Sometimes the classic albums come when you least expect them.

Such is the case with the Scottish band Travis, whose second full-length effort, "The Man Who," arrives on American shores this month with arguably the biggest Brit-rock buzz since the release of The Verve's "Urban Hymns" or Radiohead's "OK Computer."

But few could have expected such a gorgeous monster of a record as "The Man Who" from Travis -- comprised of singer-guitarist Fran Healy, guitarist Andy Dunlop, bassist Dougie Payne, and drummer Neil Primrose -- especially in light of the trad rock tag slapped on the band for its more aggressive 1997 debut, "Good Feeling."

After drawing raves from the British press and subsequently opening for Oasis on the West Coast leg of its 1997 U.S. tour, Travis huddled with producers Mike Hedges and Nigel Godrich, fresh off working with the Manic Street Preachers and Pavement, respectively, to cut its sophomore effort over a seven-month period in late 1998 and early 1999.

The stunning result is "The Man Who," an album on which the Glaswegian group mixes shimmering rhythm textures with Healy's haunting melodies to produce a stunning collection of mid-tempo tracks that evoke the sonic image of Bono circa "Boy" being transported back in time to front the Velvet Underground circa "Loaded."

Propelled by a command performance at last summer's Glastonbury festival and four radio singles, "The Man Who" has become something of a phenomenon in the U.K. over the last nine months, as one out of every 30 Britons currently own a copy of the record. Now, a year after it was first issued in Europe, Travis is writing to reach American audiences with the Stateside release of the album, as well as a return engagement opening for Oasis on its current U.S. tour.

MTV News' David Basham caught up with Travis' Fran Healy and Dougie Payne shortly before the U.S. release of "The Man Who," and the two former art school mates talked about the album's schizophrenic inspiration, the fortuitous downpour at Glastonbury, and the sensual nature of its moody pop songs.