Frank Turner – Positive Songs For Negative People (2015)

The other charity shop purchase from last week (along with Levellers) was another described as folk-rock / punk. It's the second Frank Turner album I have bought since starting this. The previous one, FTHC, left me unsure of Turner, and after one listen to this one, I'm still equally undecided.

It's an album of well crafted, heartfelt songs, some more memorable than others, but not too much which sticks in the memory. There's nothing that isn't s decent listen, and I'm sure a live gig by Turner is fantastic, but I'm not getting any more than "yeah, this is alright" vibes from this album.

It opens with the minimal (just Turner and mandolin) The Angel Islington, which is a solid opening, then straight into Get Better, a louder high energy song, and a high point on the album. The Next Storm, which follows is a bouncy narrative song, very enjoyable, but The Opening Act Of Spring, a much more folky song isn't as strong.

But it's back to form with the lively Glorious You and the slightly slower, anthemic Mittens. Out Of Breath is a rockabilly style thrash, which doesn't really work for me, similarly Demons, all the elements seem there, but it's quite ordinary.

Josephine perks things up a bit, a decent song, but the final three, Love Forty Down, bouncy but dull, Silent Key, slow, grandiose, too long and the live recording Song For Josh, a personal, acoustic dirge, really don't inspire.

When Turner lets rip and rocks, it's sometimes genuinely exciting, but there's not enough of this for my taste.

This deluxe 2CD version has a second acoustic disc, and all it really shows is that most of the songs stand up just as well without the band, but I'd probably go to the first version.

Link to album tracks

3* - solid, likeable but little that has the 'wow' factor