Monday 20 June 2011

SONG OF THE WEEK #16: Patrick Wolf - "Bluebells"


Patrick Wolf’s invenitve ways with pop music strongly remind me of Kate Bush. He seems to be an idiosyncratic perfectionist, a pursuer of romantic, sentimental whimsy – but it’s not as if he fakes it. I feel sincerity there, as well as genuine talent. Occasionally his music might come off as pretentious and overbearing (mostly in the production department), his lyrics might sound raw and silly, but there’s always a good melody, a brilliant hook and a great deal of that thick, charismatic croon to justify anything.

This here is his in-home take on “Bluebells”, an achingly beautiful ballad off The Magic Position (2007). While the original was good, these purer, acoustic arrangements seem to match the song’s haunting atmosphere a lot better. And the melody is inspirational.

On a related note, Patrick’s new album, Lupercalia (how else?), is out tomorrow.



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