For many modern, American time-jugglers, that hazy period after New Year’s Eve is either a time of penitence and resolution or a relapse into unruliness. January is the perfect time to either control that yo-yo diet on the fritz or let it dangle and tangle into obscurity.
Similarly, the same ideals of “new year, new ways” are supposed hold true in the music industry. Producers, artists and studio execs are trying to buckle down, pinpoint their targets and think up the best ways to crank it all out.
But with this month coming to a close and few releases to accent an already dismal period of indecision and forceless artistry, it looks like 2008 is going to be a bumpy ride.
Typically in January, “hot, fresh” album releases are like short-lived snow flurries. They fall into our laps gracelessly, picking and choosing their targets with what seems to be a sluggish premeditation – notably Cat Power’s “Jukebox,” moe’s “Sticks and Stones” and The Fleshtones’ “Take a Good Look.” The albums are lighter, ill-produced or lack tang. Most of the dominant artists in the industry don’t mind starting the year off with a new CD and a smirk as they rest on their laurel-laden pedestals.
Well, no one can blame ’em.
But where are the underdogs? Where are the fighters who scrap together those elusive, forceful January debuts that help liven up the place?
If you’ve been across the pond lately, or at least your iPod has, you may have been lucky enough to stumble upon that fresh-faced, loveable-loser Brit, Jack Peñate. Peñate is your atypical 20-something with an electric guitar, an electrifying stage presence and enough pop appeal to break molds on his first attempt.
That is, of course, across the pond in London, where the gals are swooning over his soulful, boyish lyricism and the critics are jumping over his crazy stage antics.
Jack Peñate and his band mirror the wild-hearted, raucous Brit threesome The Jam (minus the classic Danelectros), a band that took the Queen’s country by storm in the late ’70s.
Peñate’s debut album “Matinee” is always supple and never your straight forward, plain-pop nonsense. Without ever twisting your arm or turning you in the wrong direction, Peñate transitions from maudlin balladry (“We Will Be Here”) to danceable head bobbers (“Got My Favorite”).
“Spit At Stars,” Jack Peñate’s premier single, is destined to be an instant classic because of its twee piano runs and glockenspiel tings that force a smile to your face. Ironically, Jack’s close resemblance to his elders, The Jam, can be seen in his “Spit At Stars” music video, using cheesy cinematographic ploys to liven spirits.
All in all, Jack Peñate is a figure who deserves his just desserts. In a time of deserted recording studios and vaguely appreciated releases from big names, Jack Peñate, his boyish good looks, his immaculate vocals and his worn out Telecaster are exactly what a bleak January needed to end on a good note.
