All Back To Vinyl with Richard Purden
Travis-The Boy With No Name
While this record arrived without a great deal of fanfare in 2007, Travis were still able to trouble the charts with the catchy Top 30 hits Selfish Jean and Closer. These two cuts back to back demonstrate what Travis do best, the former a catchy ear-worm made for a Saturday night gig, the latter a moody, melodic ballad about second chances.
What’s immediately arresting about this first-time vinyl release by Craft Recordings is the gatefold sleeve which features a stunning photo of the four-piece wandering about on a New York skyscraper. A sticker on the front informs that the record has been cut with lacquers at Metropolis Studios in London, a sign of genuine craftsmanship that stands alone in delivering a superior sounding long-player.
The quality control on many new vinyl cuts are utterly appalling, the recent Ryan Adams cut of his album Wednesdays is a case in point, but this record plays like a dream and is without a blemish.
This, their fifth long-player is the end of an era for the band and their last on the Independiente label. Big Chair sounds like a great lost single from the era and to be fair there are a few contenders such as the secret CD track Sailing Away which is included here as a bonus 7 inch.
Battleships is reminiscent of mid-period R.E.M while My Eyes is a bouncing McCartney flavoured tune about becoming a father. Colder reaches for epic proportions reminding us that Travis hadn’t given up on the business of big anthems and the harmonica solo thrown in is a nice touch.
The word legend is overused but the Glasgow band were presented with a Brit Award by one in the form of the late Lou Reed back in 2000. Album closer New Amsterdam sounds like a fitting tribute of sorts to the New Yorker and to one of the greatest artists of our time.
