Travis: 'My Eyes'

Travis are the old sweater of indie-rock. They will slip comfortably on your stereo when you're alone in your bedroom, but you probably wouldn't be seen dead busting a move to their hits down the local indie disco. Considering Coldplay were supposed to be 'the new Travis' back in the pre-'Yellow' era of Chris Martin's indie plodders, it's a shame that the Scottish rockers have ended up being viewed as a guilty pleasure rather than as a credible act in their own right.

'My Eyes' is the third offering from the group's The Boy With No Name album and like 'Selfish Jean' and 'Closer', it's a seductive, subtle anthem that deserves to be heard on a grander stage than a half full Tap And Tin pub in Watford. Fran Healy has one of the purest voices in rock, with his soft Glaswegian twang smothering the tumbling melody with a king-sized duvet of warmth. Healy, singing about the birth of his first child, jokingly comments: "Shame about the weather," alluding to everybody's favourite raindrop related anthem and the band's musical albatross 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?' Meanwhile the rest of the group mix up their traditional banjo-sounding guitars, jaunty beats and a toe-tapping melody, creating a sumptuous musical blend.

Travis have knocked out yet another understated, cracking single that's destined to be ignored by the mainstream media but will warm the hearts of their hardcore fans.