Travis - Singles

Until I did some research, I though Travis broke up. Yes, the band has been around longer than most people know (since 1996) and have released a number of tracks most Americans aren’t familiar with; but nonetheless, an album of radio singles is typically a posthumous endeavor. Furthering my confusion, the album cover places four photographs of the band members along the ledge of a white concrete wall. And inside the cover, a picture of a wilted flower, a smashed drum and an empty room with nothing but scattered Travis memorabilia on the floor obviously had me concerned. A sign for things to come? Only the raven knows? So I consulted travisonline.com, and as far as I can tell, Travis continues to keep on keeping on. Singles is a largely waste of record label resources. Beautifully ironic, isn’t it? But, the album is also the perfect Travis biography. “Why Does it Always Rain on Me,” “Driftwood,” “Turn,” and “Writing to Reach You” are all found on The Man Who LP. This album first introduced Travis to American ears, and it stands as their best to date. “Flowers in the Window,” “Side,” and “Sing” are compiled from The Invisible Band, a valiant but inferior follow-up to The Man Who. “Re-Offender,” “Love Will Come Through,” and “The Beautiful Occupation” come from 12 Memories. These tracks continue to show Travis’ maturation, as these songs are less pop driven and more akin to modern Coldplay and Elbow. Same beat, different drummer. That’s ten songs. We’ve got another 8 tracks on Singles that most British indie rock fans probably haven’t heard. “Tied to the 90’s,” “All I Want to do is Rock,” and “U16 Girls” are identity seeking growing pains similar to Paris Hilton’s sex tapes. The only difference is that Travis agreed to release these experiments to the public. Some things are better left forgotten, others aren’t…you make the call. Down to five. It gets slightly interesting here. “Happy” recorded in 1997 is scrap. But “More Than Us,” recorded in 1998, triumphantly exhibits Travis’ potential as this song would fit nicely on 12 Memories. “Coming Around” is cut out of the same casting as every song on The Invisible Band The last two tracks, “The Distance” and “Walking in the Sun,” are Travis’s most recent recordings, and they are not found on any album. “Walking in the Sun” remains true to the euro-indie-pop identity Travis comfortably relishes, but “The Distance” may very well be their finest song to date. Just like” More Than Us” did in 1998, this David Bowie inspired anthem makes you believe that Travis may actually go the distance, as long as they completely heal the nagging injuries of their past. [www.travisonline.com]