"Well I guess I should confess that I am starting to get old," begins 'Photosynthesis'. I love insight, me. Why confess? Why be so worried about kids using slang you don't understand? Frank Turner clearly feels vulnerable and bamboozled by the present day, which actually does nothing to explain the juvenile nature of his music. Later in this song, he also says that he will be defiant in the ageing process; that he will literally refuse to grow up. It seems his idea of what makes one youthful, what keeps one from becoming a gnarled old bison of a man, is just shouting that you won't let it happen. This song also makes the utterly, utterly cardinal and unforgivable sin of including the sound of all the studio attendees applauding at the song's finish. Hey, those guys work in a studio! If they're clapping it must be ace, right?
Love Ire And Song is a work just about devoid of merit. The most recommendable aspect of it is Turner himself, whose astonishing devotion to his craft and energy in performance are tragically placed into a piss-poor project. His lyrics, honest though they seem, are so indebted to Billy Bragg and the tough-as-nails romanticists of ageing punks everywhere that it's difficult to stumble over any trembling resemblance of original thought. The grandiose is laughably compared to the yearn of early courting, big and pointless words are thrown in just to give the appearance of quirkiness and the sudden bursts of melancholy are tacked on as if to say, "Hey, music's fun, but you gotta get serious sometimes, yeah?"
At one such emotional point, at the very end of 'Jet Lag', the embarrassing decision to have Turner saying "that's the one…" assuredly is just villainously conceited. What better way to make fools smile their Daily Mail smiles than to have the artist agree with them about how thoroughly and reliably excellent that song was? It makes one a little queasy. It's a shame, because there's no real way to criticise an artist like this. His fans will care very little that anyone might have a bad word to say against him, and this record will sell well enough for him to make another. Idiots will always win. Love Ire And Song is pointless. Not unlovable, but ultimately redundant.
Do DiS deliberately send you promos of stuff
they know you'll hate and people who post on here will love?
That said, I agree. Bring back Million Dead please.
At last!
Somebody has given him a bad review! I kept reading tons of stuff about how he might be this country's finest singer / songwriter. I don't get it. He's boring.
And that Shellac cover.... eurrrrghrgrh
well i think 4/10 is very harsh
but it isn't as good as anything else he's done probably.
there are still some really good songs on here, and Long Live The Queen is (even though i have no idea who his friend 'Lex' was) really sweet and honest.
that said i do wish he would just reform Million Dead...
i think 4/10 is very generous considering the tone of the review!
but seriously kids, million dead were an average average band, and it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that frank turner's solo stuff is equally average
RE: Million Dead
You're wrong.
very, very, very
couldn't be more so
i'd just like to say to everyone above here who stuck up for million dead:
you're all morons, shut up.
thankyou
^ Moron
Thank you is two words
Fair do's
This album doesn't even come close to his last one, and I must therefore admit that I'm very disappointed with Mr Turner. Reasons 'Not To Be An Idiot', 'Substitute' and 'Long Live The Queen' are highlights for me but the rest just lack the spark that Sleep Is For The Week had. Shame.
^ this
agreed!
nowhere near as good as sleep is for the week...quite disappointed
<3
Hmm.
7 at the least for me. Turns out everyone that's ever been a fan doesn't like this as much as his old stuff. Fair enough - change is scary. Campfire Punk Rock is still my favourite collection he's ever done, but 4 out of 10... What did he do, rape your sister?
Overly harsh, sorry. You're right though, Frank Turner fans are worryingly defensive.
"What did he do, rape your sister?"
Oh, shut it.
He really isn't very good at all.
Glad someone goes against this tide of bizarrely good reviews that Frank's solo stuff seems to get.
BRINGBACKMILLIONDEAD.
i reckon this is a 6/10
4 is a bit harsh, it doesnt cause me pain to listen to.
A second album featuring Frank fails again, much like million dead's second album, which is a 4/10 at best.
u r a st00pid
HNH is incredible
A little harsh
but a classic Daniel Ross review.
Frank Turner 10/10
Love, Ire & Song 5/10 at most.
Such a dissapointment, I've followed the fucker round toilet venues for years and years, and sleep is for the week is a fine debut but this kills me. One thing that really grates is that, live, the shouting is cool and impassioned - on record though it sounds horrible. Sing Frank.
Then there's the songs. I enjoyed the little self referential bits before, but it's becomming clear that all he has to say is "I am Frank Turner". Rather than show us things over the course of an album, he bludgeoningly TELLS. And not much of it is interesting or clever or funny either.
I hope he does well, but next time writes songs rather than, what come off to me as, songs about songs.
Att:Mr.Ross
I love you Daniel Ross. Thank you for being honest and not concerned about the repercussions. I love this site, and I love it's readers. It's just refreshing. Don't get me wrong, FT's okaaaay, but it was all a bit much! All the OTT press! Let things build...
^
give this man a badge
Billy Bragg is shit
and Frank Turner is even shitter..
i really like this album
of course, it's entirely possible that i just have awful taste, but i think it's a definite progression from the last album and it has some really cracking songs.
it was brilliant live too, most enjoyable gig i've been to in a while.
In terms of....
grossly over-rated 'acoustic' acts, Frank Turner is second only to Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
The art work...
is possibly the worst thing I have ever seen.
oh totally
The font makes me want to punch THINGS.
zzzzzz
I happen to think this is a better album on the whole than 'Sleep' ...
To Daniel Ross (with a silent 'D' presumably) - congratulations on an album review that ... er ... doesn't actually review the album.
Cheap digs at lyrics and the artist? All well and good if that's what makes you feel happy but an album review it makes not.
"Love Ire And Song is a work just about devoid of merit"? ... turn it in you plum ...
wtf are you talking about?
of course he's reviewed the album
...
I've had this album for a while now, and I must admit on the first few listens I did find the listening a bit tough - mainly because it is very, very honest. It's always awkward to listen to people talk about their personal losses and tragedies in love, life, ire whatever - so clearly its hard when they're in song format.
But I pressed on listening, and now really like the album. I have been a massive Million Dead fan for years and as I result I was very sceptical about Frank's decision to go solo. But, camp fire won me over. Sleep is of the week won me over and LIS has won me over. In it's entirety I think this is a well crafted, honest and actually quite humbling album made by someone who is clearly in their element. Just my opinion.
I would also say, that I do not think that Frank is overrated - far from it. He is excellent at what he does and anyone who has seen him live will stand testament to this.
hmmmm
that read like a shoddy review unfortunately ... "big and pointless words are thrown in just to give the appearance of quirkiness", what big and pointless words? sounds like you're just not very well-versed :)
i'm not a die-hard frank turner fan (i only got into his music very recently), but i wouldn't call his music juvenile by any means and at no point did i think this album sounded false or forced.
why is it a bad thing that his music is so indebted to billy bragg? i'd much rather hear that than another band that sounds like whichever indie band was on the cover on nme last month.
if you like vaguely folky acoustic music then you should ignore this review, go to myspace.com/frankturner and listen to 'i knew prufrock before he was famous' and 'the queen is dead' (which was criminally ignored by this review, i defy anyone to properly listen to that song and not feel empathy) before making their own minds up.
as a sidenote, it annoys me when you read a review and it seems like the reviewer has a closed mind when it comes to certain aspects or certain genres of music. it makes one a little queasy. It's a shame, because there's no real way to criticise a reviewer like this. His fans will care very little that anyone might have a bad word to say against him, and this review will be read enough for him to make another. Idiots will always win. This review is pointless. Not unlovable, but ultimately redundant.
i don't think the album isn't perfect but...
...i think 4/10 is well harsh. it's not as good as 'sleep...' but even so i think it's a pretty hard review.
i dunno if i like the fact that out of a three paragraph review half of the last para just goes on about how much the reviewer dislikes him saying 3 words at the end of the closing track. that, to me personally, doesn't sum the album up or even come close to making my mind up on whether i'd like or dislike it.
ooopppsss...
i mean i don't think the album IS perfect. arse.
well
shoddy review to a decent but not great album, has its good moments, has its bad moments and also some downright dull moments. but not worthy of a 4/10
...
or deserving of a 4/10 rather, "worthy" seems the wrong word to use.
oi burger boy
your music taste is 'gay' anyway, so what does it matter?
ps. I like 'Love Ire and Song' a lot, think it is a real grower of an album, is very mature and honest, has some very decent themes that run throughout that solidify it as an artistic statement, and is a big step up after 'sleep is for the week', which i felt had quite a few filler tracks and had some downright dull moments.
injokes
are funny.
tiny penis.
wrong message board!?
...
christina needs a drunkkit
haha
this is great, i don't get it either.