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Sfogliando negli anni la margherita del “vi amo/non vi amo”, i Travis sono finiti col rimanere orfani del mio amore. E pensare che le premesse per una lunga e appassionata storia c’erano tutte. In principio fù il classico colpo di fulmine: “The Man Who”, datato 1999. Poi come in ogni classica storia d’amore che si rispetti arrivarono le delusioni, i flirt con altri uomini ( oltre 2 milioni di nuovi ascoltatori?!? ) di “The Invisibile Band” e il più classico “non sei più quella di una volta” di “12 Memories”. Tanto amore al vento, ancora una volta, quanti altri gruppi ci tradiranno ?Ma come in un libro scritto bene, siamo rimasti amici, e gli voglio ancora bene, e so che torneranno grandi, che un incidente e le pressioni di una major non possono mettere in crisi Healy and Co...
Ma ora preferisco parlare di “The Man Who” che solo per il titolo, citazione del film dei Coen “The Man Who Wasn’t There”, varrebbe tutti i premi che conquistò all’uscita. I Travis furono inseriti fin dall’ esordio con “Good Feeling” nel 1996, nella già folta schiera dei gruppi Brit-Pop. Al gruppo in principio questa comunanza con gli Oasis fece comodo, visto che già ne aprivano i concerti. Con “The Man Who” invece la band si dissocia fortemente da questo panorama, né è anzi annoiato.
Come recita il primo brano e singolo dell’ album, la veloce e appassionante “Wraiting To Reach You”: “…The radio is playing all the usual And what's a wonderwall anyway…”. Non sono un amante del brit-pop più facile, scontato e banale, ma di tutt’altro parliamo quando ascoltiamo questo disco. 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. Sì, nemmeno i Belle & Sebastian più ispiarati.
Pioggia costante, foschia e cielo plumbeo caratterizzano il disco che resta un picco assoluto nella loro discografia. Reso unico da capolavori melodici quali “Turn” coinvolgente e fatta quasi apposta per essere cantata in coro dal pubblico in concerto, dalla dolce e malinconica “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” e dalla scorrevole “Driftwood”. Un album che meriterebbe un 5 nel piccolo laghetto della produzione Travis, un 4 nel mare del brit-pop e un 3 nel grande oceano della musica. Ma è primavera, rifioriscono le margherite e gli amori, e per me “The Man Who” è un 4!
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 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 definitelyalex
"E' il momento di una svolta per la musica britannica e la svolta arriva da Glasgow."
"L'album è una raccolta di dieci ballate sospese tra rock e folk in cui sono le emozioni e le atmosfere a farla da padroni."
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."
