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The Frank is for Turning…sort of.

After Tape Deck Heart, Turner’s 2013 album filled with romantic loss and melancholy, his latest effort, Positive Songs for Negative People, sees an artist picking up his guitar and moving on. The autobiographical edge which his lyrics have always echoed appears to embody this whole album’s purpose with the opening tune: a simple, stripped back affair, uttering, ‘At the banks of the Thames, I resolved to start again.’

Despite this attempt at a fresh start, it is perhaps more telling than ever that Frank Turner has become, unashamedly, a stadium rock artist. His fan base – old and new – offers an exceptionally varied audience to make an album for. ‘Get Better’ combines his consistent attempt at portraying angst with a cheerful intensity appearing to be paced throughout the album. His ‘Opening Act of Spring’ caters to the mandolin, folk-loving listeners whilst we can see a nod to his punk days with ‘Out of Breath’s’ crashing drums; but even these are accompanied by the occasional piano riff, refining and making ‘neat’ what once may have stayed more raw in past creations. 

Positive Songs can therefore not be criticised for its lack of ambition. But something is missing in comparison to his early solo productions.  In one album alone, his use of knitwear, tennis and weather as elongated analogies for his struggles in love and life, seems at best earnest and at worst rather immature and lazy lyricizing. With questionable scansion but an obvious anthem track, ‘Josephine’ provides a piece that will inevitably do well in Turner’s energetic and ever crowd-participating tours, but without too much substance. 

However this is not to say that Turner has  failed in his latest attempt to invigorate audiences. His storytelling capabilities are put to fantastic use in ‘Silent Key’, telling the story of Christa McAuliffe, who lost her life when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. Its compelling tale paired with a chilling set of key changes is really worth a listen. His ability to evoke emotion, especially prominent in the personal story of ‘Song for Josh’ (about a friend’s suicide) has palpable, unanswered questions and guilt in its midst – ‘There’s a hole in my heart and my head. Why didn’t you call?’

If there’s one thing I would say about this album, it is that the deluxe version is worth it. For an extra two quid you get ten of the tracks again, but this time acoustic. As Turner has often showed, especially to his live audiences, his skill for versatility means these songs take on a completely different nature if performed differently. And perhaps it’s just the sensibilities of someone who was never taken by his Million Dead hardcore days, but this CD is really where I could appreciate his lyrical sincerity and melodic sensitivity that has been key in other albums. 

Perhaps not what people thought it would be, Positive Songs is still very much worth the audience’s time- but I’d go deluxe.

 

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