The Invisible Band

Last updated

The Invisible Band
Travis - The Invisible Band - album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Travis
Released11 June 2001
Recorded2000–2001
Studio
Genre
Length45:27
Label
Producer Nigel Godrich
Travis chronology
The Man Who
(1999)		The Invisible Band
(2001)		 12 Memories
(2003)
Singles from The Invisible Band
  1. "Sing"
    Released: 28 May 2001
  2. "Side"
    Released: 17 September 2001
  3. "Flowers in the Window"
    Released: 25 March 2002

The Invisible Band is the third studio album by the Scottish rock band Travis, produced by Nigel Godrich. It was released on 11 June 2001 in the United Kingdom by Independiente and a day later in the United States by Epic Records. The songwriter, Fran Healy, said the title referred to the band's status of having famous songs, but not being famous themselves.

Contents

The Invisible Band spent four weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart, selling more copies in that time than their previous album, The Man Who (1999), achieved in six months.

Recording

The Invisible Band was recorded at Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, who also produced the previous Travis record, The Man Who (1999). According to the Travis songwriter, Fran Healy, Godrich arrived for the sessions in a bad mood. Healy said Godrich was frustrated after the gruelling recording sessions for Radiohead's albums Kid A and Amnesiac , and so "took it out on us because he couldn't take it out on Radiohead". [2]

Godrich was strict with Travis and rejected their initial work, which they found dispiriting. [2] Eventually, after a serious argument, the mood settled. [2] Healy felt it was good for Godrich to work with "melodic" bands such as Travis as well as more experimental acts such as Radiohead. [2] The group began to make progress after a session experimenting with unusual instruments such as a tanpura. [2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 71/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Entertainment Weekly A− [5]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
NME 8/10 [8]
Pitchfork 6.1/10 [9]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Spin 6/10 [12]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Invisible Band received an average score of 71 based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favourable reviews". [3]

Q wrote: "While the wheel remains un-reinvented, The Invisible Band finds its mark with unerring accuracy". [10] While Launch also said of the album, "Songs like the stirring 'Side', the delicate 'Dear Diary', and the glistening 'Follow the Light' are among the best and most fully crafted of Fran Healy's short but accomplished writing career". [3] Q also listed it as one of the best 50 albums of 2001. [14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Fran Healy except where indicated

No.TitleLength
1."Sing"3:48
2."Dear Diary"2:57
3."Side"3:59
4."Pipe Dreams"4:05
5."Flowers in the Window"3:41
6."The Cage"3:05
7."Safe"4:23
8."Follow the Light"3:08
9."Last Train"3:16
10."Afterglow"4:05
11."Indefinitely"3:52
12."The Humpty Dumpty Love Song"5:02

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. [1]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for The Invisible Band
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [51] Gold35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [52] Gold50,000^
France (SNEP) [53] Gold100,000*
Germany (BVMI) [54] Gold150,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [55] Gold7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway) [56] Platinum50,000*
Sweden (GLF) [57] Gold40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [58] Gold20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [59] 4× Platinum1,200,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) [60] 2× Platinum2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 Information from the album booklet.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 McLean, Craig (22 November 2021). "The Invisible Band at 20: Travis on the album that almost finished them". The Independent . Retrieved 17 November 2023.
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  6. ↑ Costa, Maddy (8 June 2001). "Bland ambition". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  7. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (10 June 2001). "Feel-Good Pop From the Heart (and Soul)". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 21 June 2017.
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  10. 1 2 "Travis: The Invisible Band". Q (178): 122. July 2001.
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  13. ↑ "Travis: The Invisible Band". Uncut (51): 88. August 2001.
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