Travis
Ode to J. Smith
Fontana Universal
By Miriam Lamey
Travis seemed to redeem their musical integrity with last year’s The Boy With No Name, a delicious bite of swingy, indie goodness. After Sing, it seemed that these lads had just plain given up, left to wallow blandly in the mire of pretentious emotive twaddle. But last year, Travis gave us hope, allowing Britpop aficionados to feel excitement for new material. And then came Ode to J. Smith. Intriguing, upbeat, yes. Thrilling and wonderful, no. While Travis remain good musicians, their latest just seems to fall a bit flat.
The opening track, “Chinese Blues” feels a bit like an epic rock musical, thanks to jumping keys and reedy, vintage guitar riffs. It’s almost as if Travis are doing an Oasis impression, indicated best by Fran Healy’s pushing, forceful vocals. Yet the song just seems artificial and chilly. On the surface, this track and the following, “J. Smith” have plenty of energy, plus an intriguing undercurrent of darkness. Yet both play as plastic, Coldplay, contemporary rock imitations, even though “J. Smith” pushes out some neat tinny cymbals and drums.
Travis utilizes harsher, grating guitars and a more soulful melody with “Something Anything,” hearkening back to their older material. The head-nodding beats and snappy lyrics are entertaining enough, but this attempt at modern Britpop lacks color and originality; Travis are taking inspiration from their younger peers. Like the entire album, “Something Anything” is a well constructed, excellently produced track, but lacks a genuine sonic spark.
Ode to J. Smith continues in an unremarkable vein, but “Broken Mirror” is dramatic enough to be noteworthy. Languid vocals in a swooping, almost eerie melody are where Healy shines and thankfully, he realizes that too, and doesn’t make an entire album rife with anthemic vocal blasting. The light cymbals and wispy guitars and bass give the track a serpentine edge, introducing more than a touch of creativity to the album. Yet one glimmer of inspiration just doesn’t cut it, and while Travis have a sonically sound album, the tunes mostly lack intensity. Ode to J. Smith remains a decent LP, but don’t expect it popping up on many top ten lists of 2008.
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