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Reviews
Jack Peñate
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Released: 22nd June 2009.
If one artist is aware of how fickle the music industry can get more than any other, than Jack Penate, it's true to say, knows it only too well. Arriving in 2007 amongst the swathe of 'kitchen sink' LDN indie popsters like Kate Nash, Lily Allen and Jamie T, it appeared that he had gone from being adoringly loved with hits like "Torn On The Platform" and "Second, Minute Or Hour" to being harshly jabbed left, right and centre with the release of his debut opus, "Matinee", which despite zooming to a not too shabby #2 in the album chart was dubbed by many as being gratingly upbeat and in some cases, desperate.
Clearly one to not take a few knockbacks though, Jack has worked with indie pop's finest production whizzkid Paul Epworth (Sam Sparro, Bloc Party) on this, his first new material in two years and arguably some of his best to date. Whilst being relatively short at only nine tracks long, "Everything Is New" throws in the skiffly, shuffly indie of album one in favour of a whole range of styles - Afrobeat, disco, hell, even a bit of gospel for good measure - and it takes absolutely no prisoners.
What you do notice on this album is how very less urgent he sounds. The two singles, "Tonight's Today" and "Be The One" are fine examples - the former lilts it's way gently along and at times sounds as if it's going to erupt into Jack's labelmates and critical darlings Vampire Weekend, whilst the latter sounds as if it could have been lifted straight out of a discotheque in 1978.
However, this lack of urgency is no bad thing, for it makes him sound a lot more relaxed and confident within himself as an artist. He also sounds a lot more joyful as a result, such as on key track "Give Yourself Away", and even on the morbidly titled closer "Let's All Die" which sounds more like a praise to the heavens than a mortal hymn. Like Lily Allen before him, Jack has re-emerged as a force to be reckoned with and may have made one of the albums of the year so far as a result.
