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26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Under the spotlight, 9 May 2007
This, the latest offering from Travis, 'The Boy With No Name', had many people thinking after their 'Singles' collection back in 2003. So, what was to be expected of this release?
A pleasant surprise.
The opening track, '3 Times And You Lose', starts off dreamily, before opening up into dreamy, hazy, melodic guitars and Fran Healy's soft, calm voice. A great intro. Classic Travis. 9/10.
Track two, 'Selfish Jean', is more in an early Coldplay-esque theme, and is arguably one of the best tracks on the album. It's Travis with the swagger that was only previously heard on their debut, 'Good Feeling'. This track has life, and feels more alive than anything they've done in years. 10/10.
Track three, 'Closer', was the first release off the album, and has quickly developed into a Travis classic. The video, incidentally, is worth watching as it features the comedy genius that is Ben Stiller. Yes, it is classic dreamy-guitar rock, but something Travis manage do oh so well. 10/10.
Track four, 'Big Chair', starts off with a piano/bass combination, and has a fresh-sounding drum beat to it. 'Here we go, fast and slow, on the big chair...' Healy sings. 9/10.
Track five, 'Battleships', is soft, and melodic, as you would expect really. Healy's voice is brilliant, and suits the music to perfection. I can honestly see this as a future release. 10/10.
Track six, 'Eyes Wide Open', is a more aggressive, driving riff, and certainly shows Travis from an edgier perspective, with a slight folky, and has a rawer feel to it. Brilliant. 10/10.
Track seven, 'My Eyes', is a return to the melodic, soaring soft guitar-rock that we have got used to over the years. Has a slightly sophisticated, bluesier feel to it at times, with the guitars, piano, and Healy's voice combining so well. 10/10.
Track eight, 'One Night', is typical Travis. Nothing different can be expected here, just the same meat and potatoes- the melodic guitars and Healy's calm voice. 9/10.
Track nine, 'Under The Moonlight', is slightly rockier than previous offerings. The verses are as melodic as ever, and even though Travis have been dismissed as boring by some for their music, this album is very consistent, and it shows how good they really are at what they do. 9/10.
Track ten, 'Out In Space', is more of a soft lullaby. It's nothing special in comparison to other tracks, but it's very melodic and moves along quietly. 8/10.
Track eleven, 'Colder', is very anthemic, reminiscent of Coldplay and Thirteen Senses. Has a similar tempo to the previous track, but this has more life in it. 9/10.
Track twelve, 'New Amsterdam', is a nice song. Not particularly brilliant, but it's good. For this track I would give 7/10.
But there are two hidden bonus tracks here as well. The first one, which is titled 'Sailing Away', is brilliant. Has a quite catchy feel with a slightly rocky edge to it. 9/10.
The second hidden track, 'Perfect Heaven Space', starts with a rather sophisticated piano riff before opening into a piano/acoustic track. It opens up into an anthemic sound eventually before returning to its acoustic verses. The same sophisticated piano riff closes proceedings. 9/10.
So my final verdict on 'The Boy With No Name' is that is is classic Travis, with a few nice surprises in there ('Selfish Jean', 'Eyes Wide Open'), and apart from that it just seems that Travis have picked up from the fairly disappointing '12 Memories' and gone back to the days of 'Good Feeling' and 'The Man Who'.
Well done guys. It's been a long time coming, but you're back on form.
9/10.
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