Travis are an organic band. These records decide for themselves what they will be. They come to us out of the blue. We will always endeavor to make timeless music. My message is either get on the bus or get off because this bus is moving. Where? We don't know... But that's the best part.
All I know is that stating your taste says more about you than about us. I'm glad you enjoyed one of our records. Cherish it.
However if you can hear some difference in albums and songs then you are not listening closely enough... Since the very first song we recorded together till the last one, if you listen close enough you will hear our hearts pounding with every note played. That is what a hard core fan hears. I am happy to state this is what I am. I don't hear music any more. I hear heart and soul. I hear blood rushing.
I am the number 1 Travis fan.
Challenge me if you dare :)
You're saying exactly what I think!
When I listen to your music, to your words, my heart is pounding and when I close my eyes, I'm in another world...
That's an amazing feeling. Music is soooo important, without that, I would die I think. Without Travis!
So you are real musicians! You are ingenious! And everyone who doubts, doesn't know what real music is...
Before, I listened to music for fun. Now, music is my life!!! It's my way to express my feelings. And what band changed my opinion? Yes, Travis!
Please, keep giving me wonderful moments!
Your biggest fan...
Steffi.
Thank you for changing my life!!!
They are both great albums but I think Ode to J Smith has finally deviated from the soft rock mold. It is refreshing to have the guitars crunch like Good Feeling but you can see it is a bit more polished. Great album.
I totally see where Fran is coming from. I doubt that a band like Travis would go into the studio with the intent on a specific sounding record and it would be more a product of jamming or ideas each member comes up with.
As an artists all your songs are like children, to have them compared or picked apart is difficult. Of course as fans we often view music from a different perspective.
I have seen Travis live twice now (April 22nd will be #3) and songs from all of their albums do fit well together in a timeless fashion.
I can't wait to hear the new material added to the classics.
I totally see where Fran is coming from. I doubt that a band like Travis would go into the studio with the intent on a specific sounding record and it would be more a product of jamming or ideas each member comes up with.
As an artists all your songs are like children, to have them compared or picked apart is difficult. Of course as fans we often view music from a different perspective.
I have seen Travis live twice now (April 22nd will be #3) and songs from all of their albums do fit well together in a timeless fashion.
I can't wait to hear the new material added to the classics.
When I saw them at the end of September Ode had only come out the day before here in the UK, so I hadn't had much time to aquainte myself with the songs. Among other songs from the new album, they performed Song to Self and Before You Were Young.....they blew my mind live!!!!
I am so jealous....enjoy!
There's no doubt that the band makes their music from the heart, I can feel it. We all can, otherwise, what are we doing here?
I also suppose that having written the lyrics, pouring your soul out to millions, it has to make a huge difference in terms of perception. Once they are out there, the songs have a life of their own. They become what they ultimately are depending on how people react to them, regardless of your intentions and this must be tough to accept.
I have to agree with those who say that we've received their music in different stages of our lives and this fact is not of least importance since a simple melody or the most brilliant piece of writing may help you define a mood, a feeling, which you can't put into words and therefore, makes what you're listening to quite special.
It's in that moment, when the record is playing, that you realise you're not alone and the connection with the band and all it begins to represent as a part of your life changes everything.
I was a teenager when TMW came to me and whether you are in Scotland or in Uruguay, there was something there, I couldn't make out exactly what it meant, that made me appreciate more and more what the lads were offering me.
If I listen to TMW now, almost ten years later, I get so many other things that weren't so obvious back then. That's because I've grown up, life has taught me things that they probably knew before they hit me.
All in all, what I'm saying is the following, in the core, they'll always be a band with heart and soul, the reason why I like them. But there are always breaking points, transitions and nobody can deny their existence. As I've grown, they've grown, musically and as people too.
Fran could have never written Twenty being over thirty, it would not have been the same song. And I wasn't able to fully understand what he was talking about until I turned twenty. If he hadn't became a father we would have missed out on Flowers in the window and My eyes, plus who knows what else! If they hadn't met certain people in the business, things could have turned out differently...so on...
Right now, I have rediscovered TMW, though I really enjoy the music in OTJS, it is different, they truly seem to be having more fun playing.
In a couple of years this might change, perhaps TIB, 12 memories or TBWNN will be more heart felt by me.
One thing is for sure, each time there's been a new record out, they've never disppointed me. On the contrary, I've been greatfully surprised and rewarded.
Keep them coming, cause I'm not going anywhere and hope they aren't either!
At first when the J.Smith Single came out, I didn't really get it. It was different from a lot of the Travis songs in the past, and definitely a departure from TBWNN. It sounded... Unfinished.
Then the full-length album came out, and when Fran explained the album was like a novel, it really came together for me. It was an evolution from the polished nature of TBWNN. Whereas songs like "Closer", "My Eyes" or "Selfish Jean" worked well on their own, the full impact of "J. Smith" is best heard one after another. Not unlike chapters in a book.
I'm excited to see where the bus will take Travis, and I look forward to being there every step of the way. =)
I think album Ode to J Smith became heavier, the previous albums. But has not lost the beauty and the deep lyrics. BWNN it is undoubtedly fine. It is absolutely normal that in due course groups begin concerns music more seriously. "Play" with it, search for new sides... Probably it is too prosy, but it is the truth)
[quote="Fran"] Travis are an organic band. These records decide for themselves what they will be. They come to us out of the blue. We will always endeavor to make timeless music. My message is either get on the bus or get off because this bus is moving. Where? We don't know... But that's the best part.
All I know is that stating your taste says more about you than about us. I'm glad you enjoyed one of our records. Cherish it.
However if you can hear some difference in albums and songs then you are not listening closely enough... Since the very first song we recorded together till the last one, if you listen close enough you will hear our hearts pounding with every note played. That is what a hard core fan hears. I am happy to state this is what I am. I don't hear music any more. I hear heart and soul. I hear blood rushing.
I am the number 1 Travis fan.
Challenge me if you dare....Ode To J Smith is better
As soon as i hear the first chord of the first song i know im going to listin to the full album, im pulled in every time. TBWNN doesnt get me like that i find myself skiping tracks(mostly closer and battleships) and just picking a few tracks for listen. Thats not to say the songs are better or worse i just think its obvious that TBWNN took years to make and so doesnt gell like Ode does. Plus i think ode is the Travis that we see at gigs Raw but still amazingly melodic
Well, here's what I think...
Travis' albums are indeed different from each other when you first hear them, but if you really let them grow on you they all give you that warm feeling that very very few bands can give you.
Personally, my favorite album ever is The Boy With No Name simply because I have spend at least 1000 hours listening to it since July 2008, the month I discovered the band.
But I am pretty sure, every album, every single track has this great aura.
P.S.:If Fran or any member of the band is reading this and can understand my poor English.
PLEASE GUYS COME TO THESSALONIKI (Greece) FOR A CONCERT!!!
P.S.2:Thessaloniki is the only city in the word that is spelled with double "s" and pronounced with double "L".
P.S.3: Excuse me for beeing out of subject, but as a true fan, I really want to see them live, desperately...
Travis are an organic band. These records decide for themselves what they will be. They come to us out of the blue. We will always endeavor to make timeless music. My message is either get on the bus or get off because this bus is moving. Where? We don't know... But that's the best part.
All I know is that stating your taste says more about you than about us. I'm glad you enjoyed one of our records. Cherish it.
However if you can hear some difference in albums and songs then you are not listening closely enough... Since the very first song we recorded together till the last one, if you listen close enough you will hear our hearts pounding with every note played. That is what a hard core fan hears. I am happy to state this is what I am. I don't hear music any more. I hear heart and soul. I hear blood rushing.
I am the number 1 Travis fan.
Challenge me if you dare :)
Wow!! I really love the passion of Fran's reply!!! are really beautiful words in fact.
We all must listen hearts inside music... music is a good reflection of what a band or singer or composer is.
Cheers!!
