Frank Turner
Tape Deck Heart
Interscope Records
Street: 04.23
Frank Turner = The Mowgli’s + The Nightwatchman
Have you ever wondered what an enervating British punk/folk rocker going through a mid-life crisis sounds like? Me neither. However, if you did, I would point you towards Frank Turner’s Tape Deck Heart. All of the songs share a common three-step lyrical blueprint which can be boiled down to: I hated the past but I miss it. I hated you but I miss you. I can’t seem to get over anything and now I hate myself. In the interim of this seemingly neverending discontent, Turner wails away in heightened pop inflections while cranking out arena-friendly refrains. However obnoxiously overproduced the structures are, the backhanded compliment is that they’re egregiously catchy and contagious. God knows why, but if you’re somehow keen on the idea of a stale marriage between Blood on the Tracks and London Calling, then give this record a go. –Gregory Gerulat