SELLING WELL:  The ambiance in Frank Turner’s latest album is completely different from his previous effort, but has resulted in similar success.


By Geoffery Rowlands


Frank Turner was featured in this column last June. A smaller item gave news of his impending sixth studio album, “Positive Songs for Negative People,” and single, The Next Storm. Sadly, his excellent single has yet to make any significant impression on the UK chart. But Frank’s album has shot straight to number two.
In so doing, his latest album matched the position gained by Frank’s previous LP, 2013’s “Tape Deck Heart.” Yet the ambiance of the two albums could hardly be more different.
“It was a conscious decision to change the tone for my new songs,” admitted 33-year-old Frank. “The last album had been a real downer. The songs were about a very difficult time in my life. I’d gone through a messy break-up which was largely my own fault. I was feeling really bad and the songs on ‘Tape Deck Heart’ reflected my emotional state of mind.
“Despite this, or possibly because of it, fans seemed to love the album. My albums have always fared better than the previous release. My 2011 album, ‘England Keep My Bones,’ had peaked at number 12 so I had hopes of a top ten spot. But reaching number two was beyond any expectation.”
After debuting in second spot with “Positive Songs for Negative People,” does Frank hope for a number one?
“I don’t know about that. It would obviously be nice but I’m just pleased that people have responded so positively to an album which is so different from ‘Tape Deck Heart.’ Having come through the sadness explored on the last album, I wanted the songs to be more joyous. They deal with survival, defiance, withstanding the slings and arrows that life can throw at you.”
The son of an investment banker, Frank was educated at Eton and shared French classes with Prince William. He was a straight-A student who went on to attend the London School of Economics. But while his family expected Frank to become a banker or lawyer, music had been his passion since childhood.
“My father still thinks I’m just going through a musical phase. Heavy metal was my first love but I got into punk and formed a punk rock band while I was at Eton. We were booed off stage when we played at the school assembly.
“This was no surprise. Our songs were against Eton, the Establishment and the posh, pillar-of-society world of my parents. I shouted and spat at the audience. We wanted them to hate us and they did. I was basically despised by my classmates.”
His band, Kneejerk, were actually fairly successful. They didn’t last long but released two singles and an album. Frank then joined the post-hardcore punk outfit Million Dead as their lead vocalist. He remained with the band until they split up in 2005.
“It was around this time that I heard Bruce Springsteen’s album, ‘Nebraska.’ It was made nearly 20 years earlier but here was this rock icon performing acoustic songs mostly recorded at his home using a cassette-tape Portastudio. The album opened my eyes to the possibility of a new direction in my own career. I realised acoustic music could be just as powerful a medium as punk rock to express what I wanted to say in my songs.
“My early solo stuff was basically punk without the rock backing. But I couldn’t just give up rock. I did a split EP with the rock band Reuben and I was backed on my first solo EP, ‘Campfire Punkrock,’ by another rock band, Dive Dive. That was the beginning of a long friendship. Three of the guys also play in my brilliant permanent backing band, The Sleeping Souls.”
His music has mellowed over the years. The punk rebel is much less evident as Frank has become a lyrical storyteller.
“I’ll always write about injustices as I see them so I don’t think I’ll ever lose my punk roots. But I admit my songs nowadays tend to concern life in general rather than addressing specific social issues.”
Frank has also become a bestselling writer. He may not yet have a number one on the music charts but The Road Beneath My Feet, his tour diaries and travel memoirs, topped the Hardback Nonfiction chart last April.
“That was unbelievable. I really enjoyed writing the book but found it much harder than I’d expected. It certainly gave me a newfound respect for authors. I’ve been asked if there will be more books. Maybe, but not about me. If my music career ever goes pear shaped, I guess I could take a shot at becoming a novelist.”



in
brief

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey releases her fourth studio album, “Honeymoon,” on September 18. This is just 15 months after her last album, “Ultraviolence,” which topped the charts in Britain, America and 12 other countries.
The title-track from her new album was issued as a promotional single last month. A lyric video for the song can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPU8XJcA__k
High By The Beach has now been released as the official lead single. The song debuted at number seven on Billboard’s Hot 100 giving Lana just her second US top ten single following Summertime Sadness in 2013.
The atmospheric song video is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnxpHIl5Ynw


B.o.B.

American rapper Bobby Ray Simmons, better known as B.o.B., has released his fourth studio album, “Psycadelik Thoughtz.”
The record was issued without any promotion or pre-release singles. It seems to be regarded as a kind of stopgap project intended to keep his fans happy while B.o.B. continues to work on songs for his next album.
A lyric video has been made for Back and Forth, the newly released lead single. It can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgozawH-EaU
The entire album is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEtp2U2pgTU
However, the “Back and Forth” album track is a slower mix than the uptempo single.

Jon Bellion

Although he is not credited on the YouTube posting of B.o.B.’s Psycadelik Thoughtz, rapper Jon Bellion makes a guest appearance on the second track, Violence.
The 24-year-old Long Island, New York, native is a coming force on the music scene. He co-wrote Eminem and Rihanna’s worldwide smash, The Monster, and Jason Derulo’s big hit, Trumpets.
Behind-the-scenes videos and song promos for Jon’s own tracks can be found at www.youtube.com/channel/UCesblIDGtEt0UQ4gurl8vnw/videos
Much more of his music is posted at (no www.) soundcloud.com/jonbellion
This includes every track on his 2014 mixtape, “The Definition.” If you enjoy the songs, the entire mixtape is offered for free download at www.jonbellion.com/


Zolita

Zoe Hoetzel, a 20-year-old New York University film student, is starting to make a name for herself on the music scene.
The name she has chosen is Zolita. Her two tracks, Kill For You and Explosion, have caused quite a stir. They feature on Zolita’s debut EP, “Immaculate Conception,” and can be heard at (no www.) soundcloud.com/zolita
Juggling her academic work with a music career has proved a difficult task.
“I love school so I won’t give it up,” Zolita stated. “Music and film-making can take up the rest of my life but I just have this one time to be young and going to school.”
The video for Explosion, her first official single, was directed by Zolita herself. Although she does appear quite prominently, it primarily features models Madeleine Angus and Lily Dale.
“I wanted to explore the lyrical story of the song through these two characters. The girls were so professional and wonderful to work with.”
Explosion can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=PChExlwo3Yw