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Frank Turner first shot to fame as singer of Million Dead, a British band influenced by punk and hardcore turning out songs that were heavy, thoughtful, angry and pretty damn good. Just before his former band split, Frank started playing acoustic solo sets, and fortunately for us this has continued.
‘Sleep is for the Week’ is the first album, following on from a great little 5-track EP called ‘Campfire Punkrock’, which is perhaps an apt description of where his music falls. Although it’s almost exclusively acoustic and has some folky influence, there’s enough attitude and in-jokes to keep fans of his previous work happy, and there are some really brilliant songs that showcase a great song writing talent.
Kicking off proceedings in an upbeat yet oddly thoughtful manner we have ‘The Real Damage’, a tale of a hungover Frank waking up in someone else’s house and trying to find his way back home. There are many similar fun tales of twenty-something life in London intertwining with philosophising about how to best spend our time, the kind of people we were and have turned into, and the direction of life. The music itself is kept interesting with flourishes from instruments other than Franks guitar, such as the violin on ‘Vital Signs’. ‘A Decent Cup of Tea’ however is perhaps the low point of the album, sounding rather muffled and being a bit too dreary to be interesting, but it does show another oft-used theme, love. Thankfully he doesn’t go too lovey-dovey on us and there are tales of broken hearts as well as the fun ‘Romantic Fatigue’ about using the same song for different girls by just changing the names around. ‘Worse things Happen at Sea’ also seems a bit dull to start with, but when it gets going it really blossoms with Frank almost shouting the vocals over duelling guitar and violin.
‘Fathers Day’ is brilliant, and it’s here we get the first glimpse of lyrics referencing the punk music Frank and many of his fans grew up with as he starts the song singing about cutting himself a Mohawk. ‘Back in the Day’ recalls his youth “with the Black Flag ‘First Four Years’ and the Minor Threat Discography” and “hanging out with Household Names” (referencing the London-based punk label Household Name Records), while joyfully proclaiming that “punk rock saved my life”, and ‘Once we were Anarchists’ shows the angst is still there but the hope of better times has gradually diminished, and it’s damn catchy to boot. And it would be criminal not to mention the brilliant closing track ‘The Ballad of Me and my Friends’ – I defy anyone to listen to this track and not get goose-bumps when the group vocals kick in on such a brilliant line of lyricism.
That’s another great aspect here, for although much of the subject matter is simple on the surface, the lyrics are of a high standard. Almost every song is a winner, with some being very immediate, while others grow on you by starting slowly but coming to a brilliant climax that creeps up on you and embeds itself in your head until it simply won’t go away.
So who is this going to appeal to? Well, I think the lyrics will speak best to twenty-something people who are starting to ‘grow up’, and this is even more true if they spent their teenage years listening to (or playing in) punk bands like Turner himself did. Most songs feel somewhat downbeat, while others feel like they’re looking back at the glory of a not-so-long-ago youth which is tantalisingly close but forever out of reach. The music is somewhat London-centric as well, with reference to Camden among others, so those who have experienced the capital may get a little extra kick out of it. But I think most people should find something to enjoy here, so give it a go and have a listen.
Official Website
'Sleep is for the Week' Last.fm page
‘Sleep is for the Week’ is the first album, following on from a great little 5-track EP called ‘Campfire Punkrock’, which is perhaps an apt description of where his music falls. Although it’s almost exclusively acoustic and has some folky influence, there’s enough attitude and in-jokes to keep fans of his previous work happy, and there are some really brilliant songs that showcase a great song writing talent.
Kicking off proceedings in an upbeat yet oddly thoughtful manner we have ‘The Real Damage’, a tale of a hungover Frank waking up in someone else’s house and trying to find his way back home. There are many similar fun tales of twenty-something life in London intertwining with philosophising about how to best spend our time, the kind of people we were and have turned into, and the direction of life. The music itself is kept interesting with flourishes from instruments other than Franks guitar, such as the violin on ‘Vital Signs’. ‘A Decent Cup of Tea’ however is perhaps the low point of the album, sounding rather muffled and being a bit too dreary to be interesting, but it does show another oft-used theme, love. Thankfully he doesn’t go too lovey-dovey on us and there are tales of broken hearts as well as the fun ‘Romantic Fatigue’ about using the same song for different girls by just changing the names around. ‘Worse things Happen at Sea’ also seems a bit dull to start with, but when it gets going it really blossoms with Frank almost shouting the vocals over duelling guitar and violin.
‘Fathers Day’ is brilliant, and it’s here we get the first glimpse of lyrics referencing the punk music Frank and many of his fans grew up with as he starts the song singing about cutting himself a Mohawk. ‘Back in the Day’ recalls his youth “with the Black Flag ‘First Four Years’ and the Minor Threat Discography” and “hanging out with Household Names” (referencing the London-based punk label Household Name Records), while joyfully proclaiming that “punk rock saved my life”, and ‘Once we were Anarchists’ shows the angst is still there but the hope of better times has gradually diminished, and it’s damn catchy to boot. And it would be criminal not to mention the brilliant closing track ‘The Ballad of Me and my Friends’ – I defy anyone to listen to this track and not get goose-bumps when the group vocals kick in on such a brilliant line of lyricism.
That’s another great aspect here, for although much of the subject matter is simple on the surface, the lyrics are of a high standard. Almost every song is a winner, with some being very immediate, while others grow on you by starting slowly but coming to a brilliant climax that creeps up on you and embeds itself in your head until it simply won’t go away.
So who is this going to appeal to? Well, I think the lyrics will speak best to twenty-something people who are starting to ‘grow up’, and this is even more true if they spent their teenage years listening to (or playing in) punk bands like Turner himself did. Most songs feel somewhat downbeat, while others feel like they’re looking back at the glory of a not-so-long-ago youth which is tantalisingly close but forever out of reach. The music is somewhat London-centric as well, with reference to Camden among others, so those who have experienced the capital may get a little extra kick out of it. But I think most people should find something to enjoy here, so give it a go and have a listen.
Official Website
'Sleep is for the Week' Last.fm page
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Frank Turner first shot to fame as singer of Million Dead, a British band influenced by punk and hardcore turning out songs that were heavy, thoughtful, angry and pretty damn good. Just before his former band split, Frank started playing acoustic solo sets, and fortunately for us this has continued.
‘Sleep is for the Week’ is the first album, following on from a great little 5-track EP called ‘Campfire Punkrock’, which is perhaps an apt description of where his music falls. Although it’s almost exclusively acoustic and has some folky influence, there’s enough attitude and in-jokes to keep fans of his previous work happy, and there are some really brilliant songs that showcase a great song writing talent.
Kicking off proceedings in an upbeat yet oddly thoughtful manner we have ‘The Real Damage’, a tale of a hungover Frank waking up in someone else’s house and trying to find his way back home. There are many similar fun tales of twenty-something life in London intertwining with philosophising about how to best spend our time, the kind of people we were and have turned into, and the direction of life. The music itself is kept interesting with flourishes from instruments other than Franks guitar, such as the violin on ‘Vital Signs’. ‘A Decent Cup of Tea’ however is perhaps the low point of the album, sounding rather muffled and being a bit too dreary to be interesting, but it does show another oft-used theme, love. Thankfully he doesn’t go too lovey-dovey on us and there are tales of broken hearts as well as the fun ‘Romantic Fatigue’ about using the same song for different girls by just changing the names around. ‘Worse things Happen at Sea’ also seems a bit dull to start with, but when it gets going it really blossoms with Frank almost shouting the vocals over duelling guitar and violin.
‘Fathers Day’ is brilliant, and it’s here we get the first glimpse of lyrics referencing the punk music Frank and many of his fans grew up with as he starts the song singing about cutting himself a Mohawk. ‘Back in the Day’ recalls his youth “with the Black Flag ‘First Four Years’ and the Minor Threat Discography” and “hanging out with Household Names” (referencing the London-based punk label Household Name Records), while joyfully proclaiming that “punk rock saved my life”, and ‘Once we were Anarchists’ shows the angst is still there but the hope of better times has gradually diminished, and it’s damn catchy to boot. And it would be criminal not to mention the brilliant closing track ‘The Ballad of Me and my Friends’ – I defy anyone to listen to this track and not get goose-bumps when the group vocals kick in on such a brilliant line of lyricism.
That’s another great aspect here, for although much of the subject matter is simple on the surface, the lyrics are of a high standard. Almost every song is a winner, with some being very immediate, while others grow on you by starting slowly but coming to a brilliant climax that creeps up on you and embeds itself in your head until it simply won’t go away.
So who is this going to appeal to? Well, I think the lyrics will speak best to twenty-something people who are starting to ‘grow up’, and this is even more true if they spent their teenage years listening to (or playing in) punk bands like Turner himself did. Most songs feel somewhat downbeat, while others feel like they’re looking back at the glory of a not-so-long-ago youth which is tantalisingly close but forever out of reach. The music is somewhat London-centric as well, with reference to Camden among others, so those who have experienced the capital may get a little extra kick out of it. But I think most people should find something to enjoy here, so give it a go and have a listen.
Official Website
'Sleep is for the Week' Last.fm page
‘Sleep is for the Week’ is the first album, following on from a great little 5-track EP called ‘Campfire Punkrock’, which is perhaps an apt description of where his music falls. Although it’s almost exclusively acoustic and has some folky influence, there’s enough attitude and in-jokes to keep fans of his previous work happy, and there are some really brilliant songs that showcase a great song writing talent.
Kicking off proceedings in an upbeat yet oddly thoughtful manner we have ‘The Real Damage’, a tale of a hungover Frank waking up in someone else’s house and trying to find his way back home. There are many similar fun tales of twenty-something life in London intertwining with philosophising about how to best spend our time, the kind of people we were and have turned into, and the direction of life. The music itself is kept interesting with flourishes from instruments other than Franks guitar, such as the violin on ‘Vital Signs’. ‘A Decent Cup of Tea’ however is perhaps the low point of the album, sounding rather muffled and being a bit too dreary to be interesting, but it does show another oft-used theme, love. Thankfully he doesn’t go too lovey-dovey on us and there are tales of broken hearts as well as the fun ‘Romantic Fatigue’ about using the same song for different girls by just changing the names around. ‘Worse things Happen at Sea’ also seems a bit dull to start with, but when it gets going it really blossoms with Frank almost shouting the vocals over duelling guitar and violin.
‘Fathers Day’ is brilliant, and it’s here we get the first glimpse of lyrics referencing the punk music Frank and many of his fans grew up with as he starts the song singing about cutting himself a Mohawk. ‘Back in the Day’ recalls his youth “with the Black Flag ‘First Four Years’ and the Minor Threat Discography” and “hanging out with Household Names” (referencing the London-based punk label Household Name Records), while joyfully proclaiming that “punk rock saved my life”, and ‘Once we were Anarchists’ shows the angst is still there but the hope of better times has gradually diminished, and it’s damn catchy to boot. And it would be criminal not to mention the brilliant closing track ‘The Ballad of Me and my Friends’ – I defy anyone to listen to this track and not get goose-bumps when the group vocals kick in on such a brilliant line of lyricism.
That’s another great aspect here, for although much of the subject matter is simple on the surface, the lyrics are of a high standard. Almost every song is a winner, with some being very immediate, while others grow on you by starting slowly but coming to a brilliant climax that creeps up on you and embeds itself in your head until it simply won’t go away.
So who is this going to appeal to? Well, I think the lyrics will speak best to twenty-something people who are starting to ‘grow up’, and this is even more true if they spent their teenage years listening to (or playing in) punk bands like Turner himself did. Most songs feel somewhat downbeat, while others feel like they’re looking back at the glory of a not-so-long-ago youth which is tantalisingly close but forever out of reach. The music is somewhat London-centric as well, with reference to Camden among others, so those who have experienced the capital may get a little extra kick out of it. But I think most people should find something to enjoy here, so give it a go and have a listen.
Official Website
'Sleep is for the Week' Last.fm page