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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
To live, to love in the major key, May 15, 2007
I admit it openly -- after hearing that Patrick Wolf was going poppy, I was prepared to hate "The Magic Position." I really was.
But I can't. Instead, his third album managed to sweep me away with his colourful chamberpop, and ever-changing palette of musical sounds. In fact, he masters most varieties of pop -- bluesy, peppy, soothing strings, and even some electropop -- and weave them into some accomplished melodies.
It opens with some taut drums, and a slowly rising violin leads in a sweep of strings, guitar and electronica. Wolf croons over it, "It's wonderful what a smile can hide/If the teeth shine bright and it's nice and wide/It's so magical all you can keep inside/And if you bury it deep no one can find a thing, no..." He follows it with the xylophone-churchbell-violinpop of the title song, a bouncy love song that is so infectious and joyful, it deserves to be on the radio.
But having hooked listeners with those two songs, he sallies out into all sorts of music -- dark electropop with horns, bluesy ballads, passionate piano pop, happy robot dance music, and a strong piano-strings ballad, "Magpie," a duet with the smoky-voiced Marianne Faithfull. And the album ends as it began -- with a twinkly, joyous little song, and a bittersweet string outro.
If I had to compare Patrick Wolf in this album, it would be to call him a male version of Feist -- talented vocalist and songwriter, musically versatile, and poppy without being a slave to the MTV sound. "The Magic Position" shows that off beautifully, albeit with a few dark spots that could have been left out.
The music is one of those rare blends of fun catchiness and clever musicianship -- mostly because Wolf crams it with adept musicianship. Aside from the basic guitar, he weaves in instruments like the weeping violin, accordion, ukelele, piano, drums and harp, as well as stuff like the colorful blips from an autoharp, horns, tinkly little bells, and the kitchen sink.
The results can be lushly effusive pop, sweeping ballads, or a spare ballad woven from flickers of piano and strings. It could have used a tiny bit of trimming, though -- "Kiss" sounds like a violin tuneup, and "Secret Garden" is an awkward mishmash of various sounds. However, they're the only real weak spots on this album.
Wolf's voice is as pleasant as his music -- smooth, strong, and able to convey fun and joy as easily as yearning and love. And his songs are pretty passionate stuff, whether it's the childlike joy of seeing the stars ("Mama, I saw the stars tonight/Orion, the plow, are burning bright"), or a painful confession to a lover ("And that's why, love, you shouldn't stay/Still you will and love me...").
Patrick Wolf goes pop in "Magic Position," but doesn't sacrifice any of his talents. A few songs could have been snipped, but you can forget about those in the shadow of his lovely ballads and dancy pop tunes.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, but still a diamond on the rough, July 28, 2008
I don't know how I came across this album, but I must admit that at first I kept it to myself. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure. Beautiful melodies mixed with electronic/casio/nintendo effects and emotionally charged lyrics of an adolescent in search of meaning: not quite what's on my musical shopping list.
In fact I reluctantly shared it with someone who I share music with, expecting a "what-the-heck-is-with-you-this-time", but fortunately got a reply along the lines of "interesting-stuff-you-put-up-there-this time". Phew!
The melodies and arrangements do sound like a gifted teenager: somewhat infantile and not very refined, yet adult and thoughtful. It sounds at times innocent and vulnerable, while it also shows he's been out and about quite a bit for his age. It's definitely hard to figure it out. Even to this day, sometimes I listen to it and think it's brilliant, and sometimes think it all sounds too exaggerated and crass.
Funnily I don't think I'm the only one that does not understand him. Some months ago I saw a picture in one of the London's free daily newspapers that showed Patrick's eclectic sense of style with the caption: "Patrick Wolf, a violinist". What? That's the last word I would use to describe him, yet he is indeed a violinist.
But more and more I'm inclined to think he's got absolute brilliance. When in doubt I listen to songs such as Overture, Augustine, Bluebells, Magpie, Get Lost, Enchanted, and The Stars which speak loads of his musical ability (strangely the ones I liked the least are the title song and the album's first single). It leaves way behind albums with wider critical acclaim like Antony And The Johnsons. My 5-star rating is both deserved and to encourage, a true musician such as him, to continue his journey of musical exploration.
Having said that, I still think he is a diamond in the rough. For instance, I think he needs to use a female voice more often. This will allow him to experiment musically. Perhaps in the same way he currently experiments with other sound making devices. In Get Lost you can hear a hint of where this could take him. This will allow him to use a wider range of notes and it will complement his natural `low' voice.
Also not sure if it was my version or the recording, but definitely it sounded at times rough, noisy, clanky, plus some of the special effects sounded annoying and out of place at times. There are too some odd moments in some songs which are distracting and actually detract from the song (like the "is it?" in Augustine).
From what I gather he is quite adamant to stick to his musical ideas (and I don't want to change that), but if he's able to listen to advice and surrounds himself with the right people he will certainly let the diamond be seen more consistently and by many more people. I can certainly see it. Way to go.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Album, May 7, 2007
Mr. Wolf has created a pop gem with this latest album. The combination of familiar forms with abstract sound create a beautiful record and one that will last longer than this year. I wont go into comparisons, because he sounds like no one else, but he pushes the boundaries of pop music like Bjork and it provides great results.
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