MusicBox - Travis - The Men Who Made Indie Cool Again
Sep, 7 2024
In 1990 a Scottish rock band was formed in Glasgow. Their name was derived from the character Travis Henderson (played by Harry Dean Stanton) from the film Paris, Texas (1984).
Yes, simplistic lyrics and effective melodies is what made the sound of Travis so appealing. They enjoyed moderate success with 1997’s debut album ‘Good Feeling’. However, it was their second album that propelled them into the mainstream music scene.
Produced by Nigel Godrich, their 1999 album ‘The Man Who’ paved the way for bands such as Coldplay to enter the music charts. Another cultural reference, this time lifted from the book ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat '(1985) by neurologist Oliver Sacks.
It featured a series of four top selling singles –
- Driftwood
- Why does it always rain on me?
- Turn
- Writing to reach you
The latter song mocked Oasis in one lyric by saying ‘what’s a Wonderwall anyway?’ Although the indie rockers got their own back by achieving Best British album from the past 30 years at The Brit Awards in 2010 for ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – featuring the single Wonderwall.
Writing to reach you was the first single from their second album. It reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and gave the band their debut appearance on Top of the Pops.
Check out the accompanying music video –
In the last 25 years the band have continued to –
- Release successful albums
- Create a live acoustic record
- Collaborate with top musicians
- Release solo work
Their tenth studio album was released on 12th July 2024, simply titled ‘L.A. Times’. It was produced by Tony Hoffer and received generally positive reviews from music critics.
The latest news from the band can be found at the following website link – https://travisonline.com/
Craft Recordings celebrated the 20th anniversary of Travis's breakthrough year with two simultaneous releases: Live at Glastonbury '99, plus expanded editions of The Man Who – both of which were released on 21 June 2019.
Travis have remained one of the best indie bands from the past twenty years or so. Whilst not following the pop path Coldplay have ventured, Travis have kept to their sound creating a loyal and dedicated fan-base along the way. With compelling lyrics and great musicianship, Travis have created songs that are true contemporary classics.
^Alex Ashworth CCG UK Blogger
