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Folk music and protest songs have always been extent, from the originators
and Dylan to the 80's and Billy Bragg to the current
times and folks like Britain's Frank Turner. Turner churns
out a set of barn-burning acoustic tunes with giant attitude, brilliant
lyricism, and alternately, a fierce anti-government spirit. "The
Real Damage" is a rambling story of modern life and the glorious
pitfalls of drink, with some very fine lyrics and a sound that is
very akin to Billy Bragg. Turner wears his heritage on his sleeve
and drawls through his songs with his British accent in full effect,
never succumbing to the weird concept of limeys singing in an American
accent. "Nashville Tennessee" finds Turner burning through
his reflections on being from England instead of being from the heartland
of country music and wishing he had a country band, all to a moving
guitar run and a melody that is highly reminiscent of early Proclaimers.
"Thatcher Fucked The Kids" finds Turner at his government-criticizing
best, going on about how the kids in Britain are all hooligans and
how that can be blamed on the Thatcher years and the attitude of the
country back then. This song is truly the punk rock attitude that
many have tried for over the past thirty years, but Turner succeeds
where so many have failed. His observational lyrics are sublime, with
lines like "Whatever happened to childhood? We're all scared
of the kids in our neighborhood. They're not small, charming and harmless,
they're a violent bunch of bastard, little shits…we're all wondering
how we ended up so scared. We spent ten long years teaching our kids
not to care and that there's no such thing as society anyway. And
all the rich folks act surprised when all sense of community dies,
but you just close your eyes to the other side of all the things that
she did, Thatcher fucked the kids." While the song has a nice
sauntering bounce in the acoustic guitar, the lyrics have a venom
that few have matched since the salad days of Billy Bragg's protestations.
Campfire Punkrock is an amazing glimpse of what a man can
still do with nothing but an acoustic guitar and his own wits. The
songs are brilliant, simply put. The music varies from simple acoustic
guitar to full band with the occasional electric guitar, never becoming
boring or predictable. Where Frank Turner really shines is in his
sardonic sense of humor and his ability to craft simple, excellent
melodies that carry his fine lyricism along. Need another reason to
check out the record? Take one listen to "This Town Ain't Big
Enough For The One Of Me" and you'll know what a perfect gem
of modern folk you've come upon. Join in, sing along, rock out.
-Embo Blake
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