Artist: Frank Turner
Album: Sleep Is For The Week
Bitrate: 233kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Xtra Mile Recordings
Genre: Folk
Size: 123.81 megs
PlayTime: 1h 09min 57sec total
Rip Date: 2017-01-28
Store Date: 2017-01-27
Track List: Disc #1/2
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01. The Real Damage 3:35
02. Vital Signs 3:38
03. Romantic Fatigue 2:57
04. A Decent Cup Of Tea 3:09
05. Father's Day 4:50
06. Worse Things Happen At Sea 3:43
07. My Kingdom For A Horse 4:52
08. Back In The Day 2:06
09. Once We Were Anarchists 3:50
10. Wisdom Teeth 4:17
11. The Ladies Of London Town 4:05
12. Must Try Harder 3:35
13. The Ballad Of Me And My Friends 2:33
Track List: Disc #2/2
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01. Romantic Fatigue 3:03
02. The Real Damage 3:37
03. Wisdom Teeth 4:26
04. Sunshine State 3:19
05. This Town ain't Big Enough for 3:11
the One of me
06. Longing for the Day 5:11
Release Notes:
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On 28 January 2007, Frank Turner was about to set his road legs on a path that
would take him beyond every horizon he'd imagined. Only a year before, he'd
released a split 7ö with Reuben on Xtra Mile Recordings for their Xtra Mile
Single Sessions û 'The Real Damage' û and after months of selling CDRs with demo
songs on it, this represented the first official studio release of his
burgeoning solo songwriting. A few months later, the Campfire Punkrock EP was
released containing four brand new songs and a studio version of æThis Town
AinÆt Big Enough For the One of MeÆ. But those other early demo songs werenÆt
forgotten and three of them would reappear on his first full-length release,
Sleep Is For The Week. But there was so much more to the album than æThe Real
DamageÆ, æRomantic FatigueÆ and æWisdom TeethÆ.
Sleep Is For the Week set out Frank's oeuvre explicitly. He revealed an honest
way with words and storytelling that leaned on confession to a sometimes
uncomfortable degree ('A Decent Cup of Tea', 'My Kingdom For A Horse', 'Worse
Things Happen At Sea', 'Father's Day' 'Must Try Harder') and a few humorous but
passionate screes on his past mistakes and ongoing search for identity ('Back In
the Day', 'Once We Were Anarchists'). These would both become calling cards of
his songwriting soon after. The universal nature of the songs û all of our own
failings brought to light in a way thatÆs both hard to hear and a relief; we
were no longer alone in our doubts and mistakes û were what really grasped
listeners.á
This first set of songs was disarming in its ease to relate to, FrankÆs varied
compositions reinforcing his words. Whether transposing a youth misspent going
to hardcore shows to a wild bluegrass flurry or a betrayal set to a tumultuous
sea lament, the album immediately gave away FrankÆs ability to take influences
and make them fit cleanly into his sound, a talent heÆd continue to hone with
his future band, the Sleeping Souls, soon after.
But it was the huge sounds of first single 'Vital Signs' which gave unexpected
hints to where his near-future lay, within a determined manifesto of cutting
across the country until road maps were all marked by his trail. The promise and
ambition, sonic and otherwise, would be fulfilled over the next decade.
This debut album documents one year of Frank's life, detailing a young man
gradually finding his way through the torrid and tedious day-to-day, desperately
seeking something else. Testament to the albumÆs quality and impact, the final
song on it has become one of his most memorable and beloved among fans, 'The
Ballad of Me and My Friends' recorded live at the Camden Barfly in London. This
was, for many, the touchpaper and rallying cry to join the magnificent following
Frank has garnered since 2005.
It's easy and comforting to romanticise the beginnings, the roots of any artist.
Sleep Is For the Week is as of its time now as you'd expect a decade-old record
to be, five albums later. But itÆs undeniable that a true sense of Frank's sound
and songwriting was formed within this record, as he snagged heart cords on
unexpected leaps into the harsh reality of the choices he made.á
While later albums like Tape Deck Heart show an even deeper and more
sophisticated way of pulling and shaping his tales, it's endearing and endlessly
impressive just how sure Frank seemed of almost every song on Sleep Is For the
Week. You believe him because he believes in himself, and while obviously the
best was yet to come, you couldn't have wanted more from this record at the
time. Except that you really needed to hear what was nextà