The darker, more disturbed sound of the album hearkens back to Wolf's debut, Lycanthropy, which incidentally features the musician in a very similar pose on the album cover. The font and placement of the artist name and album title further enhance the similarities, making it evident that the return to form was Patrick's intent. A few of the tracks, such as the incredible opener and second single "Hard Times," are as upbeat as some of the tracks on Magic Position, but there is a stark difference in tone achieved by the instruments used and the electronic manipulation applied in collaboration with pioneer Matthew Herbert. Most of the tracks, however, are slower and more introspective, resembling the more subtle "Augustine" and "The Stars" of the previous album. "Damaris," "Thickets," "Who Will," "Blackdown," and "Theseus" (on which actress Tilda Swinton speaks the "voice of hope") all exemplify a new trend of a gradual build-up of tension followed by an overwhelming release at the very end of the song through use of epic piano and string arrangements. At the same time, some tracks like "Oblivion" have more of an off-kilter electronic beat, another aspect which reminds us of Patrick's earlier work. All in all, the album is an incredibly cohesive exploration of themes of love and warfare, and I for one am already excited for The Conqueror, the second part of what promises to be an incredible double album.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Bachelor
With album artwork that evokes (at least in my mind) a cut-scene from the classic Playstation RPG, Final Fantasy VII, Patrick Wolf's follow-up to 2007's critically acclaimed The Magic Position finds his music taking on a darker, more adventurous, and more dangerous sound, making the fanboy reference all the more appropriate. The Bachelor, the first in a duo of releases making up the former double album Battle, is a concept album named for the Sussex town in which it was recorded and will be released on June 1st.The darker, more disturbed sound of the album hearkens back to Wolf's debut, Lycanthropy, which incidentally features the musician in a very similar pose on the album cover. The font and placement of the artist name and album title further enhance the similarities, making it evident that the return to form was Patrick's intent. A few of the tracks, such as the incredible opener and second single "Hard Times," are as upbeat as some of the tracks on Magic Position, but there is a stark difference in tone achieved by the instruments used and the electronic manipulation applied in collaboration with pioneer Matthew Herbert. Most of the tracks, however, are slower and more introspective, resembling the more subtle "Augustine" and "The Stars" of the previous album. "Damaris," "Thickets," "Who Will," "Blackdown," and "Theseus" (on which actress Tilda Swinton speaks the "voice of hope") all exemplify a new trend of a gradual build-up of tension followed by an overwhelming release at the very end of the song through use of epic piano and string arrangements. At the same time, some tracks like "Oblivion" have more of an off-kilter electronic beat, another aspect which reminds us of Patrick's earlier work. All in all, the album is an incredibly cohesive exploration of themes of love and warfare, and I for one am already excited for The Conqueror, the second part of what promises to be an incredible double album.
The darker, more disturbed sound of the album hearkens back to Wolf's debut, Lycanthropy, which incidentally features the musician in a very similar pose on the album cover. The font and placement of the artist name and album title further enhance the similarities, making it evident that the return to form was Patrick's intent. A few of the tracks, such as the incredible opener and second single "Hard Times," are as upbeat as some of the tracks on Magic Position, but there is a stark difference in tone achieved by the instruments used and the electronic manipulation applied in collaboration with pioneer Matthew Herbert. Most of the tracks, however, are slower and more introspective, resembling the more subtle "Augustine" and "The Stars" of the previous album. "Damaris," "Thickets," "Who Will," "Blackdown," and "Theseus" (on which actress Tilda Swinton speaks the "voice of hope") all exemplify a new trend of a gradual build-up of tension followed by an overwhelming release at the very end of the song through use of epic piano and string arrangements. At the same time, some tracks like "Oblivion" have more of an off-kilter electronic beat, another aspect which reminds us of Patrick's earlier work. All in all, the album is an incredibly cohesive exploration of themes of love and warfare, and I for one am already excited for The Conqueror, the second part of what promises to be an incredible double album.
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