best album by a sexually ambiguous troubadour

it’s been a very tumultuous year for patrick wolf. he literally catapulted into the annals of indiedom when the magic position was embraced by pitchfork, relentless arbiter of hipness that they are, racking up some of the best headlines of the year alongside some of its better songs (do you remember when he blasted mika on his myspace? those were some good times.). the hot-panted singer, adored for his style as much as his substance, rode one hell of a rollercoaster in 2007, a ride which ended mere days ago with a pair of concerts at london’s shepherd's bush empire (one of which our very own tearknee attended). wolf, who is known for his ambiguous missives as much as his questionable sexuality (those pants, man!), is probably taking some time off to work on a new album, or his own record label (lycanthropy and wind in the wires are its first slated releases, natch), or hem some more shorts and dye his hair another color, or who the fuck knows. patrick wolf’s home life is probably just as bizarre and interesting as the magic position, which is to say, lots.

patrick wolf is one of the closest things we have to a prodigy (i’m so not counting tiny masters of today, by the way), a songwriter whose budding genius was abundantly visible to fat cat, if no one else, at the ripe old age of sixteen. while most of his peers were illegally drinking and trying to pull similarly drunk girls, wolf was squatting with friends and developing a unique personality and songwriting approach. the fat cats at fat cat gave him some new equipment and studio time, and received lycanthropy, an album that only begins to hint at his talent and genius. by wind in the wires wolf’s style was honed to razor sharpness, his distinctive talent blossoming. often defined by the twin cores of glitchy drums and string-snapping violin, wind in the wires is grand and epic, wolf’s fascination with mythology evident on songs like “tristan” and “the libertine.” for the magic position, however, wolf’s gaze turned inward.

the magic position is, first and foremost, a love album, one that captures its nuances, ecstatic highs and crushing lows both, with more charisma and sophistication than many of its peers (and is very enjoyable to boot!). one of the most striking features of the magic position is wolf's obvious versatility and flexibility, to say nothing of his candid self-assurance. his public persona is unabashedly dramatic and highly sexual, and the magic position overflows with a tangible sense of purity - this is wolf as he really is, vulnerable yet confident. however, were it not for his musical dynamism and ingenuity, patrick wolf could be just another melancholy singer/songwriter, possessed of an abundance of joy and misery; instead, he ranks as one of the most inventive and innovative pop songwriters of the new millennium, joyfully blending stiff, harsh electronic beats with wanton strings and horns, each anchored in his sweeping vision for a brave new aesthetic.

naturally, the album's most engaging song is its titular one; "the magic position" is catchy, with a riveting violin hook, and exuberant, wolf's voice soaring with delight, combined with his overwhelmingly positive lyrics, delivered in enough of an off-tempo cadence to catch the ear and keep it. his style is so bold that the magic position is, at times, almost difficult to listen to - the whole record is truly ingenious, but its brilliance is so pronounced as to make hearing it an effort. it is not easy listening. wolf can purportedly play sixteen instruments, and the aural depth of the magic position would suggest that he takes a turn at all of them - it is simply baffling, and nearly impossible, to try and identify every sound or every instrument in even a single song. that being said, the magic position has many overarching instrumental themes, chiefly, as before, a heavy reliance on dirty electronic beats and distorted drum effects. but wolf trades in his younger brashness for a more nuanced sound; album highlight "augustine" is almost a ballad, led by a emotional piano that underscores the audible worry in his voice. "(let's go) get lost," indisputably the magic position's best song, is very nearly a cacophony, with horns, theremin, keyboards, hand claps, finger snaps, and assorted electronic gadgets chirping in time, while perfectly capturing the blinding exultation of love. the magic position is very obviously an ode to love, that most universal (and indescribable) human emotion, and wolf's own love for his music is evident at every turn. he plays with a vivaciousness and rampant happiness that is absolutely infectious, so that "accident & emergency" plays on repeat in your skull, and brings a smile every time.

i have to stress that the magic position is not an easy album. it took me a long time to listen to it and really enjoy it, more than a couple months, but sticking it out is so very rewarding. it is really a brilliant piece of work, and every time i remember all that he's accomplished at the embarrassingly young age of 23, it fills me with a deep and abiding sense of shame. i think his songwriting is, more than anything else, brave - it's absolutely original and absolutely captivating and far more engaging than the absurdity of freak-folk or drone-rock, or whatever genre is in vogue right now, and pretty damn inimitable. the taut drama of the magic position is important, nay, essential, for furthering the evolution of contemporary music. it may not be the best album you've heard this year, or even the most enjoyable (it isn't either for me), but i think it's the most critical. patrick wolf is doing things musically that i'm not hearing anywhere else, and the magic position is his best work yet. it deserves your attention, and your respect.

"augustine" & "(let's go) get lost"

awesome song monday! - "tristan"

awesome song day! is a spontaneous feature, when i am moved by a song's singular awesomeosity and feel the urge to share its awesomeness with all of you. the song below is awesome.

patrick wolf - "tristan"
buy wind in the wires at your favorite independent record store.

i've clearly been enjoying a resurgence of affection for patrick wolf, which has prompted me to listen to his back catalog with more attentiveness. while the album as a whole hasn't captured me like the magic position, "tristan" could be my favorite p. wolf song ever. it's dirty and dark, characteristically sexual, and his voice sounds fantastic, like he's singing through gravel, with an ominous harmonium rolling in the background. i've listened to it about 15 times in 2 days. it's pretty awesome, y'all.

latitude 2007 - owen and paddy

with his cheeky grin and gentle charisma, owen pallett had most of the audience in complete awe of his beautiful beautiful music. playing in the middle of the woods in the sunrise arena, he tinkered around with foot pedals and looping to create an experience similar (i imagine) to swimming in a sea of liquid heaven. listening to his recording, you don't really get the idea of how much looping is going on, and he adds many extra layers of sound to the live performance. hence it took ages for him to set up, sound-checking all the different loops and each string on each loop - i think it's always a good sign when the artist sets up their own equipment. so, owen came on in his dapper t-shirt-with-tails and slowly started building the layers for his first song. he started with just the bass string on the violin, thumping in the speakers. then, whilst it continued thumping, he played new loops, building the sound thicker and richer. although his speaking voice barely raised beyond a whisper, he had everyone laughing when he suddenly stopped, mid-passage....cheekily grinning again and saying,

"sorry i just forgot something....(pause)...nothing to do with the show, it was about my clothing",

then carried on merrily with the passage, having completely won the attention of the audience. he was definitely the most talented musician i saw all weekend, with an impressively ranging gentle voice, an arresting, yet modest stage presence, obvious talents playing complicated violin passages, but most of all, an amazing ability to coordinate many different loops, playing at different times, whilst simultaneously singing or playing his fiddle. magnificent multi-tasking owen.



after putting up that video, i've just realised that "the dream of win and regine" is referring to the arcade fire lead singers. forgive me if everybody has already worked that out before me, ehem...

he was obviously well aware that his set clashed with jarvis cocker's set on the main stage, and joked around that everyone would probably leave to hear jarvis cocker's one-and-only-hit at the end of his show (he didn't even play common people anyway), then modestly joked about how final fantasy had no hits.

i was lucky enough to be pretty much in the front row and i think the tent was a great setting for him to play in - i think he would be completely lost in a bigger setting or a huge outdoor stage. i definitely recommend his show to anyone who has the chance to see him, as aside from marvelling at his immense skill, he creates a rich and beautiful patchwork of sounds.



at the end of his set, people were shouting for 'the lamb sells condos', and we were not disappointed. i hope you enjoy this video i found on youtube, take notice of him scratching his back with his bow while the sounds still continue - talented, cheeky, and a GREAT show off.



despite being friends and sharing a love for showing off, violins and camp dressing, patrick wolf's performance could not have been more different from final fantasy's modest, quiet performance. always the master of melodrama, patrick was on fine form on friday night on the uncut stage. lapping up the audience's admiration and campingitup to excess, it was definitely the most entertaining show of the weekend. for an idea of his lavish performance style click here (warning: avert your eyes if you are easily offended by naked bottoms). nevertheless, his melodrama was not cringemaking nor irritating, and, like owen, he had the audience in the palm of his hand. at times triumphant, singing loud, soaring passages, at times atmospheric, slow and silent... this was a concert of contrasts and (dare i say it), their combination made for a flawless performance.

my view is perhaps somewhat biased, seeing as i am a huge fan of mr. wolf, but i heard many people speaking highly of the show, and his was the only t-shirt on the merch table that seemed to have run out of most sizes. dark and atmospheric, patrick came on stage to a flutter of dramatic animal noises, dressed in a sparkly blue sailor jacket, with shorts displaying his smooth glittery legs. beginning with 'overture', one of my favourite songs on the album, he improvised around the violin passages, and many more layers were added, making an even richer sound. on stage with him, he had a band playing double bass, horns, drums, percussion, another violin and a guy with a laptop making crazy sounds. the total effect was of massive orchestration and a truly epic sound. his passion is obvious and he jumps around on stage, coming up with dance moves, and general writhing around. he switches between being vampish and dripping with sex to being an excitable schoolboy jumping around like a child.



his volatile personality (which comes across in his emotion-ridden music, and his recent press attention over apparently threatening to quit music) makes for a great show. and he is a clear control freak, from ordering around the band ("more bass drum"), to telling the lighting designer what he wants ("give me some strobe please"), to designing all his t-shirts, and re-tuning his ukulele (to make it deliberately out of tune) whilst on stage, even though we had watched it being painstakingly tuned by a roadie before he came on. yet he does not come across as arrogant, merely passionate and committed to his own sound and image. in between songs, his persona suddenly switches from writhing and howling on stage, to coy conversations with the audience and shy giggles. his show can perhaps best be described as playful, and creative energy was zinging (is that a word?) off him with everything he did, from balancing on the huge amps, to poking the surly security guard in the back of the head as they watched out over the unruly audience.. this was obviously a highlight, seeing as security guards at concerts are usually the spawn of the devil.



'tristan' had the audience (embarassingly) acting like lusty teenagers as he oozed sex appeal and dove into the crowd. it was funny that a mixed sex audience mostly over the age of 20 were reaching out desperately to touch him and screaming like crazy. beatlemania meets patrick. haha. other highlights were the uptempo 'get lost' and a quadruple-time version of 'the libertine'. halfway through the show, he turned the tent into a rave and did a brilliant cover of rihanna's (awful) song 'umbrella.' he then brought the tempo down for 'the stars', gently slowing the audience right down with the swirl of a mirrorball - it was magical. finishing with 'magic position', the audience went crazy and were screaming for more of this emotionally unpredictable loaded cannon. he jokes about how he would love to have a show with pyrotechnics and moving stages, but his melodramatic performances would be merely comical if they didn't match his music, which, despite being hugely melodramatic itself, is undeniably filled with fiercely honest autobiography.



there are two good interviews here and here, the latter with owen pallett interviewing patrick wolf. buy the magic position (and other patrick wolf stuff) here; he poos clouds and other final fantasy gear available here. all video footage in this post was found on youtube.

final fantasy - "many lives -> 49 mp" (houston, 8/17/06 - get the whole show from lullabyes)
patrick wolf - "moon river & the stars" (recorded live at xfm)