Comments on: Decade :: Travis, The Man Who (2000)

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:21:50 +0000

Oh c’mon. I remember when this album came out, and if you didn’t love ‘Why Does It Always Rain on Me’ or ‘Writing To Reach You’ you must have lived a joyless life.
Granted not one of my favorite albums of the decade as I was certain it was released in 99, but then that was over here in the UK.
They are (or were at any least) the radio friendly cousins of Teenage Fanclub.

By: wolfdaddy

wolfdaddy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:49:03 +0000

i remember listening to this OK Computer and James’ Laid in a continuous loop in my truck for about a year or two; oddly all three had songs on them that said “slow down”
still hidden track my favorite and apart from Last Train i can’t see how the next album followed either

By: Breezes of the Week #1 « Sweet Georgia Breezes

Breezes of the Week #1 « Sweet Georgia Breezes — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:54:06 +0000

[...] salute the music blog Aquarium Drunkard for naming Travis’ The Man Who as one of their favorite albums of the decade. Travis aren’t exactly the toast of indie-dom, but the lush melodies of their Nigel [...]

By: dpop

dpop — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:44:56 +0000

I don’t understand the hate either. While I don’t particularly care for Good Feeling, I think The Man Who is a great album. Maybe it’s not earth-shattering-gonna-change-the-world music, but it’s still good solid pop. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The follow-up album, The Invisible Band is also excellent and they continue to write and produce good music (though perhaps not as good), to this day.

By: yellowbird

yellowbird — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:34:49 +0000

I had the pleasure of seeing Travis live in LA this past Monday, and it was one of the most brilliant shows I’ve ever been to. They started off with ‘20′, which I agree, is gorgeous, and played all the way up through their most recent works. The Man Who is a solid, phenomenal cd, and I’m so glad to see it appear on this list.

By: sweetgeorgiabreezes

sweetgeorgiabreezes — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:12:46 +0000

Don’t understand why there’s so much hate for this album. It doesn’t really fit into the artistic mold of the 2000’s, but melodically it’s a winner and the songs are strong enough to keep you coming back for more. I think you could make the argument Radiohead was rebelling against this when they released KID A, but you are right, this IS a classic album. “Turn” is just phenomenal, and “Slide Show” is a brilliant closer. Doubters need to see “Blue Flashing Light”, one of the hidden tracks, to see that Travis knew how to turn it up to 11. Also, the hidden track “20″ is simply gorgeous.

Thanks for calling this out.

By: skip

skip — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:47:20 +0000

this is a great bit of writing about a great record. i haven’t liked much travis put out since the man who, but I think this album will be around much longer than this comment-list. writing to reach you is brilliantly crafted, and rips the chords off (exactly – even with a capo on the 2nd fret) from wonderwall, which it references.

By: Kramer

Kramer — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:23:39 +0000

It’s a very bold choice, one that I respect because it’s an album that I listened to a lot at an important time in my musical history. Neas, you nailed it with, “The Man Who is a record that has surprised me with its continued strength.”

By: alejandro

alejandro — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:15:13 +0000

I am also very surpirsed with this choice, BUT I actually prefer to read about music that matters to someone (even though I might completely object) than music that is “important”. Saying that, I was hoping to a more impassioned and personal point of view by the writer in the very well written review.

By: Satisfied '75

Satisfied '75 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:10:45 +0000

@Oliver – Neas’s decision in choosing album was a brave one, and that is what I appreciate about his writing.

By: j. neas

j. neas — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:47:46 +0000

@DetroitDerek – I agree, though I really didn’t care for The Invisible Band at all. And I think it was “Flowers in the Window” or “Dear Diary” or some of that dreck that pushed me away from them. I’ve given their subsequent albums a fair listen and they’ve done better to an extent, but nothing, in my mind, has rivaled The Man Who in terms of a balance of melancholy and sweetness. I really do feel “Writing to Reach You” is the pinnacle of their work.

Though I will admit to cranking “U16 Girls” on occasion.

By: rhymeswithsausage

rhymeswithsausage — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:38:48 +0000

I know it wasn’t on the album proper, but why no honorable mention of their cover of “Baby One More Time” (Britney Spears) from the “Turn/Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” single?

By: DetroitDerek

DetroitDerek — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:25:12 +0000

I agree with your choice of this album. There was such a huge step forward from the first album in song quality with this. Groundbreaking, No, but all Pop is derivative of something, you just have to do it better than your competition. And with this one, and the follow up The Invisible band that’s exactly what they did. It inspired, for better or worse, a ton of Bands ( Keane, Coldplay, etc ) in England and all over the world . The problem is they’re stuck in the mold of these songs and while others have expanded their sound around them they have been unable, a lot of bands sound just like them now – they all look the same and are lost in the crowd. But there’s no denying that this album is a classic.

By: oliver

oliver — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:24:23 +0000

I actually thought this blog/site was alright until this page loaded up in my browser. Travis? Are you kidding me? I realise everyone has their tastes and opinions, but Travis? If there has ever been a band that has made me want to slash my wrists in pure protest to the ear-raping they were guilty of – this is them. I’ve shat things with more artistical value than this “band”.
Very disappointing AD. Very.

By: Travis, The Man Who (2000) (via postie) | Kantaas.Com

Travis, The Man Who (2000) (via postie) | Kantaas.Com — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:16:50 +0000

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