Yahoo! Music Review

Released on 25/02/07
Label: Loog/Polydor

Of the many identikit male singer songwriters cluttering up the album charts with second hand, second rate tat, Patrick Wolf is a proud and welcome oddity. Like Rufus Wainwright and Antony Hegarty, the current artists he sometimes resembles, he's a prolific and precociously talented multi-instrumentalist with more than a hint of sexual ambiguity and a defiant eccentricity. Unlike Wainwright or Hegarty, however, his records have yet to break out of the cult cul de sac and find mainstream fame.

"The Magic Position", his third and best album, might be the record to change that. While he hasn't entirely eliminated the preciousness or affectations that marred his previous two, his songwriting is suddenly more varied, confident and - crucially - melodic. There may be nothing here to match his stunning "Tristan", but there are also far fewer failed experiments.

It begins with the martial drums and soaring violins of "Overture", a remarkable opener which establishes the synths and string template for the rest of the record. Though he remains a highly mannered vocalist, often slipping into drama school hysterics, the music is lush, unpredictable and restless enough to make you forget that. First single "Accident and Emergency" is even better, a menacing, addictive slice of hectic electronica that Gary Numan would be proud to call his own.

Indeed, Wolf has the remarkable gift of being able to borrow from other artists while sounding distinctly like himself. So the sprightly title track bears an odd resemblance to Cyndi Lauper's masterful "I Drove All Night" while the firework-streaked "Bluebells" borrows the tense dramatics of Siouxsie & The Banshees in their prime, married to a florid, oh so English nature narrative. The longing, lovely "Augustine", on the other hand, sounds completely original, a full flowering of the romanticism that underpins Wolf at his best.

There are duds, too. The irritating instrumentals "The Kiss" and "Secret Garden" pointlessly break the flow of the record, while the Marianne Faithful duet "Magpie" is doleful and derivative. But even at his laziest, Wolf sounds vastly more intelligent, committed and interesting than his supposed rivals, and "The Magic Position" is full of heart, warmth and beauty. It won't sell as well as Damien Rice, but for those who do buy it, the rewards will be absolutely boundless.

    by Jaime Gill