Album Rating: 4.5

Don't get me wrong Aids, LIS is by far my favourite of his work, I could listen to that album on repeat forever. I agree that it had something special that made it stand out and almost impossible to repeat



and like I mentioned parts of this album grate on me, but I can find more than enough merit in other parts to negate that, and the fact that he's going this strong as a performer and still being so humble following stadium tours and Olympic Ceremony performances just adds to the (admittedly subjective) opinion I have of his work

Album Rating: 3.5

I respect Frank Turner so much, especially how humble he is, no arguments there.



and I also find lots of merit in other parts of the album (hence the 3.5, which is more like a 3.7-3.8, trying to decided between 3.5 and 4) but overall, there is too much cheese for me to really get behind this one. I had the same problem with England after initially loving it.

After a first listen I thought this was alright. Some songs are pretty weak though. Hopefully it'll grow on me

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah Aids, I see the cheese, but I just decided to embrace it as a part of the commercial shift he's starting to develop. I hope it grows on you like it continues to do with me. Same with you JackSparrow, even songs I initially thought were weak are now stuck in my head far more than any Poetry or EKMB songs

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm resistant to this "commercial shift" though. It makes his music feel so plastic and hollow.

Album Rating: 4.5

It's pretty inevitable though, you can't blame the guy for wanting to showcase his music to the world, even if that mean compromising the way he presents his material



I still maintain he's doing it better than 95% of the rest of those artists who shift from anonymity to fame, irrespective of how much it may irk his long-time fans

Album Rating: 3.5

I don't blame him for wanting to be more popular, that's only natural, I just think that the sincerity of the music has taken a hit, like he doesn't really believe the things he's singing anymore.



(for the record, he clearly DOES believe what he's singing, but i think you get my point)

Album Rating: 4.0

Yeah whoever said this is EKMB Pt II is wrong, and anyway EKMB was just LI&S Pt II. Whilst the full band effort makes it feel kind of like POTD, this ultimately feels like a different beast to anything that Turner has done before. I've been listening to Frank since SIFTW and this album brings a change I've been waiting for for a couple of albums, with my feeling being that since the first two albums we've just being hearing variations on the sound those two produced. This isn't to say I haven't loved Turner songs since then, but I didn't feel like his sound really showed progression in the last two albums.



This album is growing on me, and only time will tell if this change in sound has produced a better album than we've heard from Frank recently; the album certainly felt like it was going to be a grower on first listen. Ultimately though, I'm just glad that Frank has produced something that sounds a bit different.



Bonus tracks are disappointing though.

Album Rating: 4.5

Aids, I know what you mean, and I think people who aren't familiar with his material may well see it as insincere, but I hope those of us who have followed his progression know better.



And I don't know about you, but I tend to focus too much on my listening experience, and how I feel about albums subsequent to the first ones I listened to and loved. There's always that almost forgotten experience of those who discover him because of the radio-play and work backwards through the discography to the best stuff and fall in love with that. That's priceless and to me is one of the best aspects of someone becoming a popular or more mainstream artist



NoFro, I'm glad you're enjoying the progression, or at least seeing it in a positive light. I like the bonus tracks though, particularly cowboy chords and time machine

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm actually re-listening to this now and I think I'm gonna go back to a 4/5



the songs I really hate are bonus tracks, and Four Simple Words is actually pretty good on second (or third, or fourth...) thought.

Album Rating: 4.5

Four Simple Words is great as soon as the whole "hey ho, hey ho" part is done with haha, but I don't see the hate for the bonus tracks. Sure they aren't as strong as the rest, but what's to hate about cowboy chords and time machine?

Album Rating: 4.0

Can't really hate an album for it's bonus tracks. I think I was just hoping for something as great as "Song for Eva Mae" again.

I don't see the hate for four simple words! I love it! I'm also really keen on plain sailing weather.

Album Rating: 4.0

god the album is just growing and growing on me but i feel as though when it stops growing i'll get sick of the songs reaaaally quickly. plain sailing weather, recovery and tell tale signs are the clear standouts for mine. i also seem to have a different song from the album stuck in my head every hour. god dammit.

Woooooop between this and Laura Stevens I just




Don't know what to vomit at first

Album Rating: 3.5

haha

Album Rating: 3.5

say fuck again (marvelous place for a page break)

Album Rating: 4.5

He played Four Simple Words last time I saw him and the crowd went fucking apeshit. Gimmicky or as cheesy as you may think they are, they take on a whole new dimension when played live.



I agree Jom, the band sound great. They're also fantastic live



As for future ratings, I imagine that mine might well settle on a 4 in the long term, but as there are songs still growing on me it'll stay this way for me for some time

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

Four Simple Words was really great live John. Went the fuck off here. I never thought I'd agree with Aids so vehemently but here I am doing it. I feel like adding the full band kind of took away from Frank's charm and that's why I've liked his releases post LI&S significantly less than his first two, but lyrically he's just so excellent that I can't help but love a lot of his newer work too. It doesn't have quite the resonance of some of his earlier material but stuff like Peggy Sang The Blues, I Am Disappeared, Broken Piano and The Way I Tend To Be are still all amazing songs.

Love "Recovery". Rest of this album should be great!