Welcome back to the CD Odyssey. This review features time travel! Sort of.
Disc 1627 is…FTHC
Artist: Frank Turner
Year of Release: 2022
What’s up with the Cover? An artistic take on the old punk cross-quarters where you put H and C opposite each other to represent “hard core” and two other letter for whatever you consider to be hard core (in this case, Frank Turner or “F T”). Usually it looks like this:
But instead, all the letters are all poorly drawn and the X that should separate everything is instead red and just sort of hanging out in the bottom left. Is it as good as the original? No, but it’s hard to get mad at a bunch of letters.
How I Came To Know It: I am a huge Frank Turner fan, so this was just me buying his latest album when it came out.
How It Stacks Up: I now have nine Frank Turner albums, which is a lot of Frank Turner albums. A couple days ago, when I was only halfway through my first listen, I was certain FTHC would finish last, but it rallied and narrowly bumped “No Man’s Land” down to the bottom to take over 8th spot.
Rating: 3 stars
If five years ago my future self were to have appeared and told me I’d one day give the great Frank Turner two consecutive three-star reviews, I would have scoffed at the notion. I also would have noted that I’d let myself go, and could stand to lose a few inches around the middle. Not because I’m cruel or anything; it would have just been me feeling hurt at the Frank Turner comment and lashing out. I would’ve then apologized to future me and asked if the Dolphins had won the Super Bowl again.
But I digress…
Frank Turner named this record “FTHC” with purpose. He is signaling to the listener that you should expect things to be a bit louder than usual. In his youth Turner was a punk rocker, and while he retains the rebellious core of punk, his musical style has steered more into a folk-rock lane. I have loved Frank in this lane, which felt just as hard core and emotionally raw as anything more shouty might.
FTHC starts out quite a bit shouty with “Non Serviam” is 100% in the punk lane, with a furious thrashing beat and little in the way of Frank’s natural talent for a sing-along melody. It is followed immediately by “The Gathering” which is a bit that, mixed in with lots more thump and bump.
The challenge I have with these songs – and the ones like it elsewhere on the album – are that while they feel angry and angst-ridden on the surface, they don’t feel soaked through with that fury in a way that punk music needs. I don’t doubt Frank Turner’s cred – it is much greater than mine – but despite the metal guitar solo, songs like “The Gathering” don’t feel out of control enough for what they are going for.
After these two tunes are over, Turner mostly settles back into what fans of my “Tape Deck Heart” vintage expect of him. Songs built for raising beers, singing in unison and generally designed to make you feel OK about not feeling OK. “Haven’t Been Doing So Well” is a fine example of the form, with a title (and chorus) that reminds you that if you aren’t doing so well, shouting it to the heavens with wild abandon can be an excellent balm.
My favourite in this genre on FTHC is “Punches” with classic Frank pushing back on a bad day with a triumphant chorus of:
“But hey, every once
in
a few months when
All the punches land
That day, I'm a tiger
a prize fighter
At least worth a damn”
A great expression of rebellion and possessing an infectious rhythm that will have you throwing your fist in the air and singing along.
My other favourite is “A Wave Across a Bay”. It is a song of loss and – I think – suicide, or at least untimely death. It is a beautiful song of resolved grief and forgiveness. Frank has done these emotional soul-baring narratives before (try “Song for Josh” for a similar exploration) but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he is an absolute master. “A Wave Across a Bay” will make you think of every untimely death that’s touched your life and leave you with glistening eyes and a restful smile. It’s not easy to land that combo of sadness and calm, but Frank lands it with ease.
This record is not perfect. It is not even one of Franks’ best, and there are moments I found the production a bit loud (but without purpose). The punkier elements he clearly wants to incorporate don’t land with the intensity they intend, and even the folksy elements are a mix of hit and miss.
Despite all of that, this is still Frank Turner we are talking about. There are enough awesome tracks (see below for a list) to easily buoy this record and make it a worthy addition to the catalogue. I didn’t believe that when I started listening, but fortunately it is future me writing this review, and I’ve since seen the light.
Now if only the fucking Dolphins can win a championship…
Best tracks: Untainted Love, Miranda, A Wave Across the Bay, Punches, Perfect Score
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