A year later Steve Lillywhite produced the band's melodic rock-laden debut album, Good Feeling, which entered the UK music charts in the top 10 and propelled the still relatively unknown band into the limelight.
For its fourth album, 12 Memories, Travis has taken a darker, more reflective route and created a lyrically poignant and musically somber soundscape that is the band's most mature and thought provoking release to date. From ridiculing media-obsessed America on the wistfully tuneful politico number, The Beautiful Occupation, to tackling spousal abuse on the gloomy semi-acoustic Re-Offender, Travis opens a box of hard-hitting and melodic tricks that are difficult to ignore.
Its latest release might not appeal to those looking to relive the band's more Britpop-laden days of yore, but 12 Memories is a great, albeit a far from uplifting listen.
Initially influenced by the Stone Roses, Ocean Colour Scene soon moved on and adopted a northern soul sound more akin to Paul Weller. This is something that hardly comes as a surprise considering that since 1993, three members of the band have been busy moonlighting as the ex-Jam frontman's backing band.
As the third OCS compilation album to hit recordstore shelves since 1997s, B-Sides: Seasides & Freerides, Anthology doesn't offer listeners familiar with the Birmingham-based combo any surprises. What is does do, however, is layout in, roughly chronological order the combo's changing musical styles and moods.
Kicking in with the moody and edgy guitar jangle of, One of Those Days, the first CD in the double CD set features a smorgasbord of some the band's fieriest numbers. It includes the mod-rock You've Got It Bad and Hundred Mile High City as well as the fantastic 1960s styled mod-dance tune The Travellers Tune and the band's psychedelia-soaked hit The River Boat Song.
The pace slows down bit on CD two with the 1960s guitar jangle of soulful numbers such as Another Girls Name, The Seventh Floor and The Face Smiles Back mingling with some of the band's more melancholy moments like the folksy Hello Monday.
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