Artist of the Week- Jack Peñate

Most singer/songwriters you find have the stereo-typical guitar and a mic, but not our Artist of the Week.  Jack has a wide range of musical influences that really come across in his music.  His musical genre cannot be defined, as with this week’s guests The Telephones.

As a writer, Jack comes from a good tradition of writers in the family.  His Grandfather was Mervyn Peake, who wrote the very popular Gormenghast book series.  Since writing is in his blood, Jack found an interest in writing and music at an early age.

Like any singer/songwriter, Jack began performing at small venues in and around the UK.  His live shows started getting the attention of XL Recordings, a major label whose roster includes:  Radiohead, The White Stripes, Badly Drawn Boy, MIA, Ratatat, Beck, Vampire Weekend and Sigor Ros.  As he started getting more attention/exposure, so did his live shows.  In October of 2007, Penate released his debut album, Matinee.

Matinee did very well, especially on the Indie charts where it reached No. 1 in the UK.  The album was an upbeat mix of clever lyrics and great production.  The album exposed Penate to a larger audience and he began to play larger venues, including the famed Glastonbury Festival in that same year.

A year ago, June 2009 to be exact, Penate released his sophomore album Everything is New.  The album was received well by fans and even better from the critics.  Everything is New was a departure from Penate’s solo album, with the album more of a world sound.  Some songs even resemble more of a tropical party vibe feel to it.

The song “Let’s All Die” is an anthem that celebrates life and drives the point that we must all enjoy our lives before we meet the big turtle in the sky.  The song’s uplifting sound, coupled with its dark lyrics make this one of the better tracks on the album.  “Be The One” is one of those songs that just sticks in your heard.  It has a very pop sound to it, and its hook is very catchy (which is what makes a great pop song.