Travistan is the solo debut album by American musician Travis Morrison, the frontman of the band the Dismemberment Plan. It was released on September 30, 2004 by Barsuk Records, a year after the band's breakup.
Reception
Travistan received mixed reviews. It currently has a 56 out of 100 on the review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "Mixed or average reviews."
The album is often noted in discussions of the music journalism website Pitchfork, as it marked one of the first moments when, after establishing itself as a critical powerhouse, the e-zine turned on an artist to whom it had previously given enthusiastic support. The album was one of the rare albums to get a 0.0 rating, with reviewer Chris Dahlen describing the album as "one of the most colossal trainwrecks in indie rock history." Barsuk Records co-founder Josh Rosenfeld described the effects of the review as "immediate and disastrous"; Pitchforks managing editor later said that the site had become more careful in issuing very negative reviews as a result.
Responding to Pitchforks review, Morrison said:
In 2018, Slate asked Morrison to discuss the review for an article about Pitchfork's ability to kill careers. He declined multiple times, only describing it as "a really frightening and awful experience" akin to "modern internet humiliation."
Other critical reviews compared the album negatively to work of Morrison's previous band The Dismemberment Plan. Zeth Lundy of PopMatters wrote, "This is quite literally as disappointing as records get, made all the more so by Morrison's solid resume with the Dismemberment Plan." Lundy singled out the tracks "Get Me Off This Coin", "My Two Front Teeth, Parts 2 and 3" and "Song for the Orca" for criticism.
Not all reviews were negative, though. Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote "Travistan is odd but oddly listenable, with a bright mood sparked by Morrison's spirit of discovery. It's one extended, refreshing 'Why not?'." Stylus Magazines Anthony Miccio, in response to the album's criticism, wrote, "After hearing the crap people have said about this album I'm bummed that people are so quick to reject what doesn't fit their immediate logic. It's ironic that folks would get off on shredding an album that's about trying to be kind and honest at the same time."
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from AllMusic.Travistan – Travis Morrison. Allmusic. Retrieved 15 June 2011
Travis Morrison – bass guitar, drum machine, guitar, melodica, organ, percussion, piano, sampling, synthesizer, xylophone Phil Brazena – violin Dan Doggett – double bass Mike Dugan – bass guitar, drum machine, guitar, melodica, organ, percussion, piano, sampling, synthesizer, xylophone Amanda Fazzone – choir, chorus Megan Katcher – viola Josh LeBar – double bass Corinne Lynch – viola Jason McGerr – drums Kendall Nordin – choir, chorus Tiffany Shanta – violin Travistani National String Orchestra – strings Travistani Women's Chorus – choir, chorus Sean Urban – violin John Vanderslice – background vocals Christopher Walla – audio production, bass, drum machine, guitar, melodica, organ, percussion, piano, producer, sampling, synthesizer, xylophone Don Zientara – audio production, producer
References
External links Barsuk Record's page on Travistan