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1999. L'epoca del Brit Pop si è appena conclusa. L'Impero degli Oasis è crollato, i Verve si sono sciolti, Blur e Radiohead hanno abbandonato la nave un attimo prima che affondasse. La Cool Britannia non esiste più. E' il momento di una svolta per la musica britannica e la svolta arriva da Glasgow.
La città è attivissima sulla scena musicale, nei locali suonano artisti che avranno molta fortuna (Belle And Sebastian, Delgados, Mogwai), ma un gruppo su tutti lascerà una traccia breve ma indelebile, i Travis.
Il nuovo movimento lascia da parte la grandeur e l'elettricità dell'epoca precedente, qui il suono si fa più intimo, delicato, avvolgente, romantico e il secondo album di questo quartetto scozzese guidato dal carismatico Fran Healy ne è un esempio perfetto.
L'album, prodotto dal grande Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, R.E.M. ecc.), è una raccolta di dieci ballate sospese tra rock e folk in cui sono le emozioni e le atmosfere a farla da padroni a cominciare dal primo singolo, la cullante "Writing To Reach You". "The radio is playing all the usual and what's a wonderwall anyway" scrive Healy, e scappa subito il riferimento ai loro idoli e mentori. Fu proprio Noel Gallagher a sponsorizzare la band all'epoca del loro primo successo, la britpoppeggiante "All I Wanna Do Is Rock", e sempre Noel chiederà successivamente ai Travis di fare da band di supporto agli Oasis per il loro "Brotherly Love Tour".
Ma altri brani impossibili da non menzionare sono sicuramente anche la malinconia smithsiana di "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" e la seducente "Driftwood". L'unico momento di elettricità presente nell'album è il pezzo "Turn".
La carriera dei Travis proseguirà poi senza più toccare le vette raggiunte con quest'album, nonostante non mancheranno di realizzare ancora buoni lavori come "The Invisible Band" (vedi Sing) e "The Boy With No Name" (vedi Closer), ma l'impronta lasciate da "The Man Who" sulla musica britannica è ancora nitida e ha ispirato tante nuove band come Coldplay, Starsailor, Keane.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Writing to Reach You (03:41)
Every day I wake up and it's Sunday
Whatever's in my eye won't go away
The radio is playing all the usual
And what's a wonderwall anyway?
Because my inside is outside
My right side's on the left side
'Cause I'm writing to reach you now but
I might never reach you
Only want to teach you
About you
But that's not you
It's good to know that you are home for Christmas
It's good to know that you are doing well
It's good to know that you all know I'm hurting
It's good to know I'm feeling not so well
Because my inside is outside
My right side's on the left side
'Cause I'm writing to reach you now but
I might never reach you
Only want to teach you
About you
But that's not you
Do you know it's true?
But that won't do
Maybe then tomorrow will be Monday
And whatever's in my eye should go away
But still the radio keeps playing all the usual
And what's a wonderwall anyway?
Because my inside is outside
My right side's on the left side
'Cause I'm writing to reach you now but
I might never reach you
Only want to teach you
About you
But that's not you
Do you know it's true?
But that won't do
And you know it's you
I'm talking to
02 The Fear (04:12)
All I wanted was a chance to say
I would like to see you in the morning
Rolling over just to have you there
Would make it easy for a little bit longer
But here
Closer every year
So near
The fear is coming clear
My dear
The fear is here
Hottest summer in a hundred years
But summer didn't bother getting up this morning
And so all the trees forgot to wake
They were dropping all their leaves on the ground below them
But here
Closer every year
So near
The fear is coming clear
My dear
The fear is here
All I wanted was the chance to say
I would like to see you in the morning
Rolling over just to have you there
Would make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
Make it easy for a little bit longer
04 Driftwood (03:33)
Everything is open
Nothing is set in stone
Rivers turn to ocean
Oceans tide you home
Home is where the heart is
But your heart had to roam
Drifting over bridges
Never to return
Watching bridges burn
You're driftwood floating underwater
Breaking into pieces, pieces, pieces
Just driftwood hollow and of no use
Waterfalls will find you, bind you, grind you
Nobody is an island
Everyone has to go
Pillars turn to butter
Butterflying low
Low is where your heart is
But your heart has to grow
Drifting under bridges
Never with the flow
And you really didn't think it would happen
But it really is the end of the line
So I'm sorry that you turned to driftwood
But you've been drifting for a long, long time
Everywhere there's trouble
Nowhere's safe to go
Pushes turn to shovels
Shovelling the snow
Frozen you have chosen
The path you wish to go
Drifting now forever
And forever more
Until you reach your shore
You're driftwood floating underwater
Breaking into pieces, pieces, pieces
Just driftwood hollow and of no use
Waterfalls will find you, bind you, grind you
And you really didn't think it would happen
But it really is the end of the line
So I'm sorry that you turned to driftwood
But you've been drifting for a long, long time
You've been drifting for a long, long time
You've been drifting for a long, long
Drifting for a long, long time
06 Turn (04:23)
I want to see what people saw
I want to feel like I felt before
I'd like to see the kingdom come
I want to feel forever young
I want to sing
To sing my song
I want to live in a world where I belong
I want to live
I will survive
And I believe that it won't be very long
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Turn, turn, turn
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
So where's the stars?
Up in the sky
And what's the moon?
A big balloon
We'll never know unless we grow
There's so much world outside the door
I want to sing
To sing my song
I want to live in a world where I'll be strong
I want to live
I will survive
And I believe that it won't be very long
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Turn, turn, turn
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn, learn
We've got to turn
We've got to turn
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Turn, turn, turn
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
Learn to turn
09 She's So Strange (03:15)
She's so strange
And she wore a black moustache
And she pilfered all the petty cash
She went to Birmingham
She'll soon be in the can
She's so cruel
And she knew just what to do
And while the cats were all sniffing glue
They played their silly games
And now they'll take the blame
She's so poor
And only now, well she's looking back
She sees her story on a paperback
What will become of her?
There's not much left for her
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Altre recensioni
Di Francesco
"Mai prima di questo un altro gruppo di Glasgow era riuscito a render l’idea, il clima e l’aria della propria città in questa maniera."
"È primavera, rifioriscono le margherite e gli amori, e per me ‘The Man Who’ è un 4!"
Di ste84
The Man Who era lì mentre la mia penna piangeva inchiostro e la carta assorbiva sentimenti ed emozioni come una spugna.
Per 45 minuti la mia penna non si era mai fermata, non aveva mai titubato né sbagliato una sola parola.
Di GrantNicholas
"The Man Who è un capolavoro assoluto, un disco che influenzerà negli anni a venire un numero infinito di band."
"Appena la band inizia a suonarlo sul palco di Glasto, la magia: inizia davvero a piovere."
