Travis
The Boy With No Name

THE REVIEW

And in the end, the answer came like a punch in the face to those who considered them a finished group, that had nothing more to say, excessively softened, too darkened as they appeared in "12 Memories" (an incredibly underrated album just because it didn't have a chart-breaker like "Sing" to rely on).

Brian Eno and Nigel Godrich: two giants of production who would hardly have moved for a group "at their wit's end". "Closer", a pop diamond of absolute value set in an increasingly bogged-down radio schedule with hit-parade mercenaries, was a kind of stunning warning, but this "The Boy With No Name" disorients in a nearly indecent manner right from the first notes of the sumptuous "3 Times And You Lose", reminiscent of the best moments of the bestseller "The Invisible Band" thanks to its delicate and dreamy acoustic atmospheres. Total change of pace, however, already with the subsequent "Selfish Jean", a sure branding of the summer of 2007, flaunting a pop 'n roll melody of sumptuous impact; it starts off vaguely reminiscent of Iggy Pop's 'Lust For Life', then goes in a completely different direction, reviving a vitality and positivity that Travis had been missing since "Good Feeling".

We've talked and heard about "Closer", so it's more inviting to dwell on the disarming (in an absolutely positive sense) "Big Chair", perhaps the best Travis song since "The Man Who"; yet another answer, this time to those who consider Francis Healy only good for writing banal "pop tunes". It's a song that could very well come from Thom Yorke's inspired hand; it's a phenomenal mix of delicate yet frantic drumming, subdued yet incisive singing, and flashes of piano and strings here and there, almost like sudden flashes. "Battleships" is the most British thing you've heard in years, evoking rain and passersby with raincoats and umbrellas, Notting Hill, and double-decker buses. "Eyes Wide Open" even brings us back, in terms of sound, to the glory of "The Man Who"; it's almost an evolved and more rhythmic "Writing To Reach You", while "My Eyes" is the classic melancholic piece that Healy and his mates have accustomed us to and, you can bet, a future single.

"One Night" on the other hand recalls a shamefully underrated song like the superb "Love Will Come Through", coincidentally the least dark episode of "12 Memories". "Out In Space" is an intimate pop number that creates a stunning and very special atmosphere; Francis's voice combined with the sole acoustic guitar transports the listener into a dream made of delicate harmonies, just occasionally disturbed by sporadic background noises. "Colder" is yet another beautiful song, this time on a drum that's muffled and distant, with a surprising harmonica interlude. "New Amsterdam" closes grandly but in a subdued, almost imperceptible way.

A great work this "T.B.W.N.N.", the umpteenth gem of elegant pop offered by a group that has accustomed us very well and be sure, will continue to do so.

Their best album after the unparalleled "The Man Who".