Written by: Ben Norman
Between is an important record for Frankmusik. The 27 year-old singer has worn a variety of hats, including singer, songwriter, producer, beatboxer, and remixer. And through it all, one constant has been true: It’s best when he’s in charge. His debut album, Complete Me, blew people away and created a fanbase for the British singer, but his sophomore album, clearly a label contrivance by the name of Do It In The AM, threatened to abandon that base of people clamoring for his emotional brand of synthpop. But Vincent Turner perseveres, even when considering changing his stage name… Frankmusik as a moniker almost bit the dust, to be replaced with Vincent Did It, a clear proclamation of his efforts surviving potentially devastating decisions.
And so we have Between, Frankmusik’s most personal and least bouncy album to date. He turns his fantastic voice and bright mind internally, voicing his pain not only through his lyrics but in his powerful delivery. This is no more clear than in “Chasing Shadows” and “Stronger,” the former showing Frankmusik hitting new levels of falsetto in a song that has achieved quite a teary eye. The latter could be directly aimed at his sophomore album and how he’s lasted, or it could be more oblique than that, honestly only the singer himself can be sure.
There are no dull moments on Between. When the beats stop and the pace slows down, it’s Turner’s honesty and earnestness that captivates and presses you onward. Between the blipping and bouncing of “Cake” and “Captain,” the steady thump of “Life (Is My Revenge)” and “Fast As I Can,” Turner belts out powerful lines such as “This will be my final song” at the close of the album, and “I never want to find my way back to you” on “Map.” The quality of his writing, his production, and his singing is consistent and delightful.
Between is an important record for Frankmusik, because it’s a declaration of how talented and persistent a human being he is. It’s a must have and one of the most heartfelt albums of 2013.
Between release June 2013 on VDI USA Inc.
Check out our interview with Frankmusik here.