- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
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.
-
UncutAll round, this is filled wiith pleasant rather than memorable tunes. [Oct 2008, p.113]
-
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]
-
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]
-
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.
-
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.
-
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:
-
Positive: 21 out of 23
-
Mixed: 0 out of 23
-
Negative: 2 out of 23
-
Oct 25, 2018This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
-
Jul 22, 2018
-
May 15, 2016