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THE REVIEW
1999. The Brit Pop era has just ended. The Empire of Oasis has collapsed, the Verve has broken up, Blur and Radiohead have abandoned ship just before it sank. Cool Britannia no longer exists. It's time for a change in British music, and the change comes from Glasgow.
The city is buzzing with musical activity, with venues hosting artists who will have much success (Belle And Sebastian, Delgados, Mogwai), but one group above all will leave a short but indelible mark, Travis.
The new movement puts aside the grandeur and electricity of the previous era, here the sound is more intimate, delicate, enveloping, romantic, and the second album of this Scottish quartet led by the charismatic Fran Healy is a perfect example of it.
The album, produced by the great Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, R.E.M. etc.), is a collection of ten ballads suspended between rock and folk where emotions and atmospheres reign supreme, starting from the first single, the lullaby-like "Writing To Reach You." "The radio is playing all the usual and what's a wonderwall anyway" Healy writes, immediately hinting at their idols and mentors. It was Noel Gallagher who sponsored the band at the time of their first success, the Britpop-flavored "All I Wanna Do Is Rock", and it was Noel again who would later ask Travis to support Oasis for their "Brotherly Love Tour."
But other tracks undoubtedly worth mentioning include the Smiths-like melancholy of "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" and the seductive "Driftwood." The only electric moment present on the album is the track "Turn."
Travis's career would continue without reaching the heights achieved with this album, although they would still produce good works like "The Invisible Band" (see Sing) and "The Boy With No Name" (see Closer), but the mark left by "The Man Who" on British music is still clear and has inspired many new bands like Coldplay, Starsailor, Keane.
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Summary by Bot
Released in 1999, Travis' The Man Who marked a shift from Britpop's grandeur to intimate, heartfelt music. Produced by Nigel Godrich, the album features melancholic and romantic ballads like "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" and "Writing To Reach You." Supported by Oasis's Noel Gallagher, Travis left an indelible impact on British music and inspired bands like Coldplay and Keane.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Travis
Travis are a Scottish band from Glasgow, associated with post-britpop and known for melodic, often melancholic pop-rock. Reviews repeatedly single out 1999’s “The Man Who” as their defining masterpiece, with later highlights including “The Invisible Band,” the darker and more politically reflective “12 Memories,” and subsequent returns to a classic ballad-heavy approach on albums like “10 Songs” and “L.A. Times.”18 Reviews
Other reviews
By Francesco
Never before had another band from Glasgow managed to render the idea, the atmosphere, and the air of their city in this way.
Constant rain, mist, and leaden sky characterize the album which remains an absolute peak in their discography.
By ste84
"The music molded with my words, the songs created a sort of plagiarism: it was as if I were writing what they told me to write..."
"For 45 minutes my pen had never stopped, it never hesitated nor made a single mistake... the person who received that letter was 'astonished'."
By GrantNicholas
"The story makes the rounds in newspapers and televisions, the album skyrockets to number one, and Travis explode."
"The Man Who is an absolute masterpiece, an album that will influence countless bands in the years to come."
