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Apparently the band's sixth studio album is their first to be written from electric guitar since their debut Good Feeling, and this shows strongly in the end result.
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Not surprisingly, its 11 songs bristle with an urgency that more closely resembles (but rocks harder than) Travis' 1997 debut "Good Feeling" than 2007's sumptuously crafted "The Boy With No Name," with a decidedly uptempo countenance and plenty of room for lead guitarist Andy Dunlop's riffs, solos and fills.
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This is the grittiest album the band has yet put out.
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Alternative PressThe band flex all their muscles from a decade-plus of experience without hesitation and, more importantly, without overdoing it. [Jan 2008, p.129]
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Consider it, then, an ode to what listeners liked about Travis in the first place.
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Travis have always been Quite Good, sometimes a little more, rarely less. This album heads a perceived slide into insignificance off at the pass and ensures the status quo.
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Like those old Kinks’ long players, the best way to enjoy Ode to J. Smith is as individual songs based on their own merits.
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Ode isn't quite as strong song-wise as "The Boy" but it makes up for the difference with its deepened palette--again, this palette may not be as rich as some of their peers, but compared to Travis' other work of the past decade, this is richer and livelier as sheer sonics go.
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Under The RadarThese punchy guitars help Ode To J Smith avoid falling into the diluted space that Travis has been increasingly slipping into with each consecutive album. [Winter 2008]
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The music crackles with an energy Travis haven’t mustered in years, but the typically lightweight tunes don't always justify the newfound tonnage, which makes Ode to J. Smith wear thin on repeat listens.
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Where that Travis pointed a way out of Britpop, this one seeks the comfort of how guitar bands sounded before then, the bristling energy recalling early REM, the Chills and even occasionally Nirvana.
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UncutAll round, this is filled wiith pleasant rather than memorable tunes. [Oct 2008, p.113]
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Q MagazineIn stepping out of their comfort zone and trading in their previous identity, it seems Travis haven't yet decided who or what they now want to be. [Oct 2008, p.144]
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MojoNo one's about to mistake them for Sonic Youth, but the sheen of easy listening has been stripped away, and they sound all the better for it. [Oct 2008, p.110]
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There's a serviceable chug underneath as well--somewhere between skiffle and glam. But almost inevitably, the energy vaporizes whenever Fran Healy's immobile wisp of a voice enters.
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Despite refreshingly brief songs, frontman Fran Healy can't resist self-conscious vocal flourishes that insist he's imparting great truths (shades of Bono), and the bombastic arrangements encourage Andy Dunlop to uncork cheesy, stadium-seeking guitar riffs.
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Ode To J. Smith is the sound of a band too boxed-in to do the hooky melancholy it used to do so well, but too neutered to really rock out.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 21 out of 23
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Mixed: 0 out of 23
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Negative: 2 out of 23
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Oct 25, 2018This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
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Jul 22, 2018
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May 15, 2016