Frank Turner. I first heard of Frank Turner through some friends who raved about seeing him perform at Download Festival one year, and I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical about listening to him. The only reason for this is because at the time, I was, I hate to admit, really close minded about my music. But one day whilst browsing HMV, I thought to myself “You know what I’m just gonna buy a Frank Turner CD”. I didn’t care which one, but it ended up being this one, and boy am I glad it was this one.
The album kicks straight in with “Recovery” an amazing song which shows off Turner’s lyrical ability both in writing and performing, as well as his ability as a musician and guitarist. With a simple chorus allowing for anybody and everybody to sing along to and verses which can’t help but make you bop, it’s clear to see that “Tape Deck Heart” is a great way to start an album; as well as being an eye opener for me in terms of music.
One of the great things about this album in particularly is how pretty much anybody can find meaning within the lyrics, as well as relate to them. Why? Because like with many of Turner’s albums, this one has a theme; and the theme for this album is love/heartbreak, and let’s be honest, who hasn’t felt heartbreak at some point in their life? I for one know I have. An example of relatable lyrics heard on the album, as well as on of my favourites comes from track three, “The Way I Tend To Be“: “Some mornings I pray for evening / For the day to be done / Some summer days I hide away / And wait for rain to come / It turns out hell will not be found / Within the fires below / But in making do and muddling through / When you’ve nowhere else to go.” Now why is this one of favourite verses in the album? Because it’s just so simple yet Frank Turner’s lyrical ability make it seem so beautiful, which is a sign of a great songwriter: writing lyrics which, without music, could be mistaken for poetry. On top of this, again, who hasn’t gone through this in their life?
The mood of the album is constantly changing. One moment you’re listening to a happy dance-y song, the next, a somber and emotional song. This variety of moods makes for a great listen. The ordering of the tracks compliments this variety of moods, making sure that the listener isn’t bombarded with too many sad sounding songs. If that were to happen, then you’d be too busy crying to be listening to and appreciating the fantastic artistry of Frank Turner.
After being blown away by this album, I then went and bought Turner’s previous album to this one – “England Keep My Bones“. Now I’m not going to review that album right now – that would after all be “review-ception” – but I will say that when comparing the two albums, I personally prefer “Tape Deck Heart“. The reason for this is because I feel that “England Keep My Bones” is good, but “Tape Deck Heart” just has more memorable tracks. Along with that, I also feel that “England Keep My Bones” is too “poppy” or radio-friendly sounding for my taste. Now I’m not completely pushing “England Keep My Bones” to the side here, I am a fan of both, but I personally would recommend, to a new listener of Turner, “Tape Deck Heart“. But of course, don’t stop there. Go and listen to his older stuff as well; then you can really hear the evolution of Turner’s sound.
Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart:
1. Recovery
2. Losing Days
3. The Way I Tend To Be
4. Plain Sailing Weather
5. Good & Gone
6. Tell Tale Signs
7. Four Simple Words
8. Polaroid Picture
9. The Fisher King Blues
10. Anymore
11. Oh Brother
12. Broken Piano
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