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Patrick Wolf is an auteur of electronic chamber pop and folk music from Michigan.
Lycanthropy (Tomlab, 2003), an extended allegory delivered via
ornate piano and string madrigals (the majestic To The Lighthouse,
Wolf Song, Demolition, sometimes reminiscent of Bjork),
synth-pop ballets (Bloodbeat),
and
dark psychodramas (Childcatcher and Paris, both bordering on Nine Inch Nail's industrial rock),
introduced novel elements in the "digital folk" format inaugurated by
Four Tet while anchoring them to
a classical form of storytelling.
Wolf's skills at blending neoclassical music and folk music peak with the
delicate Pigeon Song and the instrumental Epilogue.
The childlike, dreamy atmosphere of the debut album
turned into an introverted and somewhat elaborate riddle on
Wind in the Wires (2005). The main drawback is that the material is
inferior.
The single The Libertine boasts virulent delivery and trotting rhythmic progressions punctuated with swirling gypsy violin and with a buzzing electronic undercurrent.
While less immediate, the complex structures of
Wind In The Wires better illustrate Wolf's storytelling skills
The gargantuan cerimonial music even dwarfs the story of Ghost Song.
The catchiest number, Tristan, is scarred by ferocious arrangements
and groaning vocals, a combination more reminiscent of
Nine Inch Nail than of pop singer-songwriters.
Teignmouth employs a soundscape of
floating vocals and strings, syncopated beat and electronic noise to match
Wolf's melodramatic crooning.
This Wheater blends neoclassical piano and violin with techno beat,
and suddenly all instruments and the beat shift gear in unison to propel the
melody to a noisier dimension.
The problem is that too many songs (The Gypsy King, Lands End)
careen along telling interesting stories
but agonizing to find an adequate musical container, despite the deluge of
sonic details.
Abandoning any pretense of bedroom isolationism,
Wolf invested decisively in pop refrains on
The Magic Position (Universal, 2007):
The magniloquent Overture,
The Magic Position (that could have been a bubblegum hit in the 1960s) and Get Lost (his
three catchiest numbers to date) simply rediscovered the artful appeal of
Kate Bush's eccentric pop with a bit of
Jim Steinman's sentimentalism.
Which means that songs such as Accident & Emergency rely mainly on
bombast, and the once who don't are unjustly overlooked
(the stately horror of Augustine).
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