Written in five weeks and recorded in two, Ode to J. Smith has been billed by these Brit-pop also-rans as a return to rock urgency. Sure enough, the liveliest moments involve Andy Dunlop's guitars: country-ish clip-clop, under-the-Milky Way lushness, personable Edge impersonations, even a power chord or two. There's a serviceable chug underneath as well — somewhere between skiffle and glam. But almost inevitably, the energy vaporizes whenever Fran Healy's immobile wisp of a voice enters. The major exception, a reggae-fied late-Police approximation called "J. Smith," is salvaged mainly by the Gothic high-mass choir it climaxes on. A truly pretentious moment — and a clue that Travis could afford to sound less humble.