Travis The Man Who (Epic/Independiente)
Unlike their tour mates, Travis never goes in for loud stadium-rocking tunes. The Man Who was named after an Oliver Sacks book on synaesthesia, the condition in which senses are confused so that one can "hear" colors, for instance, and Fran Healy's vocals on the album are so delicately beautiful it seems you can almost feel them on your skin. Somehow Healy manages to sound vulnerable without being precious or self-pitying. Perhaps it's the counterbalancing of pained lyrics (the title of their first single "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" says it all, really) with catchy choruses. Or maybe it's the occasional moment of sunshine through the rain, such as the guitar introduction for "Writing to Reach You," which obviously alludes to Oasis' optimistic "Wonderwall" before the lyrics proceed to question the happy jangly sound ("what's a wonderwall anyway?"). When the wrenching lyrics of "Driftwood," the album's best song, ("Just driftwood, hollow and of no use/Waterfalls will find you, bind you, grind you") hit you, an almost instinctive shrinking away takes place.
The members of Travis are apparently fun-loving Scots in real life: they do a hilarious cover of Spears' "Baby One More Time" when they perform live. But this album eschews all those hijinks and succeeds in being perfectly, poignantly heartbreaking. A -Daryl Sng
Catatonia Equally Cursed and Blessed (Atlantic)
The hypnotically orchestrated "Dead From the Waist Down," the first single from this second U.S. release, could leave a listener in a bout of ecstatic addiction. It succeeds as one of the few pop songs that uses string instruments without contrivance or false pathos. "I caught a glimpse, and it's not me," rasps Matthews, an utterance worthy of King Lear thrown out into the night. In "Shoot the Messenger," Matthews morphs again to give a convincing invocation of Tom Waits circa his "Rain Dogs" album, albeit with a Welsh twang in tow. Yet overall the album causes a disconcerting flush and distress at its inconsistency. Matthews' voice is too good for mere pop. Catatonia's instrumentation is too catchy to act solely as backdrop. Theirs is a hard line to walk. B -Teri Wang
Soundtrack Romeo Must Die (Virgin)
The movie itself has gotten hosed in the media. Sadly, the soundtrack isn't much better. Saturated with uninspiring and uninspired R&B and R&B-tinged rap from the likes of Joe, Destiny's Child and Ginuwine, the album never manages to transcend the well-packaged, well-polished attempt at violent commercial success that the movie is.
All is not lost, though. You might have already heard Aaliyah's opening track "Try Again" on 94.5, due in large part to its "Hot Boyz"-inspired use of bass and distortion (the lyrics are about as clichd as they come). The second track too-this one with both Aaliyah and DMX-might make its way into a club, somewhere during a full set dedicated to DMX's canine persona. C+ -Franklin J. Leonard Cracker Garage d'Or Read more in ArtsRecommended Articles
