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92The Boy With No Name instantly gets Travis back to the business of being Travis. [#25, p.102]
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Travis has taken the last four years to square their sunnier sound with their darker one. The Boy With No Name pulls this off without seeming overly planned or calculated. [#17, p.87]
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A good, albeit soft, Brit-pop CD, from a band that continues to mature.
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Healy is back to penning unabashed, sparkling pop gems.
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70The Boy With No Name has a handful of absolute crackers, proving that Travis are still capable of penning a tune that wraps its tendrils around your ears and won’t let go until at least four minutes have passed.
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The loose vibe works, but unlike "sing," humming along won't come naturally. [18 May 2007, p.66]
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The boys deliver the same sort of agreeable Britpop they've made their name on, wisely realizing that ambition's really not for everyone.
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60[Their] first [album] to sound authentically beaten up. [Jun 2007, p.101]
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60Amiably lightweight. [Jun 2007, p.115]
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Overall, The Boy With No Name has just enough personality to remind imitators like Coldplay and Keane from whence they came. [Jun 2007, p.151]
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60[They] have returned sounding pretty much exactly the same as they did three and a half years ago.
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60The disappointing moments are fleeting, as Travis has figured out that the niche they created for themselves eight years ago is a comfy one, a sound which, inoffensive and safe as it may be, suits the band perfectly.
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56While the first half of the record is promising, however, the band loses steam toward the end.
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50There are no surprises or unexpected turns and the overall dearth of spontaneity ensures an empty and shallow experience.
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Occasionally they attempt to rise above their signature light Brit-pop sound with slightly heavier tunes like "My Eyes Wide Open," but it comes off as forced.
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The band may have paved the way for the likes of Coldplay and Snow Patrol, but they still haven't found their "Clocks" or "Chasing Cars."
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Sadly, the last third of this Boy sinks, but by then the damage is already done.
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For a band with such a legacy, and a pre-millennium back catalogue to die for, this record feels hollow and uninspiring.
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'The Boy With No Name' is everything you'd expect from a new Travis album and less.
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20There are plenty more wishy-washy guitar tunes present like the drippy, tambourine laced Battleships, the wheezing Out in Space and the sub-danger of Eyes Wide Open; all riddled with Fran Healy's girlish croon. Spare us.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 34
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Mixed: 2 out of 34
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Negative: 0 out of 34
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AmurabiM.5
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MarcelC10