Travis - Ode To J. Smith
[Red Telephone Box]

As the current trend of big name artists leaving the majors to go it alone appears to be on the increase, Travis return to their DIY indie roots for new album 'Ode To J. Smith', self-released through their own Red Telephone Box label. It's the very imprint which launched the band's debut self-funded EP 'All I Wanna Do Is Rock', in 1996.

Twelve years later and over 10 million albums sold since, 'Ode To J. Smith' - the group's sixth LP so far - promises to be their heaviest yet. Recorded in a short two week period, frontman Fran Healy says: "This album was born out of a rush of creative urgency; a need to make a record." Although the phrase "heavier" is being used, the band haven't quite done a Metallica - this is still Travis, so expect plenty of infectious tunes, an emphasis on melody and that trademark jangly sound does poke it's head out now and then - most obviously in 'Last Words'.

Comparisons are obvious and aplenty - from the Radiohead melancholy of 'Broken Mirror', to the chugging Oasis-like 'Long Way Down', or the Rolling Stones-friendly 'Friends'. There's a sense of stripped rawness we've not heard in some time and when it happens, it's difficult to imagine this is the same outfit that churned out such polished soft-rock hits as 'Driftwood' and 'Sing'. By far their most interesting and enjoyable album.