Poetry of the Deed

London-based singer and songwriter Frank Turner has been on quite a journey since he was a member of the pol-punk heroes Million Dead — it's been as a solo troubadour that Turner has established his reputation in the U.K. His records have gone from the stripped-down acoustic, Billy Bragg-inspired Campfire Punkrock EP in 2006 to the very electric Love Ire & Song in 2008. His brand of poetic indie punk-pop proved an underground — and later aboveground — smash in the United Kingdom. Poetry of the Deed is not appreciably different sonically than its predecessor, Love Ire & Song — and that's a very good thing. Produced by Alex Newport, this set is polished, immediate, and crackles with energy. Part of that is because of the live recording setting. All the instruments were played live, with few overdubs except for the vocals. The new touches are ace: the piano interludes and solos in the middle eights and bridges, the weave of acoustic and electric guitars, the subtle backing vocals, and the beautiful placement of the rhythm section in the mix as a swirling undercurrent guiding each chord change and chorus. The set opener, "Live Fast Die Old," is a classic kind of modern pop-punk anthem. The lyrics are a manifesto of redemption and a confession of youthful mistakes. The verse in the song contains the words "...I'm tired of being damned, I'd rather be saved/And we can never sell out because we never bought in...." "Try This at Home" is a blazing, hooky D.I.Y. number that celebrates the homemade nature of punk rock, encouraging folks at home to pick up guitars, pens, and paper and ultimately laying out this truth to the masses: "There's no such thing as rock stars, they're just people who play music/And some of them are just like us, and some of them are dicks." Hilarious and true. ...