Travis '12 Memories'

added 13 October 2003 at 10.41

Haircuts, like sad songs, say so much. And melancholy Scots Travis know plenty about both. Fran Healy's pre- Beckham adoption of the Hoxton fin spoke volumes about the band's unchallenging place in the world: making street fashion palatable for the Mondeo set. So, the haircut's recent disappearance, to be replaced by a more conventional mop, can be seen, in Travis terms, as a Statement.

Travis might have been latecomers to the Britpop party, but they weren't always its wimp wing. '97 debut 'Good Feeling's' buoyancy admittedly gave way to big ballads for '99's anthemic 'The Man Who', but it wasn't until 2001 that they became The Invisible Bland. Then last year, drummer Neil Primrose suffered a severe diving accident, and Travis, confronted with their drummer's - and band's - mortality, did some major stock taking.

So the change of haircut heralds a change of tack. Where once their statements were superficial and self-pityingly callow, now they really are making statements. Both The Beatles-esque 'Peace the Fuck Out' (Travis swearing? Now really!) and 'Beautiful Occupation' - set to Brian Wilson harmonies, intense guitars and a persistent martial beat - are frustrated anti-war rants. 'Mid-Life Krysis' creepily depicts a paranoid breakdown, while any mention of love comes tainted with brutal disappointment ('Re-Offender') or crushing rejection ('Happy to Hang Around').

But the lyrics are not the only sign of Travis's new maturity. The self-produced '12 Memories' is laden with samples and snippets of unexpected experimentation. The haunting nursery-rhyme 'Paperclips' sounds like it was recorded in a rusting metal boneyard. Elsewhere, discordant gnashing, syncopated rhythms and blaring feedback flit mischievously through songs. Frantic strings and warped howls offset the panic of 'Quicksand' while Halloween-esque bells and a purring cat perforate the immense 'Walking Down the Hill'. There are echoes of Radiohead here - Travis's social conscience, their desire for a more unconventional sound, and Healy's yearning crystal voice. But Travis have a pitch-perfect ear for spellbinding hooks (however macabre their ditties) amid the melancholy, something Radiohead sometimes let slip.

'12 Memories' is a harder, edgier album than anything Travis have made since their debut. As rebirths and relaunches go, it's one of startlingly confidence and not a little brilliance. The new haircut may be saying a lot then, but those sad songs, this time, are saying even more. 

Alexia Loundras

Travis '12 Memories' (Independiente) Released October 13 2003
This review originally appeared in X-Ray magazine.

 

Tagged as Travis, archive

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