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After doing a little research on this split, I learned that Jonah Matranga contributes two songs from British artists (Billy Bragg's wonderful "A New England" and Babybird's "All I Want"-a song I hadn't heard previously), while split mate Frank Turner contributes two American classics ("The Outdoor Type" by The Lemonheads and the timeless "You Are My Sunshine").
I really like how Matranga makes these two songs his own. Having not heard "All I Want" before, I thought that this was one of his songs, as it sounds like something off of There's a Lot in Here, his solo release on Equal Vision. He puts a lot of heart and emotion into both these songs, something he is known for anyway. Fans of his work will really enjoy these two songs, especially since one is a Billy Bragg cover (arguably one of the best songs ever written).
While I'm not familiar with Turner's previous work, I do enjoy his effort on these two songs. His British accent sounds great, especially with the stripped down music he is playing. He has a very soothing sound to his voice, which fits very well with the music, and the harmonica is a nice touch.
The fact that "You Are My Sunshine" is on this makes this split all the more worth it for me, as it was always a favorite song of mine growing up (along with "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder and "Eight Days a Week" by The Beatles). Turner gives his version a bedtime lullaby feel that could easily be put on to put a young child to sleep while making that same child feel nostalgic after listening to the same version years later. Listening to this song really brings me back to a time of no worries and innocence; a time most people probably wish they could go back to.
Written by: RF