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I could hardly believe myself when I listened to "Peace the Fuck Out", a tasty anti-war anthem off Travis's much-anticipated fourth album 12 Memories. Was this the same Fran Healy who had made his living off of singing understated and inoffensive pop gems like "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" and "Sing"?

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. "Re-Offender", the first single off 12 Memories might sound like typical wistful Travis at first, but the song is actually about domestic abuse. What sets this album apart from previous Travis outings, though, are the political songs, which are clearly the strongest (and most hum-able) of the album.

"Peace the Fuck Out" is possibly the most distinctly Beatlesque song anyone's written in years. This time around, Healy's angry, desperate, pleading, but hopeful all at once: "and it's all wrong/ handbags at dawn/ And turn the radio off/ to hear a song/ Oh please don't give up/ You have a voice, don't lose it/ You have a choice, so choose it." If there's ever been a catchy call-to-arms, then this is it. "The Beautiful Occupation" picks up where "Peace the Fuck Out" leaves off, with clever lyrics and a beautiful, haunting chorus that permanently lodges itself in your head.

Travis's new sense of purpose is on full display here. In "Somewhere Else", Healy asks "Hear the song/ Sing along/ But what does it change?" Travis could afford to be easygoing before the Bush-induced destruction of the last two years. But times have changed. For Travis, music simply for the sake of music doesn't quite cut it anymore.

12 Memories will surely draw comparisons to Radiohead's Hail to the Thief. Both albums are colored by the post-9/11 malaise and anger that has engulfed much of the world. The approaches that the two albums take, though, couldn't be more different. While Thom Yorke uses loopy, elegant and sometimes bizarre metaphors to criticize Bush, Blair and Wall Street, Healy's criticism is direct and straightforward.

Travis's new album isn't interesting just because of its political content; it is interesting also because it signifies what seems to be a growing trend in the music world. It marks the latest in a line of politically-charged albums and songs that have come out during the Bush era. Although they still remain a tiny minority, more and more bands are putting themselves on the line and addressing political and social issues. The separation between music and politics is slowly being eroded. It's a sign of the precarious times in which we now live.

Not only that, but the political tracks released over the last year and a half have actually been surprisingly good. I have to give props to The Black Eyed Peas' summer hit, "Where is the Love?" with it's razor-sharp lyrics and hippie-ish, instantly memorable chorus. It's been awhile since it first came out, but it remains a moving listen. Other standout political tracks include the Beastie Boys' "In a World Gone Mad", Pearl Jam's "Bush-leaguer", Public Enemy's "Son of a Bush", John Mellencamp's "To Washington", Steve Earle's "John Walker's Blues", System of a Down's "Boom", Paris's "What Would You Do?", Mos Def's "Beef", and Coldplay's "Politik". Then there's the recent Take them On, On your Own, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's angry and brilliant political tour-de-force of an album.

There is little doubt that many bands have been seriously affected by 9/11 and its aftermath. Still, when you look at the big picture, there are still only a handful of bands out there who are willing to imbue their music with controversial messages. With the release of 12 Memories, we can add Travis to that short but growing list. So we need not despair; there is a glimmer of hope that rock will return to its rebellious roots. After all, five of the world's most popular bands and singers: Radiohead, Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, and now Travis, are all, to different degrees, singing and speaking out on political issues.

That's the way the world works; when times get tough though, the force of political music is hard to resist. When serious things start to go wrong (the economy, the war of attrition in Iraq, the erosion of civil liberties), more and more artists feel compelled to express their concerns. As the '60s and the Vietnam War intensified, for example, the music progressively got more substantive, political and less bubble-gummy. But when times are relatively good (as they were in the '90s), musicians are rarely willing to rock the boat. Case in point: Travis's first two albums.