Friday, July 29, 2011

Patrick Wolf – Lupercalia

TRT Reviews: Patrick Wolf – Lupercalia



My first thought on listening to Patrick Wolf’s new album, Lupercalia, is that Wolf has gone back to the same well he drew from for 2007′s buoyant single “The Magic Position.” To be fair, the first single from Lupercalia, “The City,” recalls those carefree verses like Rosemary Brown channeling Franz Liszt, complete with saxophone and trickling piano interludes.
The second single, “House,” maintains the upbeat, lovelorn beat, surrendering gently to “Bermondsey Street,” whose hopeless romanticism almost puts “The Magic Position” to shame. In fact, one listener on Rdio postured that Wolf must have recorded the album in Disneyland.
The observation is fair, to a point. Where The Bachelor was dark, twisting and upset, Lupercalia is light, smooth and (mostly) content. The blocks of synthesizer that buffeted many of the former’s best tracks have been traded for harps and horns.
However, if you listen to the two albums together, back to back, the continuation of theme is fairly apparent. Take “Who Will,” from The Bachelor, and pair it with “The House,” from Lupercalia. Is the question answered? If the former was the descent into the storm, then Lupercalia is Wolf’s slow, but steady, climb back into the sunshine. (With the strong exception of “The City,” which is firmly rooted in beach sand.)
In the end, Lupercalia is certainly more upbeat, but far from an abandonment of theme. If anything, the album speaks to the strength of Patrick Wolf’s catalogue as a complete set.
Favorite Track: “Time of My Life” (no contest, though “Armistice” came close)

Patrick Wolf - Time of My Life - Lyric Video

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