Frank Turner has been on quite the journey. With just his guitar in hand, he’s transformed from playing dingy bars and cafes across the UK to performing victorious sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena. He’s also written a long series of infectious choruses that have won over the British public.
With his sixth studio album, Positive Songs For Negative People, he’s taken a more low-fi approach, presenting less tightly-written cuts that capture the artist’s intention to relentlessly spill out all the thoughts swarming around his head.
His strong vocal style is raw and underproduced throughout the record, with a sea of heart-on-your-sleeve phrases piercing listeners honestly and effectively. Thankfully, his whole band are leading the charge with him, a mass of harsh guitars, crunching drums, sweet pianos and horns elevating what could just be understated folk songs.
Recent single, ‘The Next Storm’, is reminiscent of his older material - an ever optimistic and motivated Turner shouting, "I don’t want to spend the whole of my life inside / I want to step out and face the sunshine." It’s an undeniably catchy hook in an album littered with memorable quotes.
‘Out of Breath’ is an unrelenting, rapidly-paced punk song that paints images of regret and unquenchable desire, while 'The Opening Act of Spring’ sounds like a tornado of melancholy and sentimentality at a barn dance.
Frank's always had a talent for writing concise and punchy statements that resonate universally with people.'Get Better''s mantra of "I’m trying to get better because I haven’t been my best" is beautifully simple, surely striking a chord with even the most cynical of individuals.
If you're a fan, you know where you stand with this prolific artist. After 5 or 6 tracks, familiar themes of love, regret, rebellion and youth have been addressed, and the listener is left with a handful of songs that can't quite carry the weight of their predecessors. But when it works, it really bloody works.
