Travis - 12 Memories

• Non-gatefold
• Lyrics included
• Import

• Album Rating: 4/5 (Great)
• Sound Quality: 4.5/5 (Excellent)
• Packaging: 3/5 (Average)

I picked this one up used at Amoeba Records in Hollywood last week. Any Travis album is pretty difficult to find on vinyl, so needless to say I was pretty stoked to find an import of this excellent LP for only 25$. Although used and containing a bit more pops and skips than I would have liked, it is still a great addition to my growing collection and most of the tracks still sound great!

Travis is often credited for influencing acts such as Coldplay and Starsailor, creating gentle, melodic rock that makes metalheads roll in their graves. On their fourth studio album 12 Memories, the Scottish quartet continues to do what they do best; combining rich textures, beautiful melodies, and memorable lyrics. Standout tracks include "Re-Offender" and "Love Will Come Through". Both are dangerously catchy and infinitely fun to listen to.

The vinyl sounds great even if the previous owner didn't take the best care of it. Putting that aside, the production quality is top notch and every song sounds crisp and clean, beautifully accentuating the band's musicianship and lead singer Fran Healy's clean vocal style.

The packaging (sans the marks made by the previous owner) is typical. The vinyl is housed in a standard, non-gatefold sleeve and comes with lyrics on the flip side of the inner sleeve.

I highly doubt you'll find the vinyl version of 12 Memories on Amazon anytime soon, but here's the link for it anyway (out of stock): 12 Memories [Vinyl]