England Keep My Bones
Frank Turner’s newest release is a quintessentially English record, from the style of instrumentation right through to the title itself, taken from William Shakespeare’s The Life and Death of King John. Indeed, even the song titles offer an insight into the inspiration for this album. That said, it’s not forced, or in an arrogantly pompous manner. What is notable is the crisp production here, which somehow adds even more emotion to Turner’s work. Opening track ‘Eulogy’ was first performed live last year as a short acoustic introduction. Here, it opens with a lovely string passage of music, before Frank and his guitar lead us into the album. Just as everything seems safe, the full band come in for the second verse, is an explosion of noise and energy. It’s a fantastic start to the album that shows where Frank Turner is heading with his newest offering. Some songs on the album will be familiar to fans. ‘I Still Believe’ was on last year’s Rock & Roll EP, although it is worthy of its inclusion here. ‘Peggy Sang The Blues’ and ‘I Am Disappeared’ have been released at varying stages this year, and add some warm familiarity to the album. As with Frank’s previous work, England Keep My Bones works brilliantly as a body of work and manages to be familiar and unpredictable in equal measures. One surprising moment is ‘English Curse’, a completely a capella track in the vein of traditional English folk music. It’s a bold move to include it on the album, but it fits and shows Turner’s impressive vocal power. Frank doesn’t hold back at all on this album, especially with the lyrical content. It was always going to seem controversial for an atheist to end an album with an anti-hymn called “Glory Hallelujah”. For this track to include a gospel choir singing the line “There is no God” will surely turn some heads. The song itself is one of the finest Turner has penned to date, with an infectious melody and wonderful instrumentation combining to make a catchy song that not even the stoutest of Catholics could resist tapping their toes to. Talking to Female First, Frank has said: “I have tried to be more ambitious, to push myself further in different directions stylistically.” In those terms, he has certainly achieved great things with his fourth studio album. It stacks up well against his previous releases, being a marked improvement on 2009’s Poetry of the Deed. It almost reaches the heights of Love Ire & Song, what was, until now, Frank’s best album to date. Turner’s most hardcore fans will welcome the fresh, new material, with some more folk-influenced moments on tracks likes ‘Rivers’. Indeed, ‘One Foot Before The Other’ is one of the most aggressive and heavy tracks Turner has written in years. It’s a huge departure from his usual style, but not surprising given his hardcore past. The track listing of an album is an underrated art, and it works here brilliantly, with the gritty, heavy track giving way to the country-folk ‘If I Stray’. Within two tracks, it shows how diverse Frank Turner is, and how far he’s come as a songwriter. This album feels like a product of Turner’s time on the road, and is testament to his career so far. As a body of work, it’s his finest to date. It’s been said with every release, but 2011 really could be Frank Turner’s year to fully break into the mainstream.
What do you think? Stream the album in full and leave your thoughts in the comment section.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
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