Biiiit of a change of direction…
[Video][Website]
[5.30]
Ian Mathers: I was torn between a 7 or an 8 for this one, but then I listened to Jack’s old songs. Truly dire indie singer-songwriter crap (you can see why the NME loved him briefly), those songs made it even more impressive that he’d produce such a lovely, loop-based reverie. The softly pulsing organ lends “Tonight’s Today” a summery feeling, and the backing vocals occasionally edge towards Future Pilot AKA territory (a very good thing). The lyrics are still a bit weak, but even then it’s mostly in the sense of being fragmentary or meaningless rather than truly dire. There’s a hazy, fluttering beauty to this song that’s kind of shocking given Penate’s past work, and the result is good enough I’m now (warily) prepared to give his next album a go.
[8]
Talia Kraines: Jack’s suddenly decided to completely ditch his cheeky chappy image and transform himself into a shuffling Balearic beatsmaster with a gorgeous choir behind him. Designed to soundtrack many a San Antonio sunset, the video even has a dance routine. A dance routine! In a JACK PENATE video. Whatever next? Only issue is its time of release — why not June? This should be the dance-in-a-field smash of the summer, not a slightly grey May wander round a supermarket.
[9]
Martin Skidmore: This sounds like a semi-competent Style Council that had been listening to a bit of world music, but with a singer with a really dreadful voice – strained, awkward, out of tune, particularly horrible on the higher notes. The words are drivel, as clumsy as the singing: “She looks at me and says ‘What a sight’/A passing woman says.” Awful.
[1]
Martin Kavka: I imagine that many people will reject this as the equivalent of Dido covering one of the tracks from Talking Heads’ Remain In Light album. But the “African” elements of this track seem to me to be sufficiently limited, and so listening to this song doesn’t give me all the discomfiting colonialist overtones that it would otherwise. (Perhaps it’s Peñate’s obviously British accent?) This is guiltless joy. David Byrne and Manu Chao should take note.
[10]
Tom Ewing: Jack Penate is trying harder: it may be a little stiff, but the breezy Afropop he’s using to back up “Tonight’s Today” is a massive jump in imagination and quality from the puppyish skiffle he used to peddle. Problem is, it’s still Jack Penate’s voice on top, still the bruised delivery of bunkum epiphanies. This is as good as he’s ever going to get, so if you can bear him at all, check it out. My allergies remain.
[5]
Dave Moore: Sterile cod afropop moves are actually the least annoying thing about this song, the most being Jack’s loose approximation of a melody (see, missing all the notes connotes feeling) and the second-most being the idiotic chorus, which is chanted mantra-like as though it might eventually get deep. “Today’s tonight, tonight’s today…every day!” Sun disappears, reappears — news at eleven.
[3]
David Raposa: Regardless of what Jack’s inspirations or intentions are, “Tonight’s Today” ends up as a pleasantly breezy & forgettable tune that’ll undoubtedly piss off a few ‘Boxers because of its easy-going sheen. It’s got a good enough beat, and you can pay $5 for coffee to it, but it’d be helped immeasurably if Penate didn’t make like he was auditioning for The Delays.
[5]
Additional Scores
Hillary Brown: [5]
Hazel Robinson : [4]
Alex Wisgard: [3]