BLOGS

It's interesting to see what happens when a bandleader breaks away for a solo project. Some musicians like to try on different hats when left to their own devices, while others just keep on doing the same thing as ever. Fran Healy has done the latter with his debut solo effort, "Wreckorder."

As a member of Travis, Healy's voice is a strong presence, his Scottish accent thick among soft melodies, his dreamy guitar and piano patterns taking charge of the music. He's the band's chief songwriter, and it's clear from "Wreckorder" that working with a band does not affect the sound he sets out to create.

On "Buttercups," Healy sings downhearted about a woman who did not appreciate his hand-picked gift, adding, "I can't dance and I can't sing/ A loser I suppose/ So all I have is buttercups." Oh Francis, you can too sing. And buttercups are one of my favorite flowers, despite the world's insistence that they are weeds. That may be so, but with satiny smooth petals like that, I don't mind them infiltrating my gardens. Not one bit.

Healy enlists a little help from bassist Paul McCartney on "As It Comes," a starkly realistic anatomy of the end of a relationship. Most songs on "Wreckorder" stay faithful to the standard 4/4 time signature, though Healy switches it up with a waltzing tempo on "Anything." He gets slick on "Moonshine," a song that, if it had a physical body, would be wearing a fedora tipped over its eyes.

If you've heard and loved one of Travis' most famous singles, "Sing," then you'll melt for "Holiday," the finest song on "Wreckorder," an adorable exploration in harvesting sunshine and refining it into music.

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