Month: May 2022

Week 7: Frank Turner- FTHC AKA Frank Turner Hardcore

~ honestopinions19 ~ Leave a comment

I first heard about Frank when he followed me on Twitter. I must confess I had yet to learn who he was or what kind of music he did until after that follow, in 2010. Despite watching his journey unfold since the 2010s, I learned this is his NINTH Album! The record initials stand for ‘Frank Turner Hardcore’, and I remember when Liam Gallagher described his debut album “As You Were” was going to be “Rock out with your chin out”…well, Frank’s undoubtedly is that. It is so far removed from “No Man’s Land” and “Be More Kind”. I cannot recall many acoustic and soft moments.

Following the previous paragraph, Frank hurls himself into the moshpit with the ‘Non Serviam’ opening track. It blows your ears off from the first note, and you hear Frank’s punk vocals. That caught me off guard when I knew Frank’s music to be more reflective and soft. It was a surprise, but a fucking nice one. He then launches himself into ‘the Gathering’ like he has jumped on a Kawasaki Ninja, weaving in and out of lanes and overtaking other vehicles on the M1 North and South when it is the dead of light, and you have the freedom to tank it. Once again, it doesn’t fit in with Frank’s back catalogue, but you can hear he has been fucking pissed off with having his livelihood taken away from him for over two years. He is returning with punk fuel inside him. You can hear the aggression in his vocals and the frustration pouring out of him in every bar and expletive.

I look forward to hearing the first two tracks and the energy he will bring when I see him perform. The softest track I could find on the record was ‘Haven’t been Doing So Well’, but don’t let that fool you. Frank is still bringing that punk, energetic rebellion sound.

However, Frank’s work is slightly milder than generic punk and rock. Of course, it is much punkier than his usual work, but that’s where it ends. Not that I am complaining whatsoever. Listening to Frank let rip and put the acoustic away was nice. Why do I say it isn’t like generic punk? The guitars are not as raw as you would expect from generic punk. There is no IDLES, Ireland’s Fontaines DC, or even Amyl and the Sniffers who bring that punk energy to their songs. You could add shame to that mix.

 Another thing I noticed is that the vocals seem to overpower the production, which takes away that live element that Frank was trying to bring across. Indeed, sometimes I struggled to hear those screaming guitars, thumping drums, and crashing cymbals. Frank was in a band called Million Dead from 2000 to 2005, and it is a slight return to those days with the production and the vocals full of angst and yelling. Only a little bit more constrained. 

At the start of this paragraph, I will mention what makes this “Hardcore”, as Frank puts it in the album title. Well, it’s not really for the sound but more for his vocals and the lyrics. Yes, I am aware that Frank is usually quite melancholic with his lyrics, but he has taken it further this time. Frank appears to be conversing with his past. Especially when talking about his transgender father in the following three songs; ‘Fatherless’, ‘My Bad’, and ‘Miranda’. Let’s begin a summary of the trilogy (If you will.) with ‘Fatherless’. In this song, he talks about being alone due to the absence of his then-father. In ‘My Bad’, he expresses guilt of having the responsibility of carrying the flag for the transgender movement put on him by his father. Finally, in ‘Miranda’, he addresses the fact his father is now transgender. Instead of feeling angry and alienated, he shows solidarity with his father’s decision and says that his father is a proud transgender woman, and his resentment has gradually faded away. He even says the line ‘Miranda, it’s lovely to meet you’ to show he has accepted what has happened. These songs exemplify Frank visiting the past and learning to live with it in the present.

You might say that Frank’s latest record is a bit “deep”. Yes, that may be true, but you will laugh at his witty lyrics, which somewhat take the edge off the subject matter. I enjoyed listening to “FTHC”; my concentration didn’t waver like on some of my reviews because I got bored. The lyrical content, vocal delivery, and production had my full attention. Frank has smashed it with this album, and I look forward to hearing these tracks while the moshers go fucking mental during live performances.

Song recommendations: ‘the Gathering’, ‘Non Serviam’, ‘Miranda’

9/10

Week 6: Bastille- Give Me the Future

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This is a band I heard initially without even knowing who they were. I only knew once I saw them appear on Later…withJools Holland back in 2013 (I think.). Before then, I didn’t know much about them, and the songs I had heard without knowing who they were neither excited nor annoyed me. I remember Noel Gallagher said, “If Bastille had been around in the 90s, they would have been finished.”…now, I like Noel Gallagher, as regular readers know, but although it probably would have been true with the music around back then, I quite like Bastille. My opinion of Dan Smith and company changed after seeing them at Glastonbury, reading about them, and watching a few concerts on YouTube. Dan knows how to work with the audience, and they put on a great show. ‘Pompeii’ used to drive me around the bend, but that grew on me. I am often caught whistling or singing the chorus when I hear it.

“Give Me the Future” is their latest and fourth album, which has already amassed five singles. That is just below half of the record itself. Once again, Bastille plays it safe (Sort of.)with their usual songs, but there are some elements of new creativity. For example, the opening track ‘Distorted Light Beam’ takes some influences from the defunct French Houseoutfit Daft Punk, which is quite apt due to the band’s name. 

According to reports, Dan Smith began embarking on this album before the pandemic started and flirted with the idea of combining Bastille’s sound with elements of futuristic sounds. At the same time, you could argue that it takes something from the 80s. However, due to what has happened since 2020 or late 2019, Dan’s idea of this record has seen fact and fiction become convoluted, to say the least. Everything we believed to be fiction through music might be a reality now. At the moment, no one within any industry knows what is inevitable. We have seen the world shut down during these testing times despite it still spinning. Immense industries have seen companies and businesses suffer or fall, and music artists like Bastille suffered heavily because they could no longer go on tour worldwide. Some music artists signed just before the pandemic or after suffered even more. So, at the moment, it is no surprise a fair chunk of people look at the future with caution in mind. In “Give Me the Future”, Bastille takes all of that away and looks to embrace whatever happens in the future.

As usual, the band set the stall out with their dancefloor fillers to give the listener a chance to escape from what was happening and lose themselves as they mentally picture themselves enjoying life in the club again. We are gradually getting back tothose days and nights, but listening to music that propels us back to those feelings is excellent. Bastille have always beenknown for their hard-hitting subjects shrouded in upbeat instrumentation, and they have done just that yet again. The lyrics are pretty dark, but the instrumentation diverts your attention. For example, in the Daft Punk-Esque opener ‘Distorted Light Beam,’ Dan says, ‘It isn’t enough, if this is real life, I’ll stick to dreaming, come see what I see.’ That is powerful. No one can deny that that lyric reverberates the current feelings the majority of us have. I’d rather escape from the trappings of reality and stay in a dream just for my sanity. My standout has to be ‘Promises’, which is Spoken Word performed by Riz Ahmed over strings and other instrumentation. Why ‘Promises’? I am a spoken word artist, so for that reason alone. I love to hear what poets have to say. Of course, I like other tracks on the album, like ‘No Bad Days’, the title track, and ‘Future Holds’. The latter features Bim, who you will be familiar with if you attend Bastille concerts. Her rich vocals complement Dan’s on the uplifting closer with a message of hope about who cares about the future as long as we all have someone to love and care for us.


The album is also structured cleverly. The listener goes on an adventure where they will be lost but find themselves again. Now, this could be explained by Dan’s love of cinema. He wants the songs to be a cinematic experience rather than music-related. I only know a few bands or artists that use the method. Most tell a story, but not in this manner. I can only think of Clannad or London Grammar in recent times. “Give Me the Future” wasn’t made to pick out tracks and listen randomly, but to listen from start to finish due to the cinematic nature. 


Yes, you can listen to any tracks you like. I mean, that’s your choice, but it takes away the premise of the record. Is it their best? Well, it’s up there. Although, it is bloody short for a Long Play. The longest is the title track at 3:39. One thing I will say is, going back to “is it their best?” is that it is incredibly creative, and they have moved with that but have still kept that distinct sound we associate with the band. So, they have yet to complete 360 and lose their identity.


It’s pleasant to listen to an album that gives you hope about the future rather than being bogged down and depressed by the shit we are surrounded by. The record is uplifting and sends you off into a dream. 

The attitude adopted by Bastille is one of “Fuck it. Let’s have fun while the world is falling apart”.




Song recommendations: ‘Promises’, ‘Give Me the Future’, ‘Distorted Light Beam’




8/10

Week 5: Don Broco- Amazing Things

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Bizarrely, the first time I heard of this band from Bedford was way back in 2008 on some weekly Xbox Live magazine show. I didn’t know who they were, but when they played a snippet of their latest track, I knew they would challenge the likes of Enter Shikari, who are close in terms of geographical distance. They reminded me of several bands of that ilk. Especially Bring Me the Horizon. You can add Royal Blood to that list now. 


“Amazing Things” was released late last year but, for some reason, didn’t hit the top spot until this year. A song featured on a recent television programme might have got the viewer’s attention. The album explodes into ‘Gumshield’, undoubtedly aptly named as the song is reminiscent of being in the ring. The production is brilliant with its use of synths, orchestras, full-on metal guitars, and, as I mentioned, the razor blade vocals provided by Rob Damiani and Matt Donnelly. The assault on your ears is ferocious, including the vocals. After that intro, you are fully expecting an all-out sound.


Surprisingly, I enjoyed the second track, ‘Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan, ‘ despite not being a fan of Manchester United (It’s pretty obvious the song is about them). I enjoyed it for its in-your-face rock attitude. I liked “Amazing Things” more for its instrumentation than the lyrics. They are not up to much, albeit they are witty, funny and sarcastic, backed up by vocals with attitude. The instrumentation is what makes it, though. It follows the same premise as their previous album, 2018’s “Technology”. You might say the band embraces their posh background on their latest record. Unsurprisingly, the latest five singles released from the album are on the record’s first half. I will go into that more in the next paragraph or so.


I loved “Amazing Things” for its grandeur with the instrumentation and full-on metal rock, and the vocals of Mattand Rob complement each other well. Both have different styles, and it keeps the listener interested. However, going back to the previous paragraph about the singles coming from the album’s first half, it is no surprise because that is where the energy is. You lose interest after ‘Anaheim’ because the songs lose that intensity. It ends with a bang with ‘Easter Sunday’, which is worth listening to until completion. Concerning “Technology”, “Amazing Things” is the better record with excellent instrumentation, subject matter, and better structure. 

Of course, if you are a fan of Don Broco, you will be happy with the end result. You will also feel the same if you like their genre. However, there is also other stuff for listeners to enjoy, like synthesisers fitting with the synth-era trend that is currently in full swing. Everyone appears to like the 80s sound at present. It differs from the Weeknd or Coldplay’s use of synthesisers, but it works nonetheless with their creativity. I cannot remember what track it was at the moment, but one of them uses synthesisers that reminded me of futuristic films like Tron. As I mentioned, the first six tracks blow your eardrums to pieces and have the intensity to match. The second half is like the middle section of a live performance, where things are slowed to let the audience catch their breath and take in some fluids. However, the final track is fit for an encore to leave the audience experiencing a rush. I only know a little about the band, but I have been impressed again. The follow up will have to be highly astronomical to beat this.




Song recommendations: ‘Gumshield’, ‘Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan’, ‘Easter Sunday’




8/10

Week 4: Years & Years- Night Call

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This will be a short review. I have never been a fan of the band, which is a great shame because, as a person, I like Olly Alexander. During the Lockdown Edition of Later…with Jools Holland, he spoke to Jools and gave reasons for selecting certain songs. These are songs that surprised me when you consider his age. There were some rather bizarre choices of bands from before he was even born. He came across as warm and spoke about the songs as if he was there before he even came to exist. I had a lot of respect for him after.


A lot of water has passed under the bridge since their last album in 2018. It is no longer a band but a solo moniker for Olly. I ended up zoning out or skipping tracks on the record. My interest didn’t pique until the tracks with Kylie and the version of ‘It’s a Sin’, which also features on Elton John’s album released last year.’A Second to Midnight’ and ‘Starstruck’ are phenomenal uplifting tracks and make you want to go out and find the nearest dancefloor to enjoy yourself. I loved the club feel to them. Of course, ‘It’s a Sin’ is excellent, as I mentioned in Elton’s review, so there is nothing more to say. It’s a shame the rest of the album was generic pop.




Song recommendations: ‘Starstruck’, ‘A Second to Midnight’, ‘It’s a Sin’




3/10

Week 3: the Wombats- Fix Yourself, Not the World

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I remember becoming a fan of their music after their mid-2000 songs ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ and ‘I’m Moving to New York’. I heard the latter during the Christmas months while working at a supermarket. 


Anyway, there’s something unique about this album. Only a few artists have done this, from what I recall. Queen, David Bowie, Eminem and Ed Sheeran. The ability to record while not in the same studio as other band members or collaborators. That is what the Wombats have achieved with this record. The band members are in three different countries. Usually, it is just the one, but no.

Wombats did it with band members in three! Which makes “Fix Yourself, Not the World” quite spectacular. The concept is quite good as well. I mean, the title rings true. Some things are beyond our control, for example, the shit state the world is in currently. I am from the British Isles, so I can see how shit it is now and probably foreseeable. However, even though we can’t fix the world, we can indeed fix ourselves. Primarily, that should be our top priority. As they say, don’t sweat the small stuff. If we can look after ourselves mentally, our well-being is better. So, an exciting title catches your attention and makes you wonder what the album’s premise will be. I heard many experimental sounds and the band trying to reinvent themselves from that “typical indie” with which they had been labelled and saw them stagnate somewhat. I’ve always liked their music, but they did get relatively comfortable staying in one direction.


Be patient with some tracks they have experimented with because they might appear dull or alien to what you usually expect from them. For example, the title track is weird. You cannot tell it is a title track because it seems like a regular track on the album. It doesn’t scream title track. I loved the lyrical content within and the harsh message it delivered. There are plenty that are ready for the upcoming tour. 


However, the title track was not supposed to stand out judging by the length. It acts more like an outro. Some tracks are gloomy, like ‘Everything I Love is Going to Die’, a Smiths-esque title with the content and melody to fit in. The front cover was attractive. Funnily enough, I was looking for Wally among the artwork. I wish I could write more, but after being quite excited to hear it, it was an anti-climax.


Song recommendations: ‘Ready for the High’, ‘People Don’t Change People, Times Does’, ‘Everything I Love is Going to Die’


5/10