Playing live together save vocals and minor overdubs. The result pushes Turner and his band back into more energetic territory after the careful, pristine sound of his previous effort.
Expectations may not exactly be lived up to the way you had hoped. You just may, however, find that your expectations were wrong in the first place. That’s right, Positive Songs for Negative People is more than worth your time.
Positive Songs for Negative People lives up to its name and is an enjoyably straight forward record. Unfortunately, the album’s biggest strength also holds it back from ranking among his finest, as the overarching optimism makes the record feel slightly thin and superficial compared to his previous offerings.
On record that passion turns out to be a double-edged sword: his emotive delivery gives spirit to his quieter material, but when he’s at his most strident, on his more anthemic numbers, it can start to feel as if he’s using his voice to beat the listener into submission, as with Get Better here.
At his best Turner can be immensely charming and gloriously witty. Sadly, these facts only makes the dreary, alarmingly soulless retreads that populate most of Positive Songs for Negative People all the more depressing.
Scratch Sigh no More, this is the best thing I've heard in my entire life. There is not one single song on this record that is bad, orScratch Sigh no More, this is the best thing I've heard in my entire life. There is not one single song on this record that is bad, or underwhelming.
The standouts:
5: GET BETTER. A song full of raw emotion and heart with some heavy instrumentation and powerful lyrics.
4: OUT OF BREATH: Extremely loud and full of great piano, drum and guitar playing. Lyrics are ace.
3: SILENT KEY: Very emotional with the best riff I've ever heard. The lyrics are true and amazing.
2: THE NEXT STORM: Oozing with happiness and energy, it will lift you up on any bad day.
1: GLORIOUS YOU: My favourite song of all time, its positivity and beauty are unparalleled, and its lyrics and instrumentation further prove that. One I will remember for the rest of my life. This album doesn't deserve the **** it's getting, and I think that this has truly cemented Frank as my favourite artist of all time.…Expand
Frank Turner's latest studio album finds the folk punk rocker doing what he does best: writing and singing hook laden rock songs that wearFrank Turner's latest studio album finds the folk punk rocker doing what he does best: writing and singing hook laden rock songs that wear their heart on their sleeve. There are a couple of awkward moments such as the extended tennis metaphor of "Love Forty Down" and the shamelessly goofy "Mittens," but even those songs lodge themselves in your head and win you over with their unabashed sincerity. England Keep My Bones was more anguished and Tape Deck Heart was more volatile, but Positive Songs still delivers its own heartfelt punch.…Expand
Frank Turner appears to be suffering from an attack from the law of diminishing returns. Live he's known as an engaging, compelling act, oneFrank 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
After finding Tape deck Heart to be an underwhelming let down, I approached the release of PS4NP with cautious skepticism. For me, tape deckAfter finding Tape deck Heart to be an underwhelming let down, I approached the release of PS4NP with cautious skepticism. For me, tape deck Heart had lost the feeling of the raw connection to Frank and the subject matter of his songs. Yes, lyrically, he was laying things bare, however the amount of production and polish poured on top made it all feel like just another retread of an angsty, California pop album and really kept me from ever really getting into the album, especially after coming off the high of the end to end wonderful EKMB.
PS4NP is markedly better than tape deck, but that is a low bar to step over. The recording approach brings back some of the feeling of that direct connection to Frank and his songs that have made his live performances some of the best. The album starts off strong, driving home the message of Frank dusting himself off and getting on with it all. Sadly after the first few songs this begins to get repetitive and with every heavy handed remark that things are great it feels less and less believable.
The middle section of the album is largely forgettable with the exception of a few cringe worthy cliched lyrics. Things do come back around to cap off the album with a couple of great songs in Silent Key and Song for Josh.
All in all a pretty middling album, if you were a fan of Tape deck Heart, there is probably more here for you to like than I found. If you hold Love, Ire and EKMB in higher regards than the gems will likely be few and far between.
Now that Frank's picked himself up and dusted himself off, here's to hoping the next album really truly gets on with things and leaves the overdone angst of a broken heart behind.…Expand
