzichte van andere Britse zeurende lui valt dit wat in het niet. O ja, een bonusnummer na een lange stilte. Het moet eigenlijk een strafpunt opleveren. Super irritant in de auto. Valt nog mee dat het er niet ineens in knalt. 2,5 ster

Bij het horen van Travis was ik een beetje bang dat we 10 van die oorwurmen als "Why does it always rain on me" zouden krijgen. Maar het valt me alles mee. De rest van de nummers zit absoluut in hetzelfde straatje, namelijk vrij rustige britpop die niet zou misstaan op skyradio uit de 90s. Het zit verder vrij degelijk in elkaar, al is het behoorlijk traag allemaal. Ik vind het gitaarspel wel fijn, dat houdt me wakker. De stem doet me af en toe denken aan Rufus Wainwright (enorme hekel, aanstellerij), maar gelukkig ook wat aan bands als Saybia. Dat luister ik op zich niet heel vaak, maar die hebben wel een aantal prachtige nummers. Het geheel is een beetje suf soms, maar ik had veel erger verwacht. Dus dan valt het alleszins mee. Prima om de vroege ochtend mee op te starten, al is het net niet goed en enerverend genoeg voor een hoger cijfer dan een vergeetbare 3.

mid

Yeah, ok I suppose

Ok, with a couple of good tracks. Rest is ok 2/5

it kinda reminded me of a radiohead album but with bearable vocals. actually had a nice time with it

Jaha hyvää musiikki amutta hidden track saatana niin paskaa ainakun on hidden track heh PASKAAA!

“Need” is a strong word for this album. It’s good, not exactly memorable.

This was fine. A bit dull at times, but generally ok. I liked the hidden bonus track idea even though it doesn’t work for streaming. I imagine that would’ve been cool to discover back in the day

Fair play I enjoyed this. Imagine being a die hard Travis fan though. I did read once that after this album they were on the way to super-stardom, but then Coldplays first album came out a year later and everyone forgot about them. What might have been. Simpsons: No

Enjoyed this more than I expected to. Probably not something I'd choose to listen to but decent nonetheless. Good monging out tunes. Why does it always rain on me is quality.

I really enjoy Travis; I feel they are a bit underrated as a band. It's such a great album, and "Driftwood" was certainly the highlight for me.

I kinda like Travis. Can’t be doing with hidden tracks though.

The very definition of beige, bland or inconsequential. On an artistic level, Travis are too sweet for their own good in this LP filled with ballads so demure and safe they quickly become sickening for anyone looking for interesting chord sequences, inspiring harmonies, genuine thrills or even *true* subtlety. At best, those songs sound like the b-sides of Radiohead singles circa-*The Bends*, here rather laughably released two years after *OK Computer* came out--showing how Travis were surfing on the most boring post-Britpop wave at the tail end of the nineties, instead of offering something that would feel a tad bit more exciting in 1999 (just like Radiohead did in 1997). The thing is, even if you pretend this album was released in 1995, you can't really forgive how dull it is overall. That lead singer tries as hard as he can to go to Thom Yorke's turf for his vocal performance, but what he does falls flat compared to the manifold emotions routinely expressed by the Radiohead frontman. First because the music writing is predictable and devoid of any real spark or dynamics. But also because his vocals often lack a clear sense of attack or punch. The performance might be technically spotless at times (there are some weak moments, actually), its artistic flatness only underlines how linear Travis' music feels. The 'professional critics' sensed all this at the time. It's the target audience which made this LP a commercial success, and retrospectively, I can't help feeling said audience was so complacent and reluctant to be challenged that they were *objectively* wrong to enjoy this band so much. Sort of, obviously--music appreciation is always subjective, after all. But this sort of commercial success didn't bode well for the noughts, a very 'conservative' decade in my ears. And I could almost see myself going to a tantrum because someone thought of including this LP in the 1001 Albums list whereas it's a very questionable choice in my own book. When public taste is godawful to my demanding ears, I feel like I'm the one who is looking down upon them whereas I don't want to. I can't really blame Travis' fans, though. I blame part of the subsequent 'critics' who looked at the sales numbers to then profess this album was worthy to be in a list such as this one. Because I feel they're a little hypocritical. Pretty sure that if *The Man Who* had not sold so many units, it would have been quickly forgotten, plain and simple. I'm not the one to often complain about the British perspective regularly churned out by the 1001 Albums book. But here I sense one of its unwanted and undesirable consequences. When so many genres and subgenres are so badly represented in the book (post-rock, post-hardcore/emo, some recent strands of noise-rock, metal and pop, or some not-so recent strands of jazz...), you can't waste a slot for frigging Travis! It's a slap in the face of all the fans of those music genres! I've compared Travis to Radiohead earlier, and I have to admit I feel bad for doing so. Some might say I should have compared them to Coldplay instead. But even that would be unfair to a degree, leaving aside the fact that Travis' frontman is a Chris Martin lookalike, lol. Coldplay sound like Nine Inch Nails, King Crimson and Black Midi jamming together compared to Travis circa-*The Man Who*. And even if they didn't, Chris Martin has sung loads of more memorable songs compared to Travis, so that doesn't even work out. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that the world--and most specifically this list--doesn't need a second-rate version of Coldplay, which is itself a second-rate version of quite a few other important acts from the turn of the century. Gives this slot to artists who offered something truly vital, for chrissake! 1/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 6/10 for more general purposes (5 for the 'professional' musical and technical abilities + 1 for the actual artistry) Number of albums left to review: 10 (plus the 80-ish extra LPs listed on this app, included because different past versions of the book have mentioned albums that have since been dropped in subsequent editions) Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 426 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 254 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 314 (including this one)

Haven’t heard this album in over 20 years! And you know what? I wasn’t missing it. Some of the songs on here are pretty, but most are pretty flaccid. I feel like, if you’re gonna make soft music, then you gotta come with something hard.

The Man Who? The Man Who what? Anyways, this album's pretty good. I wasn't expecting anything special, and while I wouldn't say I got something special, what I did get is still a solid album. Travis kind of reminds me of Radiohead and early Coldplay. Fortunately, I love Radiohead and early Coldplay, so while I wouldn't call this album as good as those bands, it still gives me some of the things that I love about them. The sound is where this is the most obvious. I really like this album's sound. It's just nice. The singing fits the instrumentals quite well. The writing is alright. It's not super interesting, but it doesn't have to be. My favorite song is probably "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" I listened to it after first generating the album to see if I'd like it or not, and it gave me a good first impression. Overall, this is a nice little album that does its job and is also somewhat influential on what's known as post-britpop. Interesting. Light 4/5.

Þessi var rosalega mikið spiluð um aldamótin og uppúr. Mér þykir ansi vænt um hana, þótt mörgu fólki þyki hún ekki merkilegur pappír.

Gets more beige with each song. Driftwood decent though

Songs i like: 4 Songs i like: 0 Absolute waffle, would love to hear what the bands thoughts are of this years later. I reckon they'd probably deny it was them that recorded it

Remember liking this when it came out (in my defence, I was 16), but it’s just a bit shit. The singles are decent enough indie pop, but it’s all so slight and fey (sez). It hasn’t aged well (sez).

Fuck me this is dull. Didn't like it at the time and enjoyed ripping my bro for being a bed wetter. It's even worse all these years later. Christ. So miserable. Don't be Scottish like these whining fannies. Be more like Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, Arab Strap. Even Belle and Sebastian as at least they have a bit of bite when they are complaining. This is the most sexless softboi music I've heard. Makes early Coldplay sound like the stones. Makes Keane sound like Motley Crue. Mad how this was so popular. Late 90s post britpop was a weird time. Standouts: Why Does it Always Rain on Me I suppose The hidden track had a bit of bite. Why the fuck was it a hidden track?! Low points: All of it. But especially Luv. God this is wank.

Enjoyed the singles the rest was disappointing.

Thought it started ok, first 3 songs had a bit about them but it turned at Driftwood and then got worse and worse. Soft as shite. ‘Why does it always rain on me’ encapsulates the whinging wetness of it all. The hidden track is miles better than anything on the album and gives it an extra point.

Ok no great shakes

Great vocals and fun album

otro thom yorke wannabe

Had a couple songs I liked but they weren't good enough to carry the album. One highlight for me was recognizing a verse in "Writing To Reach You" from a Wonderwall/Boulevard of Broken Dreams remix, I like that version better than the actual song though. Favorite song was: 7. Why Does it Always Rain on Me 4/10

The album cover reminds me of Bourne Identity that intense ass scene when he goes to stay at that house where he thinks the family is gone but then they come back and he's being hunted around the farm land by that sniper in the trees and they're running at each other in the high weeds. Damn that's an epic movie. I should probably watch it again, that scene is so tense. Anyway, this album was the perfect mood for this dreadful day (11/7/24), it met me exactly where I was at. Jesus Christ republicans are fucking stupid. It seems really unfair that a person with a quarter of a brain cell has a vote that counts equal (actually probably counts way more) than mine. At least the Celtics are good...

This was an OK album. It has that classic 90s british sound that so many of the bands from that era have. This could just as easily be a Snow Patrol or Keane album. I don't love it, but it's only OK for me. It feels dated. 6/10

Radioleg 😭

boring sad man with acoustic guitar sings sad songs. not much to write home about

This is ONLY interesting because I really like Keane and Keane very clearly was inspired by this. For that, I will give it 3 stars. But only because it managed to let something else better come out of it.

10% Radiohead, 60% Coldplay, 30% Matchbox Twenty; 100% forgettable lame ass pop rock bullshit.

A new band to me. First song my reaction was “wow that sounds just like some other band”… finally decided that one was like the Goo Goo dolls. A later song sounded like a Paul McCartney tune. In other words, the music is not groundbreaking. There are some really weak rhyming schemes in the lyrics which were cringeworthy. Unfortunately the lyrics got more smarmy in the later tracks. Despite all that it wasn’t painful to listen to. The music was generic but ok. Would give the music a 3 and the lyrics a 2.

I’d like it more if the rest of the songs were more like the hidden track. It was ok but I’m not sure I needed to listen to it and I probably won’t again.

Oh Travis. I remember when I found this album, I really hoped I had stumbled across something special. Unfortunately it just doesn’t hold up all the way through. Writing to Reach You is great, and then it’s just a series of missteps

One of my favourites, Scotland Forever

The Invisible Band is my favorite album by Travis but The Man Who is the album that has more of my favorite songs on it. I don't find The Man Who to be as consistent as The Invisible Band. Really great songs on here: Writing to Reach You Driftwood Turn Why Does It Always Rain on Me? I find The Fear and As You Are to ruin some of the momentum that Writing to Reach You may have built up. Travis is very much not a loud band but it feels like once they play a good song, the next one brings it down a bit. Not necessarily in sound but it's just not as good of a song that follows. I rate this highly, despite the fact it seems I am negative on the album. It's an excellent intro to Travis, just not the best intro to Travis. Listen to The Man Who and then try the other albums.

What is it with the Scottish and making beautiful pop music? The lead singer of Travis has a very similar voice to Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and fortunately that voice is not wasted here. The music is beautiful. Just a great album to start of your morning 4/5

nope

Travis hold a dear place in my heart

Generic pop rock. Nothing bad but nothing great.

It's like if you took every 90s pop rock band and took various elements from them to create the most statistically average collection of songs. It's U2, Radiohead and Oasis with all the meat removed. There's not a single daring or bold element on the album. Despite its averageness I don't hate it. There's not really any obviously bad tracks; it's all perfectly inoffensive, if even charming at times.

2674 - This is alright, it's pretty standard 00s britpop, but if you like that then this is up there withe early coldplay. A bit dull. C

Boring. Coldplay but worse. Why does it always rain on me is a classic tho. 5.4

This is my kind of album! Sad indie boy makes good acoustic music. <3

on the softer side of rock, travis doesn't offer anything too intriguing. The vocals are good specially notable in songs like as you are, its catchy in parts but i dont see too much replayable value here. Did't havee to slug through it though , a light 2/5

“What’s a wonderwall anyway” is a pretty funny line

There wasn't much separating ColdPlay and Travis when this came out. It's pleasant enough but really just bland, and years later just doesn't standout among the sea of similar late 90s Brit acts.

Before today, if you’d have asked me to name a Travis song, I’d only have been able to come up with Why Does It Always Rain On Me? However, it turns out that I’m really quite familiar with four different songs on this album. I never knew Turn was be them, but it’s a banger. It also strikes me how Travis were kinda enough before that was a thing. So much of the lyrics here are about being miserable, which admittedly is a theme that I tend to enjoy in music. I didn’t expect to like this album as much as I did, but it turns out to be pretty great.

I’m sorry, but in what world does this compete with What’s the Story (Morning Glory) as a seminal British album? It’s good, but it’s not THAT good.

Some good songs but the general pace gets rather stale after a while. It's like they never quite get out od second gear.

being a doofus with extremely limited knowledge, the main thing i was thinking of was rush of blood to the head-era coldplay which i only found out afterwards this predates by like three years. so ig rly the point of origin here is more bends era radiohead? neither of these are especially exciting comparisons for me tbh but this is prob my fave between all three,,,a real warmth is achieved here somewhere between the vocal delivery and the personal-feelin lyrics and the comfy winter vibe, and if its nothing mindblowing i find it very inviting regardless. comfortably uninsistent while still making room for some big choruses and the like, its rly nice! whole project has been full of little one-off experiences that it feels nice to unexpectedly have in my memory bank...cant believe im coming up on 100 days without having missed a single one so far, woooo

The radio hit was nice, but OMG the rest sounds like Christian Rock

Well my favorite song was the hidden track "Flashing Blue Lights" the only track on this that kinds rocked it out a bit... The rest just reminded me of that kind of mopy post-Brit pop kind of in the likes of Keane (which I hope I don't jynx us and summon them up in our randomizer) It's fine, I kinda like it, but it's a light 3½. (7.2) ★★★½

One of the more enjoyable post britpop albums out there. Low 4 stars

Starts off really great and fizzles out a bit at the end. Favorite tracks are "Writing to Reach You", "As You Are", and "Driftwood". 4 stars.

Before Coldplay came along and knocked them off their perch, Travis were the best post-Britpop tunesmiths around and this here Man Who probably counts as their magnum opus. Going for it is a light, shimmery indie sound inspired by classic Radiohead and a batch of really excellent evergreen singles. Writing To Reach You, Driftwood, Why Does It Always Rain On Me? and Turn all bang in a kinda awesome but wussy way. 3rd track As You Are is also a grower, starting with streaks of I Would Like To Teach The World To Sing and then a bit of added epic Radiohead growl. If there is a downside to the album is that many of its deep cuts are simply too sleepy and relaxed and it judders to a halt actually with closer Slide Show. Bonus Track Blue Flashing Lights the band show all their claws though in a raucous spitting tale of domestic disturbance. 4 stars.

Very nice pleasant album. 3.5 stars but 3 for this site.

WOAH, ero pronto a essere schifato e invece sto cantante mi colpisce cantando come un cane bastonato, non so resistere a un uomo che non ha paura di essere totalmente patetico

mi è piaciuto molto più di quanto sperassi, mi aspettavo il solito indie brit mugugnato e invece no! un ascolto molto piacevole

im over the alternative shit. give me something different man

I've always wondered why Travis weren't bigger than they were. They're much better than some of the other bands from that period and that similar sound (I'm looking at you, Coldplay). This is a nice album, it feels coherent throughout, with very hummable tunes and a lovely relaxing vocal. An enjoyable, if pretty uneventful, listen.

3.5

Kind of Oasis-y, dreamy emo rock. Hadn't heard them before yet it is familiar and listenable.

Pretty boring. Album was filled with songs that weren’t very interesting. 2/5 Won’t listen again

I preferred the Edinburgh Gay Men's Chorus' version of Why Does It Always Rain On Me? Seriously, this was fine and inoffensive. Will always be a fan of Scottish representation in these things Think the secret song was maybe the most interesting!

The Man Who's album is used by anaesthetists to put patients to sleep naturally. Utterly boring uninteresting shite. James Blunt for even blunter individuals. Going to start logging these because there's so fucking many in this ridiculous list: Britpop album #5/48.

"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." - John Wikipedia This statement is probably the biggest indictment of Britpop and its consequences I have seen from this list so far.

It least it has a unique sound compared to the other britslop on this godforsaken list. I would never go out of my way to listen to this. The last song on this album is too long and nearly sent me to my grave.

Britpop had its moment in the 90s and Travis here is a little late for the train. So he waits on the platform for the radiohead express. He does Brit-pop better than the vast majority of the other hog water but pales in comparison to radiohead (he wants to be them so bad) 6/10 Fav tracks - As You Are, The Last Laugh of the Laughter, Slide Show Least Fav - None really

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/023/846/lisa.jpg This is better than Brit-pop I will say that, but man did this remind me of RadioHead in the Worse ways. The Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhaaahhhhhhh shit he would do in the songs just fucking killed me, you know that like humming noise thing he does when he sounds like he is mid shit with reverb mic in his face. There were some bits that were O K not great, like the instrumentals were good, big fan. Thats about it but. 2/5

Inoffensive paint-by-numbers music. This is probably some Gen X consultant's favourite band. The music here is very well-played, the arrangement and production is good and the vocals are good. That's all I can really say about this album is that it's good. Highlights here for me are Turn and Slide Show. 7/10 don't think I would go out of my way to listen to this. (Also not sure if I would recognise a track from this if you played it to me in a week)

Cher, Bono, Madonna, ...Travis. I've never heard of this Travis guy before, but judging him on this album, he has not earned being able to use just his first name. Not even close. How did this whiny sad sack music make it on the list? Wait, every freaking Radiohead album is here. I understand now. Driftwood is the only song that goes anywhere, so that's my favorite track here. Second favorite is the last one where there is a few minutes of silence before he starts angrily ranting about something or other.

It was fine. I like Travis. They make nice music. Is it world-changing? No. Three stars.

Nah

"Mom, can we get Radiohead?" "Billy, we have Radiohead at home." Radiohead at home:

Streaming releases of albums with hidden tracks should separate the track and remove the three minutes of silence. I’m not trying to add the song to a playlist and listen to my thoughts for three minutes. Album was enjoyable enough, but it was nothing I haven’t heard before done better. “We have The Bends at home” seems about right. Favorite songs were Writing To Reach You, Driftwood, and The Last Laugh Of The Laughter.

Amidst all the rich sounds of '90s and '00s rock we have these guys playing safe, producing works that are blander than even bad britpop albums.

While having this album pop up, I immediately had "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" in my ear. This says a lot - about this specific song! But "Writing To Reach You", "Driftwood", "The Last Laugh Of The Laughter" and "Turn" are good as well. Over all a well crafted, very melodic and melancholic album. Weak four stars for that. favourite: "Blue Flashing Light" (hidden track😉) 3,5

Hermoso

Brit rock

Decent.

This album is all of the worst parts of Brit-pop combined. Awful.

The unbearable blandness of weltschmerz-oozing, guitar-strumming songs, all condensed in one album. And a mostly white cover, to boot. Completely unmemorable songs, sung with a voice that makes me wonder why nobody gives the guy some painkillers... What's it doing in this list? P.S.: the "hidden track" at the end just shows what they would have been capable of... alas...

Early-aughts coffee shop easy listening. Back in the day (2006/2007) I read a book series called Twilight... You may have heard of it. Anyway, Stephanie Meyer posted author playlists for the first two books on her author website/blog before the publication of the third book, and on one of those playlists was "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" By Travis. That was the first time I'd ever heard of this band, and now the two are inexorably linked in my brain. Sorry, Travis.

I've never heard of this band, and they are great! Awesome Scottish rock. I would totally buy this album.

The man who what?! Kind of boring. Nothing special overall.

Not bad! Didn’t mind it

This is decent - some songs sound like Walmart Oasis but it's a nice listen generally.

This is ok. Definitely some good stuff

Classic. So many enjoyable songs here. Reminds me of one of the other chill bands I used to listen to, Keane.

There are a couple of painfully boring songs here, like Driftwood, that derailed any enjoyment I had for this album. It sounds like 100 other albums from this era without doing anything unique to pull it ahead of its competitors. As You Are and Why Does It Always Rain On Me? were pretty enjoyable on an album that doesn't do enough.

Not bad, but really comes across as store-brand Radiohead.

Was really surprised to hear 'Why does it always rain on me' on here. I hadn't heard that song in ages and had no idea it was by Travis. The entire album feels like 2000s Skyradio-core. The songs were nice but this is one of the oh so many pop albums that I won't be playing again.

6.5/10

A little one-note but decent. The hidden track is one of the best.

I didn’t hate this, but it all seemed to run together a bit and was a little one dimensional. 2.5/5

This album really only partially holds itself up thanks to the catchy song Why Does It Always Rain On Me? which I knew quite well. I was hoping the rest of the material would also standout, but unfortunately it didn’t. I mean it’s all fine, but I felt like I was listening to a Radiohead knock-off band filtered through the band Keane with a bit of Oasis peppered in. And then my hunch was proven when I saw the album was produced by Nigel Godrich, longtime collaborator/producer of Radiohead.

Nice trip down memory lane, I was always fond of this band. They also had a good collection of interesting music videos to accompany a lot of these, back when that was a thing.

This was a nice surprise. I actually really enjoyed this and that thom yorke sound mofo. Some of it is forgettable but enough substance to bump this up a lil. 3.5

Another reviewer described this album as “eating saltines dipped in skim milk,” and I tend to agree. I mean, nothing inherently wrong with saltines and skim milk. I enjoy them both. But you need a little peanut butter on the saltines. Pour skim milk over a tasty cereal. This album is fine but boring. 2.75/5

Perfect post Brit pop. Sappy and tuneful.

I love this. Writing To Reach You was always my fave. It’s rather lovely however occasionally tips over in to the pedestrian. Stayed on for the secret track too 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

ganz süß, aber fad auf dauer

Muy bueno Travis

I’ve never listened to this album but I definitely recognize the voice of the lead singer. Good album, was a good way to start the day. Favorites: - Writing to Reach You - The Fear - Why Does it Always Rain on Me - She’s So Strange Least Favorites: - Hidden track at the end of Slide Show **After looking up the band I realize that I probably heard a lot of their songs in One Tree Hill. I also have one of their songs “Sing” on my Alt Rock playlist.

Occasionally radioheadesque. Those parts stood out for me

Interesting in parts. But only in parts, the majority of it is generic britpop (which I, apparently, do fancy) First song sounds a bit like Wonderwall. Not as good, of course. The vibes are there, quite melancholic. Good music

Oasis but worse

Fine production, singer not my style

meh

Never really listened to this band before but they're surprisingly really good, fells like shittier Radiohead but in a good way

Fades away into the background.

This would go perfect, listened to over a bowl of cold porridge. This is mushy peas you forgot in the fridge. Even the singer couldn’t muster up a single shit to give to this album. “Why does it always rain on me? Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?” No, it’s because you live in Scotland, ya moppy git! My advice- don’t go at other artists in such a milquetoast way. Say it with your chest if you’re gonna say it at all. All the complaining about Wonderwall just made me realize I hadn’t gotten What’s The Story, Morning Glory? on this project. Looking forward to that. Odelay was also good. This album was not.

decent rock album, didn't seem overly distinctive.

2.5

2.5

Very late-90s British. Lead single was played a lot back then. Somewhat boring in parts, but with some decent songs as well.

this makes me proud to be british 4/10

This was an ok-ish album, but immediately after listening I couldn't recall anything that happened in any of the songs, except I think that I liked "Driftwood" and "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"

Pretty chill, I like it

Sounds like the background music to some teen drama where the main character stops by to check on the state of the school project and talk to the supporting character (future love interest crush). This is playing at a low volume in the room.

These guys were a nice surprise! I'd rank them up there with Oasis.

Bland. Not offensive, just blah.

Enjoyable. A mix of Radiohead and Keane with a splash of Coldplay. Good background music for a coffee shop or gourmet sandwich shop.

This was actually unenjoyable. I wasn’t expecting big things. I know who Travis are but I tried to put any prejudice away and played it in the background. Only time it caught my attention was when the whininess became unbearable. It’s odd I generally like whininess… (Love to my man Thom) Soft rock with entle meandering chords, a strings section and vocal ‘whailing’. I guess it might mean something to someone. Just didn’t grasp it. I don’t remember hating “why does it always rain” when it was big but, man, was the bile rising today. First album on here that has me genuinely wondering how it made the cut. I guess someone’s gotta be #1001.

Boring songs. One star

Pretty good.

Tracks 1 and 2 aren't bad, but it gets worse

Radiohead. Wannabe

Late 90s early 00s threw out some mediocre indie like Travis and Snow Patrol, Keane and Coldplay. It’s like IKEA furniture. Bland but functional. Seems cruel to hate on it.

Writing to Reach You is really good and I liked some other songs as well, but there's also a lot of corny moments (that song with the chorus sung in french genuinely made me laugh in the worst possible way. I guess I just don't get British humour.

This isn't an essential listen. There should be at disclaimer at the beginning of this list to warn people that their ears are going to get relentlessly raped by ceaseless brit pop crap that nobody cares about.