Travis is one of those ’90s Brit bands you don’t think too much about, mainly because it didn’t call so much attention to itself. With Oasis, Blur, Radiohead and Coldplay (OK, Coldplay was early 2000s, but still) dominating the time period, Travis breezed in the background, writing songs interesting enough not to be boring.
But times have changed in the past decade, as Radiohead became, well, RADIOHEAD!!, Oasis succumbed to sibling rivalry, Damon Albarn delved into rap and cartoon characters, and Coldplay’s ingenuity was killed by a succubus known as Gwyneth Paltrow. Travis, however, kept plugging along, with a solid album every couple of years met with kind critiques and quiet acclaim.
After a five-year hiatus which saw lead singer Fran Healy take a shot a solo stardom, Travis returns with Where You Stand, the Scottish band’s seventh studio album which harkens somewhat back to its first. Between Healy’s soothing croon and the band’s snappy playing prowess, Travis has managed to deliver a slightly-dated sounding album, but a listenable one nonetheless.
The band was never one for writing singles, and Where You Stand follows this stance, though there are tracks sure to gain favor. “Mother” is a fine opening salvo, a bouncing piano runs through the track as Healy is in top form, cooing and melding his words to the music. “Why did we wait so long” he sings, and it leaves you wondering the same.
“Moving” belies its title – it remains on the same keel throughout without much variation, with a chorus that will sound familiar to long-time Travis listeners. The band has a handful of safe songs such as these (“Where You Stand,” “Boxes”), and sure they’ll appeal to fans, but they aren’t better than those songs written a decade ago.
What stands out are the tracks that take chances. “Another Guy” rips a page from the Beck songbook, with Healy singing in curt phrases against a steady, racing drum beat. You expect it to heighten and crash into a typical collage of drums and guitars, but it doesn’t. Its restraint is its best attribute. “New Shoes” adapts a Portishead feel, Healy doesn’t sound himself amidst the fuzz and plinking pianos unit the playful chorus gives the song a novel charm.
I’ve enjoyed Travis enough in the past to appreciate what Healy and the boys have done here. Where You Stand shows a band not far away from where it started, but it’s at least making an attempt to delve into new directions. The album could prove a launch into another decade of not being boring.
