The Man Who - Travis

Summer. Or at least the idea of it. I was going to write a blog about the tradition of great summer pop songs. You know the type; fun, catchy and usually accompanied by a bright, primarily coloured video. I thinking Haircut 100, Duran Duran, Sinita kind of thing. OK maybe not Sinita but you get my drift - pure sunshine pouring out of your speakers. I was then going to write about how these tunes, and the lightness of the weather, help to lift the national mood and create great British summer. That was the plan anyway.

I was going to write that. But I can't. Instead we have torrential rain, flooding, banks fiddling interest rates, job losses. Storm clouds gathering in every sense of the expression.

So you'll forgive me for skipping that particular blog and concentrate on the other British obsession. Rain. Lots of it. Great cloud sized dollops. But I suspect we secretly like it as there are a great many songs dedicated to precipitation;

I'm Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage
Rain - The Cult / The Beatles
Here Comes The Rain Again - The Eurythmics
Crying In The Rain - a-Ha
It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls

Ahhhh maybe not that last one. And of course 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?' by Travis. I have often thought that it was wholly because they are based in Glasgow and not because some omnipotent being has taken umbrance at them for some misdemeanour. But now I just think its because they are British. Nowhere seems to be immune from downpours. Especially this year.

'The Man Who' is a great album and one that helped the band make their mark. At the height of their popularity they were often criticised for stealing the Teenage Fanclub's blueprint and whilst there are some traces if their fellow Weegie's style there are others here too, including traces of Radiohead and even Springsteen.

But with songs like 'Writing To Reach You', 'Driftwood' and 'Turn' its easy to see, or rather hear, that such comparisons are unfair. As well as wearing their influences on their sleeves they also created a new type of music - Indie stadium rock.

If you're looking for chiming, melody driven, sing-a-long-a-stadium-songs then 'The Man Who' is exactly what you need to dry up those rainy day blues.

But wait? What's that up in the sky? No it can't be? Yes it is! I don't believe it - the sun is actually coming out! Maybe it is summer after all?