The Word :: Patrick Wolf :: The Magic Position

Life is hard for a wunderkind musician. Think about it. You're 18 to 20 years old, and people are already praising your work left and right when really you're just a narcissistic kid working through the self-possessed horror that was your adolescence. It would be very easy to deny your own maturity and stay stuck in that attention-garnering position for years (just look at Ben Kweller or Ben Lee). Irish pop wunderkind Patrick Wolf faced a similar problem but with his latest release The Magic Position, he embraces his post-pubescence and comes out all the better for it.

At 23 and with two brilliant but angst-ridden and somewhat dour records under his belt, Wolf has taken his usual Brit-folk and chamber pop music and turned it into a triumphant anthem that is occasionally pure joy in musical form while still acknowledging his darker past. He put it best himself in one of his recent blog posts: 'I have toured my albums before and communicated darkness and mysteries and have left feeling empty but now after communicating my loves I feel full and still hungry for more.' These newfound loves are no more apparent than in the title track, which is one of those incredible love songs where while it could be about a lover (especially with the slightly suggestive title), it is just as easily applied to friends or family who inspire and care for you.

This new lyrical approach has also had an effect on Wolf's already impressive songcrafting. His violins, pianos, and interesting inclusion of electronic bleeps and beats still come across like The Divine Comedy meets Final Fantasy (the band, not the video game) but now have a bouncy, jovial quality that is undeniable, giving even the most crepuscular moments of the album (like Augustine, below) a light of hope.

Patrick Wolf The Magic Position

Patrick Wolf Augustine

Buy The Magic Position and Patrick Wolf's other albums here.