Matt Brundage

Travis released their fifth studio album a couple months ago; it was only a matter of time before it found its way into my living room. From the beginning, I had a good feeling about the album, as it was produced by Nigel Godrich — the man who also influenced the sound on The Man Who and The Invisible Band.

Their previous album, 2003’s 12 Memories, can be seen as an aberration — it was more or less self-produced and was overtly experimental and political at times. The Boy With No Name finds Travis sailing into safer waters, both stylistically and lyrically. While inferior to The Man Who, TBWNN excels, thanks to expert work by guitarist Andy Dunlop. Listen to his imprint on “Selfish Jean.” The song is pleasing in and of itself, but sticks out like a sore thumb as the second track. It would have been more at home after “My Eyes”, Fran Healy’s tribute to his newborn son, Clay.

“3 Times and You Lose” is possibly the standout track. It’s similar to some of the better songs on The Man Who and makes for a solid lead track. “Sailing Away” is also quite strong, but is hidden as a bonus track, tucked away at the end of “New Amsterdam.”

Due to forces entirely beyond my control, my household now has four opened containers of mustard in varying states of use. Combining said containers is out of the question, as each blend is unique: classic yellow, honey mustard (in both “tangy” and “non-tangy” varieties), and brown mustard, which may or may not be zesty. Mustard is one of those foods that flies off the grocery store shelf, but has limited utility. Sure, it pairs well with meats (especially those with high saturated fat content) and freshly baked soft pretzels, but for everyday use, mustard is largely overlooked. I figure I’ll have to eat one half smoke every night for the rest of the year to reduce our mustard supply to a more manageable size.