12 Memories
by Travis
  • Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Oct 14, 2003
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Buttressing these sentiments (and singer Fran Healy's dewy voice) is just the type of production Travis needed: jarring guitar solos, zigzagging harmonies, snow-crunching percussion.
  2. Launch.com
    80
    Weighted with tunes that approach middle age with tension and caution.
  3. Drowned In Sound
    80
    Travis may have reached the kind heights where each new release is instantly dismissed by many as more disposable, daytime-radio fodder, but '12 Memories' is easily the best post-'Rush Of Blood…' soft-rock record there is.
  5. Mojo
    80
    A clear rejuvenation, the occasional triteness that softened earlier work largely absent from these close-woven songs. [Nov 2003, p.125]
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  6. Alternative Press
    80
    [Travis have] set aside the drifting atmospherics iin favor of complex arrangements. [Dec 2003, p.154]
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  7. Austin Chronicle
    78
    Travis has added some emotional weight and musical punch to its stock-in-trade, which remains surreptitious melodies that nestle in your thoughts and reappear as eminently hummable snatches of song.
  8. Spin
    75
    Healy's wounded sneer makes you long for his misty croon. [Dec 2003, p.128]
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  9. PopMatters
    70
    Travis has always been criticized for its sometimes sappy lyrics, its supposed lack of adventurism as well as its marked unwillingness to touch on controversial issues. Well, let's just say they've put that to rest with this compelling, gripping, if not always satisfying, album.
  10. Blender
    70
    Travis may have grown serious, but at least it hasn't gone to their heads. [Nov 2003, p.122]
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Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Most Discussed Album of 2003

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 31
  3. Negative: 1 out of 31
  1. walkabout_88
    Mar 11, 2017
    6
    Travis' fourth LP sees the band trying to distance themselves from the sound they had perfected up to that point, favouring darker and moreTravis' fourth LP sees the band trying to distance themselves from the sound they had perfected up to that point, favouring darker and more experimental turns. 12 Memories certainly lacks cohesion and even finds the place for unusual, overtly political songs that probably felt needed in the year 2003 (The Beautiful Occupation; Peace the F**k Out). Some songs feel as almost unfinished (Paperclips; Happy to Hang Around), and it's unclear what direction Travis might take - the subsequent, more conservative 2007's The Boy with No Name provided an answer.
    The safest bet here is Love Will Come Through, which counts as one of the best polished songs the quartet has ever recorded, though opening track Quicksands and closing track Walking Down the Hill, as imperfect as they are, hint at a more interesting record that never came to fruition.    … Full Review »
  2. matts
    Oct 24, 2006
    7
    Good not great. Clearly some filler involved. Overall, an enjoyable album with some really great songs. This next comment is for SPENCER who Good not great. Clearly some filler involved. Overall, an enjoyable album with some really great songs. This next comment is for SPENCER who claimed that "12 Memories" is ...."better than anything Radiohead has ever done." How does one even respond to such a grossly misguided statment? Maybe Thom Yorke didn't sign your tour t-shirt backstage or your ex beau just loved em. Not only is Radiohead heads and shoulders above the rest...."O.K. Computer" is probably the best album ever made.… Full Review »
  3. matta
    Oct 5, 2005
    7
    Not quite as bad as the metascore would indicate, this third album from Travis still is the about the equal of Invisible Band, but very Not quite as bad as the metascore would indicate, this third album from Travis still is the about the equal of Invisible Band, but very inferior to The Man Who. THere is a handful of nice tracks though especially Quicksand, Peace the Fuck Out, Somewhere Else, and Love Will Come Through.… Full Review »
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