Frank Turner - Be More Kind (May 4, 2018) Album • Page 10

Is there anything as good as Demons on this? I listened once but remember nothing.

 

I don't think so. Honestly I doubt I'll return to anything on here.

 

With Frank I always make this long playlists from all the albums. I’d totally agree with the idea I can see adding 5 or so songs. I was hoping there may have been a deluxe with a few extra tracks like the more acoustic There She Is, and maybe even a proper recording of Sand In The Gears just to have it.

 

Yeah this was admittedly disappointing. Some good tracks and I'll definitely return to it, but meh.

 

I was thinking something similar on the drive to work today, listening to this. I get that one of Frank's "things" is to be as productive as possible, recording hundreds of songs and playing thousands of shows. But I really wish after this he takes a year or two and comes back with a record that has something to say. Frank Turner by the numbers is the best way to sum up this record - it just doesn't feel important.

 

I thought, stylistically, “Brave Face” was the closest thing to Demons. Can’t definitively say yet if I like it more than “Demons” though.

 

this one took like three years, lol. Also I think this is him trying to say something relevant, he was talking about recording a concept album a year or two ago but then scrapped it for this. I wish he'd stuck to that, I think it would have been much more interesting.

 

“Blackout” has cool guitar part, at least. In general, I don’t think Frank’s voice is interesting enough to carry the ballads, and there’s a lot of slower stuff on this album. Get rid of MAGA and two of the last three and I’d like this a lot more already.

 

I definitely won't be returning to this much. Still excited to see him

 

I've only listened to all of the songs once or twice now, and it kills me to say this, but I find a lot of this album to be very bland and boring. I respect the hell out of the sentiment behind it, as 'be nicer to each other' is a great message that the world definitely needs right now, but just because the message is nice doesn't means it's inherently interesting or exciting.

I know this is a personal hang up, but I don't think I will ever get over the fact that 'Make America Great Again' doesn't have the energy and heart of a song of his like "I Am Disappeared". It just doesn't seem like his level of passion is rising to the subject matter. It strikes me as if you saw someone about to commit a horrible hate crime or SA and just kinda said "Hey cut it out buddy, that's not nice." I know that seems extreme, but when you have an earlier song comparing what we're all up against to the state of the world when a group of people came to power and systematically murdered somewhere around 11,000,000 other people, it just doesn't seem up to snuff. Especially coming from a guy like Frank, who's never really minced words in the past.

Aside from MAGA, I really think this album needed a few more high energy songs. There's too many slower songs with nice but not really that profound of lyrics that also happen to have kinda nice but not that exciting of music.

 

little changes definitely getting licensed for cell phone commericals

 

Glad to see everyone is feeling that this is as bland as it came across to me in first listen. I can't remember ever not being excited about a Frank album, but here we are. Hopefully he learns from this record and tightens down the songwriting and especially editing on the next record. Also, the sequencing on this is horrible. Energy levels are all over the place and then ending with two very quiet tracks?

 

I almost feel bad not liking it because i know how much he puts into everything he does but if this is his direction going forward hes gonna lose me

 

is how I feel reading these comments while at work. Frank is right up there behind Brian Fallon for my favorite songwriters and this is definitely depressing to me. Hopefully the atrocious expectations will lead to me kind of enjoying it?

 

it's not a bad record. it's just incredibly average with few peaks. some of the lyrics are genuinely pretty bad though.

 

As I said in the weekly releases thread, this feels like grocery store music. I wish there was a bit more urgency to the songs but I like it for what it is. Seems like a good record to throw on as background music which wouldn't be a problem if this wasn't Frank. Still like it, though!

 

I know it is early, but at this point I have to agree with Shrek - it isn't a bad album per se, just a thoroughly average and somewhat bland one from a guy who I place way up there as well. I have to believe there are some b-sides or leftovers on the cutting room floor that will redeem this album a little bit. I'm pulling for some EPs in the near future with a bunch of tracks that didn't make the album, sort of like what he did around the time of TDH. Or 1 solid EP like the Mittens 1 from PSFNP era.

 

I'm about to see Frank for the 11th time. I would consider myself a pretty big fan, I went to #show2000 and so on. Listening again, it's not terrible, but it's also his worst record quite easily I would say. But if you like the much poppier end of his music then you might enjoy this?

 

Yea, the first four tracks are really great but it’s all downhill from there.

 

This guy has so many good B sides.

Heartless Bastard Motherfucker
This Town Ain't big Enough For The One Of Me
Sailors Boots
To Absent Friends
The Next Round
Song for Eva Mae
Wanderlust
Balthazar Impresario
Hits and Mrs
Sweet Albion Blues
Little Aphrodite
Cleopatra in Brooklyn

Etc

 

how often in your life did you ever think you'd be typing this thought out

 

yeah i'm def giving the man a dud or two, his catalog is spectacular. i welcome the pop direction with open arms - just wish some faster, more fun songs came out of it, a la Glorious You

 

can't lie, it made me grin lol

 

I thought the exact same thing. Or a bank. I don’t fault bands for it, just sounds like something they’d go for.

 

This made me laugh so hard.