Frank Turner - Be More Kind (May 4, 2018) Album • Page 24

I still think the album needed a more distinct song(s) near the end. It took me seeing him live to appreciate some songs from Be More Kindasbecause it’s kinda of a dancey/jiggly/clap you hands kind record.

Those extra songs also added something special to Tape Deck Heart. Maybe he’s holding onto a few for another EP.

 

The end of Be More Kind is a mess. Three boring slow songs which I don’t even remember how the go.

Be More Kind was an ideal closer.

 

I agree about the end of the album being three boring songs in a row, but honestly to me the whole thing is kind of a weak mess. I have tried so many times to listen to it and it is just thoroughly unengaging. Some of the songs are pleasant enough little ditties, but that's about as far as any of them go, and I haven't found any sequence to put them in where I can actually get through the entire thing. I suppose "1933" would be the exception here, but that feels to me like it dropped in from an entirely different and much better Frank Turner album.

I tried listening to it again last night at work and I ended up skipping ahead partway through the song on almost every song on the album. The only two positive takeaways I had from the whole experience were:
1) The video for "Little Changes" is funny as hell even though it is one of the weakest songs on the album.
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2) "The Lighthouse" is a more interesting song than I initially gave it credit for being, although I'm still not sure it's a very good song.

A handful of the songs are okay and if he had an EP or two waiting in the wings with some fantastic songs on them, as Frank often has a tendency to do, then it would go a long way towards making a solid album, albeit a short one.

I would love to hear a verison of the song "Make America Great Again" played by the entire band but produced in the style of TDH or EKMB or even PSFNP. I've seen acoustic versions with just Frank and his guitar and they are still pretty bad. Lyrically it's kind of a softball on a subject that needed some teeth but the production on the album version makes it even worse. I did find a video on YouTube of a live version from them playing it on tour recently, and even though the quality is very poor you can tell the song actually comes alive a little bit. Frank is playing his acoustic guitar vigorously while the rest of the arrangement is reminiscent of the album version only with much more energy and passion from everyone .

 

21st Century Survival Blues sounded really good live, and I like it more on the record now. I’d agree 1933 doesn’t feel like it’s from a different record or recording sessions because it has a different intensity.

 

As bad as the sequencing of the last three songs is, I would argue that the sequencing of the first three is even worse. "Don't Worry" --> "1933" --> "Little Changes" is some crazy sequencing. In fairness though, I can't find a spot anywhere that "1933" fits with the rest of the songs.

 

I would put 1933 as the first track.

I mean the sequencing will never be good in my mind cause I find 95% of the album to be lackluster and lifeless. It sucks so much to say, as I love Frank so much.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

I agree that would’ve been a great closer, but aside from “Song for Josh”, and “Broken Piano”, he’s never been great at closing albums.

 

Outside of the first 4 tracks, and “Blackout”, I haven’t revisited this album at all. Although i do remember “Brave Face” being better live than on the album. The other tracks I just mentioned all went over well live too.

 

From what little material I've been able to track down, it seems like every song from this album comes across much better live. With how great he and this band are live I can't imagine it any other way. For me though it just reinforces how strange and lacklustre the production on this album was. I hope he does not work with them again .

If anyone talks to Frank be sure to push for a Be More Kind era live album!

 

This is correct. MAGA - live version is about 1000x better

 

Can anyone direct me to mp3 of How It Began (studio version) ?

 

I’d say YouTube

 

as a big frank fan i'm sad to say i agree with pretty much all the criticism here. album is horrible and it's put me off listening to him at all - though would still go and see live if in town

 

Definitely do not let this album turn you away from seeing him if he came around. I hate the album, but his live show is A+ and worth it.

 

have seen him over 10 times! agree obviously

 

I don’t dislike it as much as most of you, but for the time it took him to release it I feel like it could have been more thought out.

It’s a jiggly and more positive album in places. A lot of songs have grown on me between seeing him live and my family liking to listen to Frank.

He’s gotten make the music he wants, but maybe putting out another album or EP sooner would be a benefit to him. Just reenergize the fan base.

 

Just listened to this last night for the first time and I like it a whole lot more than I thought I would.

 

He mentioned putting out another full length next year, so I’m sure he’s aware of the general reception. I agree that it’s in the lower area of his discography overall, but there are still a handful of tracks that I love, and a few others that I gained new appreciation for after seeing them performed live. If he took the top 6 songs or so and released it as an EP instead of this album, I’d probably think higher of it overall.

 

I listened to LI&S, POtD, & EKMB on a drive the other night, and holy shit do I miss that era of Frank's music.

 

Tape Deck Heart and Positive Songs are both pretty great in my opinion, but it does feel like a different era of music for him. That is quite an incredible run right there.

 

I feel like EKMB was the end of the folky/singer song-writer era for him, and while TDH is a great record, it felt more like he entered the "rock band" era of his music. Everything became a lot more full and polished, and he became a lot more experimental in his work. Not a criticism per se, but i think there is a distinguishable difference between EKMB/earlier work, and TDH and forward. The trend he is following in his music now IMO began with TDH.

 

I would argue PSFNP is my favorite album from him, but then I also could argue LI&S, TDH, and EKMB are my favorites depending on the day.

 

I don't want this to become a ranking thread again but PS4NP is lower tier for me personally. I'm just not super into this era of Frank's music. That said, PS4NP does have some great, great songs.

 

I still like this album, but the sequencing of the whole thing is my biggest criticism.