ALBUM REVIEW
TRAVIS - 12 MEMORIES
[EPIC]


A lot's happened since we last heard from Travis. Last year, drummer Neil Primrose was nearly paralyzed. The accident almost ended the band, changing their outlook on life, bringing a wider yet more focused perspective to the new album, 12 Memories.

The war on Iraq greatly impacted the album as well with anti-war sentiment spread throughout singer/songwriter Fran Healy's lyrics. 'The Beautiful Occupation' cynically depicts the U.S./U.K. occupation in Iraq as a foreign invasion. The chorus sarcastically points out, "You don't need an invitation to drop in upon a nation". Sharing this theme is 'Peace The Fuck Out' a message to Tony Blair urging him to abandon the U.S. in the war against Iraq, "You have a voice, don't lose it/You have a choice, so choose it/You have a brain, so use it".

The first single, 'Re-Offender', deals with domestic violence, inspired by Healy’s parents abusive relationship. Fran painfully sings, "You say that you love me/Then you do it again".

Other songs show little change thematically or musically, despite the departure of producer Nigel Godrich. That said, The Man Who and The Invisible Band are two of most celebrated U.K. albums of the decade. If you like beautifully composed melodies and honest [if not original] songwriting, 12 Memories is worth the listen.

4/5

I found this album to be very sub-par for Travis. Quite boring actually.

yea i agree with dprussky. the "invisible band" and especially "the man who" were better.

i love travis. that is why i dont like to think about, let alone play "12 memories". i recognize that honesty is a wonderful thing for a band to have and travis have that in spades and in many ways, that honesty might be most powerful in "12 memories". but the travis i fell in love with is the travis that gave me "the man who" and "the invisible band". i dont want protest music from travis. i go to conscious hip hop for that. i want another "as you are" or another "writing to reach you" or another "the fear". but sadly i must concede that i probably will never see that travis again. the events of the last few years have certainly changed them. they've moved on. they've grown but i am most certainly not going to move on with them. i will cherish "the man who" and "the invisible band" and say a sad goodbye. i am not saying that 12 memories is a bad album. for me it was just too much of a surprise a surprise. too much of a shift. i am sure to many people its a genuinely likable album and thats fine.