Frank Turner appears to be suffering from an attack from the law of diminishing returns. Live he's known as an engaging, compelling act, one that wins over even the harsher of his critics a lot of the time. But on record, he's more patchy, and his last album Tape Deck Heart failed to match the heights of 2011's England Keep My Bones. His latest release, Positive Songs for Negative PeopleFrank Turner appears to be suffering from an attack from the law of diminishing returns. Live he's known as an engaging, compelling act, one that wins over even the harsher of his critics a lot of the time. But on record, he's more patchy, and his last album Tape Deck Heart failed to match the heights of 2011's England Keep My Bones. His latest release, Positive Songs for Negative People is a curious affair. For a start, it doesn't feel particularly positive to anyone who is for the most part, positive about their lot, and if you're a glass half empty kind of soul, well, it doesn't feel particularly uplifting either. The choice to record the album live with a band is a brave one and understandable, knowing the tight unit The Sleeping Souls are. But it doesn't quite work out, with the feeling that the production is over-polished and sonically with a bit too much treble, which makes it hard to listen to.
As for the songwriting, it seems that Frank has overthought some of the tracks on this record. Whilst Glorious You, The Next Storm and Get Better are all worthy of a release and definitely the stronger tracks, Silent Key, it's reference point being the Challenger disaster in 1986 feels and sounds like a misstep. However many times I hear it, even though it hooks into me, it still strikes me as being one of the poorest songs he's released and I wonder how Christa McAuliffe's family feel about it. Add in Mittens, Josephine, and the curious Tennis referenced Love Forty Down, and you'll find quite a lot of filler, more so than most of his albums. It's like the songwriting ran out of steam somewhere along the line.
Finally, Song For Josh, a heartfelt tribute to his friend Josh Burdette, who committed suicide, is an incredibly personal reflection on the feeling you let someone down by not being there for them. This may be true, but positive it isn't, it's very hard listening for anyone who has gone through the same experience.
As a long standing fan of the man, his music and his live performances, Positive Songs for Negative People falls some way short of my higher hopes and expectations.… Expand