Travis - Oor

	Oor
(a Dutch mag)

Travis is a Scottish quartet that managed to secure their place in the by now overpopulated genre of English guitar pop.
Not in the least because of Noel Gallagher's recommendations, but even without this Britpop connection, the Scots would have found their way. Francis Healy (singer/guitar), Douglas Payne (bass), Neil Primrose (drums) and Andrew Dunlop (guitar) have delivered an enthralling CD on which heavy emotional ballads are interspersed with boisterous straight glam-rockers.
On the whole, the record sounds more American than British. It was recorded in New York's Bearsville studios.

"What I did learn is that all art is nonsense. The art that hangs in museums and can only be bought by people who can afford it is being ruined by those very same people. I despise the notion that ordinary folk don't understand."--Fran

"Steve, our producer, was very enthusiastic about the studio," says Francis. R.E.M. and Jeff Buckley also recorded there.
"But the most important reason is that we did not want to sound like the umpteenth Britpop band. By leaving our own environment with all its musical influences, we could concentrate fully on our music. The vibe in the studio was fantastic," according to Douglas. "We were there around Christmas last year. It's a small quiet building, surrounded by trees. It was snowing, and there were reindeers about. Fantastic, eh?"
Yeah, yeah, the things Rudolf's red-nosed nephews bring about. Despite all this, the audience will still have to wait at least six more months for the debut by these four childhood freinds.
Francis, Douglas, and Andrew were in art school together. The first studied painting, the second sculpture, and Andrew was studying to be a goldsmith.
Francis: "I had big problems with painting. I could never finish a painting. I never knew when it was finished. I don't have this problem with songwriting. I can write a song and then it's there. Ready, complete without anyone ever changing a word or a sentence. That gives so much satisfaction."
Did an artistic education change the way the band members approach music?
"What I did learn is that all art is nonsense," says Francis. "And then I mean Art with a capital A. Art that is being praised by an elite that wants to keep it to themselves. The art that hangs in museums and can only be bought by people who can afford it is being ruined by those very same people. I despise the notion that ordinary folk don't understand.
"At a certain point, I decided that if I ever did anything artistic again, it had to be accessible to a majority of people. And what art form is more suited than music?"
Douglas: "The basic principles of art are all the same: communication. You want to bring something across. We want to reach out to as many people as possible. That does not mean that music should become some sort of factory product. You have to shape it aesthetically. In our case: beautiful, good songs."

Another one of Francis's points is simplicity. No dark metaphors, exaggerated double entendre, use of language, continuing tempo changes, forced musical extremes. Simple songs, that's what it's all about.

"And still I feel misunderstood," he complains. "People still see things that aren't there. Many think that 'All I Want To Do Is Rock' is ironic. But it really is what we want!'
Douglas: "In the nineties, people live their lives as if they are in a movie. Each movie needs a soundtrack. And that's what we want to be, the soundtrack to people's lives."
By Jan Meyroos

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