I really enjoyed both of the last two albums from Travis ("Good Feeling" and "The Man Who"), so this has been one for my list of most anticipated releases of 2001...

... and it really delivers! Building firmly on the musical foundations of "The Man Who", "The Invisible Band" contains another set of beautiful melodies, soaring vocals and leisurely tunes effortlessly roll out. Kicking off with the excellent first single "Sing" (the video for which is one of my all-time favourites), the album is stuffed with hummable, relaxing tracks. They may have a hard time deciding which ones to release as singles.

This is not just "The Man Who, Part II"! While some tracks are definitely in a similar vein, the album has some slightly more urgent and upbeat tunes ("Flowers in the Window", for instance), and some tracks - including "Sing" - even make amazing use of the banjo!

If there's one thing that does surprise, it's that the earlier UK single "Coming Around" wasn't sneaked onto the track listing. It's a real shame. On the other hand, the tracks here stand perfectly well as a collection without it.

If Travis' brand of guitar-driven music appeals to you as much as it does to me, you need to own "The Invisible Band"!

This is the type of album that comes around once in a great while, and here it is the third time Travis have created a masterpiece like that. Serving as another example to the edge that UK bands have over the Americans, "The Invisible Band" opens with their first single from the album "Sing". Hailed as the song with a banjo, it is composed with the elements of Travis music that makes it always so good- heartfelt intelligent lyrics, excellent musicianship, and that extra unlisted ingredient that is best left to listening rather that analysis. The album consists of twelve new two tunes plus two b-sides that are lead by other members of the band, showing that Travis are not the type of band whose main talent rests only with the singer. But Fran Healey, with his melodic voice and stunning lyrics is definately a good reason to listen to the band. "The Invisible Band" is a perfect next step for this Scottish who already have two other amazing albums out. "Dear Diary" is a soft, slow tune which showcases the emotional depth that Travis easily reaches. The very next track, "Side" returns to the upbeat, positive pop sensibility that got Travis to where they are. "Side" is a catchy song on the surface, but when listened to more deeply reveals the beauty that sets Travis apart from other traditional rock/pop bands. To wrap it up, every track on this disc is very good, and each deserve their own personal attention, and the only way to truly experience the music in that sense is to get the album and wear it out! I promise you will be singing their music in the strangest places, and have their melodies and words in your head if you give it a good listen

There used to be a time when the Brits made all the heavy rock, while the Yanks turned out winsome, countryish pop-rock. Now all the heavy stuff comes from the States, while the U.K. is reduced to turning out the slow-fi, introspective rock typified by Mogwai, Radiohead and Coldplay. Obviously this is the result of Britain having changed from a chest-thumping industrial society to a wimpy service economy. Anyway, it means that it is now OK for British men -- and, in Travis' case, even Scotsmen -- to have feelings in song.

After trying to jump on the Britpop bandwagon in 1997 with their excellent debut album, "Good Feeling," and missing, Travis decided to discard the rock swagger and just be themselves, which in singer/songwriter Fran Healy's case is a gentle, bittersweet, melodic genius with a common touch.

1999's "The Man Who" completely bypassed the music cognoscenti on its route to national ubiquity. "The Invisible Band" repeats the fresh, unaffected approach of its predecessor but with a stronger batch of fey, countryish, pop songs.

Creating clouds that are later dispersed by a gentle burst of sunshine appears to be the secret of Travis' success. Downbeat numbers like "Dear Diary" and "Afterglow," with its beautifully haunting guitar figure, create the shadows that are then illuminated by tracks like "Flowers in the Window" and "Follow the Light."

The best songs include both moods. In "Side," Healy sings, "The grass is always greener on the other side/Your neighbor's got a new car that you want to drive/When your time is running out you want to stay alive." Hardly profound but, set against Andy Dunlop's crying guitar, it's stirring stuff.

For those Travis fans yearning for the band's more rocking numbers, you may as well pull out that first album again, you won't find them here.

It becomes apparrent that the effects of marriage, girlfriends, family and newborn babies have really influenced the mold these guys were made from. But, this third album continues to do what they seem to do best... write great, slow, melodic pop songs. Travis seem to have the uncanny knack to tap into everyone's head in one way or another. The Invisible Band is a record perfectly at home in a college dorm, a cabin in the middle of nowhere, or at your local department store. But do not think that all the places it fits means it's diluted, it's not. The Invisible Band is a great record, no doubt about it, it fusses with the understated and paints all those beautiful pictures we loved on The Man Who.

The first single, "Sing", with its plucking banjo and obvious advise, is a wonderful opener that sets you up for the rest of the LP. The truely moving "Pipe Dreams" is a sure fire single to be. A pair of past live favorites - "Flowers In The Window" and "Safe" really sound terrific all polished up here. The very interesting "Follow the Light" also has single potential in the UK if not here. And the last two hidden numbers, show the slightest hint of playfulness but stay on the album's original path.

In these days of Coldplay, Turin Brakes, Doves, Elbow and other introspective songsmiths, Travis stake their claim with a flag of pop sensibility that everyone can digest.

Sing. Fran Healy and Travis do that. Not many people do these days. Now, I'm a 20 year-old college student from Pittsburgh, PA, so what do I know about British music? I know it's better than anything on the radio in the United States. Travis is by far my favorite. What can I say about them. "The Man Who" and now "The Invisible Band" both sound so beautiful; so natural. They are easy albums to listen to, the lyrics are playful, but insightful, the melodies are familiar but completely original. The addition of banjo to the "Invisible" album is a gorgeous touch. The songs bounce with a sort of McCartney feel to them. "Flowers in the Window" and "Side" must be my favorites, down-beat bass and drums make them infectiously bouncy. "Follow the Light" feels like a glorious tribute to 70's popular music. I must also congratulate Travis on their design. The photography for "The Man Who" and all of it's singles, as well as "Invisible" and the first single, "Sing, " is outstanding. The uniform typography on all of the band's releases makes for quite an eye-catching collection. And please-don't forget to track down every B-Side. There's a whole other album out there if you take the time to piece it together! Fantasic!