Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

Over the past few years, Frank Turner has been rapidly gaining a reputation as something of a folk hero. England Keep My Bones is the fourth album from the defiantly passionate folk-punk singer, and it may be his greatest one yet. Its title comes from Shakespeare's The Life and Death of King John, echoing that this is an unashamedly patriotic and honest record. England Keep My Bones has more cohesion than his previous offering Poetry of the Deed but it blends the sounds of that album and 2008’s Love, Ire and Song to create something truly special.

If there’s one thing that I think this album makes clear, it’s that Frank Turner is a man with something to say and that the way he’ll say it will be inspired. The evidence that he’s a gifted storyteller is contained within every one of the tracks on the album but is at its most clear in ‘English Curse’, where he sings the tale of King William Rufus’ death without any instrumental backing. ‘Peggy Sang The Blues’, written in memory of the singer’s grandmother, is another highlight (and the first single to be released from the album) as it tells a beautiful story with the presence of a reliably catchy and memorable chorus.

The patriotic nature of the album is made particularly clear in ‘English Curse’, ‘Rivers’, ‘I Am Disappeared’ and ‘Wessex Boy’. Both ‘Rivers’ and ‘I Am Disappeared’ speak of the history of England and carry a sense of familiarity and love for the country. Furthermore, ‘I Am Disappeared’ is a distinctly energetic and poetic track, and is certainly one of the standouts from England Keep My Bones.

This album represents the finest and most refined example of Frank Turner’s unique sound. Though he has developed as a musician and a songwriter, he still retains a sense of heart and warmth to his music. Those of us fans who listened to the Rock & Roll EP will already be aware of ‘I Still Believe’, a fantastic little sing-along track, but the real standouts of the album come with ‘I Am Disappeared’, ‘One Foot Before The Other’ and ‘Redemption’. The aggression in the vocal is conveyed in a passionate and forceful way, without coming across as angry, something that is really shown in ‘One Foot Before The Other’. ‘Redemption’, however, is reflective, compelling and honest - in fact, this heartfelt track is probably my favourite from the album.

The bonus songs from England Keep My Bones are really worth a listen too, with the best of the three being ‘Song For Eva Mae’, a lovely song about a close friend’s newborn child. Something that I found with Turner’s previous album was that so many of the tracks benefited from repeated listening, and my favourites are ones that grew on me (like ‘Isabel’ and ‘Journey of the Magi’), so if I haven’t mentioned some songs here, there’s a high chance I’ll be in love with them by next week!

By the time I finished writing this, I had listened to the album about three times over, and I feel confident now in stating that I think it is the most complete and captivating Frank Turner album yet. He has successfully combined the more polished sound of Poetry of the Deed with the honesty of Love, Ire and Song and of course retained his infectious sense of fun. Put simply, England Keep My Bones displays Frank Turner’s brilliance at its very best.

If you like this try: Ben Marwood, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

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