If staying true to yourself and writing an impeccable collection of songs that make the world that we know glow in a translucent blue hue is wrong, I don’t wanna know what’s right.
This stretch of songs is the liveliest collection Travis has cut since the '90s, and it's heartening to hear them reconnect with some of the wilder aspects that informed their earliest records.
Their comely melodies are too soundly crafted to fall into much of the technical gimmickry you hear on FM radio, just as they’re too benevolent to win the hearts of modish indie fans. But what they do have is the ability to take a good portion of both opposing ends, which ultimately wins any majority.
Where You Stand reflects a band at peace, but it’s peace achieved through having successfully endured its share of bumps in the road.
For the most part, Where You Stand is made up of eleven pleasant songs that will more than satisfy long time fans.
On the whole, it’s business as usual; a collection of brilliantly composed melodies that just lack the gravitas to lift them higher.
The melodies are serviceable, the hooks are not strong enough to latch onto, and the lyrics are predictable.
I have been going through Travis' discography, and reviewing them here, and I thought for certain nothing would top "The Invisible Band", an album full of 10's, except for 1 skip.
However, I think "Where You Stand" is equal to, if not better than "The Invisible Band. Here, I give my best score yet. If you like classic Travis records, and you were lukewarm or hated their late 2000's records, CHECK THIS OUT! This is a consistent vibe and bop throughout, and more worthy ... read more