Frank Turner

Frank Turner tells us his top 10 albums of 2016, covered The Mountain Goats

British folk punk Frank Turner is hitting the road in 2017, including a NYC show with Arkells on February 17 at Beacon Theatre, and a Boston arena show with The Bouncing Souls (who play three BV-presented holiday shows in NYC in December).

Ahead of the tour, Frank has given us a list of his 10 favorite albums of 2016, with some commentary on each one. It includes upcoming tourmates Arkells and John K Samson (of The Weakerthans), plus punk veterans Descendents and NOFX, sad-indie staples Frightened Rabbit, and more. Check out his whole list below.

In other news, Frank recorded a cover of “This Year” by The Mountain Goats for the Torch Songs project. Check that out too:

Frank Turner’s Top 10 Albums of 2016

Arkells – “Morning Report”
This band is my discovery of the year. We’ve been playing shows with them in the US and Canada. They’re stunning. This album is a pop tour de force.

John K Samson – “Winter Wheat”
I’m an unashamed partisan for everything John does, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that I loved this. Still; it’s an amazing piece of art.

Will Varley – “Kingsdown Sundown”
I’ve been in awe of Will and his songwriting since we first met in 2011. This is a more melancholy affair than some of his previous records, but it’s still breath-taking.

Every Time I Die – “Low Teens”
I’m long in the tooth these days, which means it takes a lot for me to be excited about new hardcore music. ETID are a rare exception to this rule. This album is fucking blistering.

Skinny Lister – “The Devil, The Heart & The Fight”
I’ve spent much of the last few years touring with Skinny. It’s wonderful to hear them extend beyond the core of “folk-punk” (whatever that is) into wider territory. Great songwriting.

Frightened Rabbit – “Painting Of A Panic Attack”
Scott is one of my favourite writers. He’s consistently got his thumb in the wound, somehow. “An Otherwise Disappointing Life” is one of my songs of the year.

Esme Patterson – “We Were Wild”
She has a voice like no other. It cuts me to my very bones every single time I hear it.

Descendents – “Hypercaffium Spazzinate”
Who doesn’t love the Descendents? Seriously, who? I want a list of these idiots’ names. This was that most wonderful of things – a new record by an old band that holds up to their original standards.

AJJ – “The Bible 2”
If nothing else, that’s the album title of the year. I watched these guys play at a festival in Ohio this summer and had a genuinely profound and moving moment of connection with their art. They’re totally unique.

NOFX – “First Ditch Effort”
Mike is a friend, and he’s been through some rough shit recently. It was great to hear all that come out in the best possible way on this album, with a real return to form in his songwriting.

Frank Turner — 2017 Tour Dates
January 19 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore*
January 20 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore*
January 21 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts*
January 22 Chicago, IL House of Blues**
January 23 Chicago, IL House of Blues**
January 25 Denver, CO The Fillmore***
January 27 Scottsdale, AZ Livewire*~
January 28 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern*~~
January 29 San Francisco, CA The Warfield*~~
February 1 Vancouver, BC Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
February 3 Edmonton, AB Shaw Conference Center
February 4 Calgary, AB BMO Centre
February 6 Saskatoon, SK Praireland Park
February 7 Winnipeg, MB Centennial Hall
February 10 Hamilton, ON First Ontario Centre
February 11 Montreal, QC Metropolis
February 13 Ottawa, ON TD Place Arena
February 14 Moncton, NB The Centre at Casino New Brunswick
February 15 Halifax, NS Scotiabank Centre
February 17 New York, NY The Beacon Theatre**~
February 18 Boston, MA Agganis Arena***~

*support by: Murder By Death/Arkells/Will Varley
**support by: Masked Intruder/Arkells/Will Varley
***support by: Tiger Army/Arkells/Will Varley
*~support by: Arkells/Will Varley
*~~support by: John K. Samson/Arkells/Will Varley
**~support by: Arkells
***~support by: Bouncing Souls/Arkells/Will Varley