Album Review: Frank Turner :: Wessex Scene Online

Album Review: Frank Turner

4th February 2007
Catherine Marks

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Dec 09 - Frank Turner at Winchester Guildhall
Dec 09 - Frank Turner
Feb 09 - Frank Tuner - The First Three Years
Feb 07 - Album Review: Kristin Hersh
Feb 07 - Album Review: Annuals

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May 07 - Album Review: Bright Eyes
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Frank Turner - ‘Sleep Is For The Week’: This is the debut album from Frank Turner and if it’s the success it deserves to be then it looks like he’s set to have a great year in 2007. ‘Sleep Is For The Week’ is a thirteen-track alternative-country-folk-rock-indie-experiment. The opening track, ‘The Real Damage’, threatens to fall down and fail this confusing mission before its even got underway, but from the second track, ‘Vital Signs’, onwards it just gets better and better.

‘Romantic Fatigue’ is gentle and well crafted as it lightly bounces along. The lyrics are personal and simple as he wonders ‘I never know which song I should play her’ when he gets out his guitar of an evening. ‘A Decent Cup of Tea’ takes a sadder note as ‘she cries into her tea’, but the images Turner creates are vivid and immensely personal.

Since James Blunt’s inane contribution to the music scene, ‘acoustic’ has come to be a by-word for dull repetitive music. However, ‘Sleep Is For The Week’ covers a complete range with everything from country sing-alongs to indie ballads like ‘My Kingdom For A Horse’ and even the punk rock inspired ‘Back In The Day’ – which is worryingly like NOFX a la banjo. Seriously.

If you’re a fan of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, The Decemberists, Idlewild, Manic Street Preachers or even Seth Lakeman then you should give Frank Turner a go. There are so many genres in this album and it swings about within the one song, let alone throughout the album. ‘The Ladies of London Town’ is probably the most accessible track to begin with – lurching drunkenly between Manics, Decemberists and possibly even Smashing Pumpkins influences, but in a good way. Frank Turner is playing Southampton Joiners in February this year and after listening to this album I’d love to hear him live.