Frank Turner — Love Ire & Song

Turner is a former member of British punk band Million Dead who has since gone solo. This follow-up to his Sleep Is For The Week debut displays sharp and incisive songwriting skills and a cleverness that puts him in a league with two similar artists: Billy Bragg and Ted Leo. Many of his songs are message-oriented, as "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous" chides people for waiting for things to happen instead of taking action, "Reasons Not To Be An Idiot" tells them to feel good about themselves, and "Photosynthesis" describes the advantages of not fully growing up. "Imperfect Tense" rocks the hardest, but the majority of tracks are acoustic-based, yet still powerful. The title tune is about gaining booze-fuelled courage to do things you once dreamed of, while "Long Live The Queen" is a moving yet up-tempo number about a dying friend. The North American version of the album has two welcomed bonus cuts: the spot-on "Thatcher Fucked The Kids" and a live version of "The Ballad Of Me And My Friends." Turner is definitely a talent to keep an eye on.

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