The familiarity of the band with each other and Costey’s well-structured layering of sounds create a very smooth product that allows Turner to showcase his rough voice and punk guitar playing.
An intensely personal record, the process of listening to the dozen tracks here is as intimate – and sometimes as uncomfortable – as reading pages ripped straight from Frank's diary.
Tape Deck Heart might be a far cry from Turner’s strident acoustic punk roots, but his brutally honest self-reflection and unflinching romantic analysis elevate the record into something just as meaningful.
On Tape Deck Heart, we see a Frank Turner of extremes, he is at his most resilient, most opinionated and most human.
Turner's big expressive voice and gift for everyman poetry loom large over the proceedings, but there's a newfound musical effusiveness at play here as well, due in part to some tastefully simple yet sharp production from Rich Costey
The trouble isn’t with Turner’s songwriting overall—Tape Deck Heart has more than its fair share of strong songs. The trouble is the absence of the sort of fist-pumping anthem that earned Turner so many fans to begin with.
If you prefer your folk-punk a little less try hard however, then you might be well advised to look elsewhere.
A special thank you to my step brother, who I haven't spoken to in a little over half a decade, for this suggestion.
"Time, it will change us but don't you forget
You are the only brother I've got"
His most accessible record but his most passion-driven one, Tape Deck Heart is a cathartic listen that is incredibly vulnerable but all the better for it.
Recovery- 8
Losing Days- 7
The Way I Tend To Be- 7
Plain Sailing Weather- 8
Good & Gone- 7
Tell Tale Signs- 7
Four Simple Words- 7
Polaroid Picture- 7
The Fisher King Blues- 8
Anymore- 8
Oh Brother- 7
Broken Piano- 7
1 | Recovery 3:28 | |
2 | Losing Days 3:32 | |
3 | The Way I Tend to Be 3:41 | |
4 | Plain Sailing Weather 4:01 | |
5 | Good & Gone 3:50 | |
6 | Tell Tale Signs 4:12 | |
7 | Four Simple Words 4:56 | |
8 | Polaroid Picture 3:43 | |
9 | The Fisher King Blues 5:00 | |
10 | Anymore 3:09 | |
11 | Oh Brother 4:18 | |
12 | Broken Piano 5:30 |
#6 | / | Alternative Press |
#32 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#36 | / | American Songwriter |
#48 | / | Paste |