Frank Turner

English singer-songwriter Frank Turner specialized in sarcasm and social commentary. Propelled by the anthemic Thatcher Fucked the Kids, Sleep Is for the Week (2007) established him as one of the cathartic voices of his generation like Billy Bragg was for the previous one. The more musical Love Ire & Song (2008) was followed by the hollow and amateurish Poetry of the Deed (2009). The catchy single I Still Believe (2010) and the promising England Keep My Bones (2011), with the angry pub-rock rant of If Ever I Stray, unfortunately led to the average melodic rock of Tape Deck Heart (2013).

Positive Songs for Negative People (2015), produced by Butch Walker, with Get Better (the anthem du jour), The Next Storm and Mittens (and the original version of Silent Key), marked a further step towards mainstream music.

Be More Kind (2018) has poppy tunes like Little Changes and even the synth-heavy Blackout, although still a couple of punk-folk anthems in 1933 (one of his signature songs) and Make America Great Again.

No Man's Land (2019) is a song cycle dedicated to female musicians, but the best song, Sister Rosetta, sounds too much like Fountains Of Wayne's Stacy's Mom.

Turner returned to his agit-punk roots on FTHC (2022) which boasts a good number of old-fashioned raging sociopolitical anthems: The Gathering, Haven't Been Doing So Well, Non Serviam, The Resurrectionists, Punches, etc