There are a slew of musicians who take the role of singer-songwriter after the break up of their former bands. At times this can showcase the talent that drove the bands to their success, or alternately show the need for collaboration to flesh out their ideas into worthwhile songs. Frank Turner fronted the mildly successful post-hardcore act Million Dead before venturing into a career as a solo artist. While the typical route of a solo act is to take a slower/folk approach to song writing, Turner did something different. As my friend Chris so eloquently stated, "It's like he's playing a bunch of punk covers acoustically
but they're originals." Well put.
Poetry of the Deed is Frank's third official full-length, and continues to explore the themes introduced in his former records. Turner taps into the wavering idealism, fear, and hopefulness associated with growing up. He regularly explores the conflict of growing out of scenes and trends and what that means in defining who you become as an adult. It sounds sentimental, but the execution is something closer to a Kerouac novel; it's a hell of a lot of fun with an underlining sense of moral uncertainty and questioning of how long we can keep this up for. The best example of this is on "The Road" where Tuner belts out:
To the heart, to the heart there's no time for you to waste / You wont find your precious answers now by staying in one place / Yeah by giving up the chase.
Easily compared to the earlier Tom Gabel recordings, Turner finds his place exploring the conflicts of political participation, getting older, and the complacency he associates with becoming a typical adult. It's an exploration that, at twenty, resonates but ten years from now may be the most important thing I listen to. It's a reminder to stay excited, positive, and angry. They're not just concepts of youthful romanticism, but something that can keep you going forever if you're willing to try hard enough.
