Frank Turner - Last Minutes and Lost Evenings

I came a little late to the Frank Turner party, but after picking my jaw off the floor and wrapping my head around a new artist in the 21st Century popping up on Kimmel and shouting out the punks and skins with equal parts credibility and skill, I drank the Kool-Ade like it was getting funneled down my pencil neck. 2011's England Keep My Bones proved to be pretty aces, as were the increasingly frequent NYC shows behind it.

Judging by his Twitter feed, our dear Mr. Turner sure does get around. He does ok on this side of the pond, but over UK/Europe way, he's a bona fide phenomenon. 2012 was very good to our hero, seeing the young man from Wessex selling out Wembley (Arena) and appearing at the opening ceremony for this year's Olympics. He's signed to Epitaph stateside, and Mr. Brett and co. have levied this little catch-all slab of delight on the heels of England Keep My Bones to get everyone in the US up to speed before a new record drops this Summer.

I had initially thought that Last Minutes and Lost Evenings was a live record. Evidently the UK version has a DVD of the live show from Wembley packaged with it, but this version is pretty much a primer for the new Turner marks that don't have the import First and Second Three Years comps. I'd like to see the live show, but the fifteen tracks here are more than worth the price of admission, starting with I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous and romping through to the closing live take on Ballad Of Me And My Friends. Often spoken of in the same breath as far inferior units like The Asslight Anthem, but with far better songs and the ability to win over opening slots for the likes of Social Distortion and Dropkick Murphys, Frank Turner is to be checked out immediately if you haven't already.

Get Last Minutes and Lost Evenings here from the Epi-punks and keep track of our jet-setting Mr. Turner and his Sleeping Souls here.

R

Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

 Damn!

Since my antipathy for all things Time Warner forced me to finally get rid of cable, I don't see as much late night TV as I used to, but I caught Turner on Kimmel the other night and he and that Limey lot  promptly handed my ass to me.

I say again: Damn!

Kudos to Epitaph for snapping up Mr. Turner. He had been on my radar with his collabo with the mighty Jon Snodgrass and while Old Fast Songs is a great fucking tune, I didn't think I'd fall as quick and hard for England Keep My Bones as I did. My Irish affections aside, as you might surmise this is quite an English record. Turner has heard himself a Billy Bragg or two, but he's far from a carbon copy. Whether keeping it traditional with English Curse, upping the punks and skins in I Still Believe or taking it to the open road with I Am Disappeared, Turner gives it the business. You should give him yours and snap up England Keep My Bones in whatever format works for you here from Mr. Brett & Co. 

Up the punks!

R

Social Distortion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes

Social Distortion are pretty close to being an evergreen in the punk scene of today. Having embraced more of a rock and country sound in the last 20 years, they have avoided the '50 year old dude with liberty spikes' phenomenon that plagues so many older punk bands.

It would be wrong not to point out that Social Distortion is pretty much Mike Ness. As the only original member post-Dennis passing, he wisely added Matt Freeman to the fold (now replaced by Ness solo bassist Brent Harding). Atom Willard bailed over the five or so years it took to get this out, being replaced with David Hidalgo, Jr., although the ubiquitous Josh Freese was the hired hand for Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes. The record splits the difference between Stones-y tracks like California and Cash-ier tracks. Gimme The Sweet And Lowdown and Diamond In The Rough bring a real polish to the SD sound, perhaps a bit too much, but they are really great tracks that should go over pretty well live. Much like the recent Screeching Weasel record, there is nothing here that is particularly groundbreaking, but Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes should sate 21st century fans of Social Distortion nicely.

R