The yearning voice and sullen temperament behind the languid and lush Scottish outfit Travis, Fran Healy has been laying low of late. The primary task on his to-do list: commune with his diverse surroundings while recording his first solo effort in New York, Vermont and (mostly) Berlin. Whether the new Wreckorder (Ryko) benefits from that far-flung trio of locales—or guest appearances from Neko Case and Paul McCartney—is largely irrelevant to anyone who’s not already smitten by Healy’s majestically restrained brand of mope-rock understatement. The 10-song collection occasionally recalls the quieter moments on the already-pretty-quiet The Invisible Band, Travis’ 2001 LP. Only here, Healy turns even more insular as he’s left to stew in his own introspective juices. Healy will be guest-editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with him.
Healy: I travel the world, and nearly everywhere adds chemicals to their drinking water. Chloride and fluoride is in so much stuff. I’m amazed nobody can smell it. Water is something I forget to do and that I have been doing a bit more of this past few weeks. You need to drink loads of water. Something like two liters or more per day. I don’t equate that with a lot of water as much as I do with a lot of toilet stops on the freeway. One per hour. I’m still getting my head around that one. Hold on: I feel one coming right now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-otVQ_R8OU
