Positive Songs for Negative People

A former member of punk rock bank Million Dead, Frank Turner got in touch with his softer side after the folding of his aforementioned hardcore outfit. Underneath that raucous bleeding heart was a love for folk and country. Eton College educated and English bred, it comes as no surprise that Turner’s songs feel like they’d be perfectly accompanied by a pub choir full of hooligans. His latest album, Positive Songs for Negative People is a refreshing listen from what we’ve been spinning in the office lately.

Positive Songs for Negative People (the 2 disc deluxe version is the move) is rowdy in the right places, soft in the solitary moment, and sensitive to the breakup you’re going through. While the first disc is electric and backed by his band, the second disc is entirely acoustic, giving us the full expression of his punk rock roots alongside his folk leanings. It’s his own brand of punk-folk equipped with bashing guitars and concert hall choruses. He knows his way around a hook and delivers his venom-laced lyrics with the vigor and conviction of a prophet. We’re loving “Get Better” (both the electric and acoustic versions), as the album tends to do with each pass.