And there I was thinking what to write my latest helping of review stew on...and having written a review on his first album it would be stupid not to review his latest album. Ipso facto, here it is!!
For those who haven't seen my review on his debut album "Sleep is for the Week", (hint hint!) the man is Frank Turner, former lead singer of punk band Million Dead, and the album is "Love, Ire & Song" - his second solo album, released back in March this year on Xtra Mile Records.
His first helping of folk-rock tracks about lost loves and drunken evenings was a fantastic record. Showing a song-writing side that many people knew he could produce, but to do it consistently through a 13-track album showed great prowess and talent. But could this second helping realistically stand up, or be just another "difficult second album"?
Well put it this way, the first three tracks; "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous", "Reasons Not To Be An Idiot" and "Photosynthesis" are fantastic. Far be it from me to be biased or one-sided but that's the bottom line - They are just as good as any track from Sleep is for the Week...so far so good then....
They focus on the same subjects as before, as clearly pointed out in the opening lines to "I Knew Prufrock...":
"We're lovers and we're losers, we're heroes and we're pioneers, and we're beggars and we're choosers. We're skirting around the edges of the ideal demographic. We're almost on the guest list, but we're always stuck in traffic."
But that doesn't mean things become stale or repetitive. The lyrics from Turner sound as fresh and as clever as ever. His ability to write about everyday subjects is as good as anyone around today in the folk rock/indie/alternative genre. Many people 'in the know' say Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys is a good as they come. Yes, he's not bad, but his namesake is better...if only they judged success on the words they wrote rather than airtime and record sales!!
However, things don't remain as consistent as the debut album. Without producing one of those laborious reviews that go on track after track about what every line sounds like and can relate to, the songs start to ebb away the further you get into the record. There's an element of melancholy in the second half of the album that was absent in Sleep is for the Week...don't get me wrong, I still find them excellent folk-rock tracks with superb writing skills, but the toe-tapping, sing-along accompaniment is missing. Rather than the drunken night out record this is more for the morning after.
Title track "Love Ire & Song" and "Long Live The Queen" are notable exceptions however. The latter is a true, beautifully tragic anthem about the loss of a friend and celebrating their life. Having seen him live a couple of times now, the atmosphere when it's played is something else. The best thing I can relate it to is his live performance of "The Ballad of Me & My Friends" - the final track from Sleep is for the Week. His army of fans truly know how to chant along to a sing.
For anyone out there that's aware of Frank's work, whether it's as a solo artist or during his time with Million Dead, then I recommend this album straight away. It's slightly more sombre than anything he's done before but it's still a poetically brilliant piece of work. If you're new to him however, don't be detracted from what I've said here...buy his debut album first, learn to love his music, and then buy this one. You won't be disappointed. You'll be hooked like me. Fact.
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Sep 11th, 2008
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