Patrick Wolf - Brumalia EP

By Paul Faller

Ever the restless creative, Patrick Wolf follows up this year’s full-length album Lupercalia with six brand new tracks, courtesy of a new EP entitled Brumalia. Named after an ancient Roman festival that celebrates winter, the EP aims to offer a contrast to the generally more upbeat nature of Wolf’s last record.

Brumalia gets off to a strong start with ‘Bitten’ – oppressive beats are matched with mournful strings and skittering synths in a style that harks back to Wolf’s work on Lycanthropy and Wind In The Wires. Indeed, trivia fans may be interested to know that this is the first Patrick Wolf recording that he’s played theremin on since he was 13. It’s not just the sonic palette that has a touch of his earlier work about it either – the dark narrative concerning addiction is a continuation of the story of Lucy from ‘Bluebells’, a track which appeared on The Magic Position.

The inclusion of ‘Together’ on this EP ties together the two records that Wolf has released this year. The song in question is still by far the best thing that Alec Empire and Patrick Wolf have collectively put their names to – although admittedly that’s not too difficult when the competition consists of ‘Vulture’ and (ugh) ‘Battle’ (which both appeared on 2009′s The Bachelor). Nevertheless, Empire’s synths bubble darkly rather than battering you over the head, while orchestral flourishes and a touching narrative combine to make this a rather pleasing song overall.

‘Time Of Year’s schmalzy saxophones and handclap-friendly drums sit somewhat oddly with its occasionally sombre message – “how many crosses more must we stigmata our soil with/until we reveal the blood on our hands?” Despite this, however, it’s a cheery sounding, festive number that wouldn’t have sounded entirely out of place on Lupercalia itself. Next up is something a little different for Wolf – a stirring take on the traditional hymn ‘Jerusalem’. He actually plays it pretty straight, letting his voice do the talking over a stark backdrop that consists of nothing but a piano and a musical saw – it’s simple, but very effective.

‘Nemoralia’ cranks up the darkness again, its beats clicking and whirring like machinery. Inspired by (and recorded during) the August riots, it successfully captures the oppressive bleakness of that short space of time… that is, until a massive saxophone solo comes out of nowhere towards the end. To be fair, it’s tasteful rather than being utterly overblown, but it does feel slightly incongruous.

‘Pelicans’ revisits Wolf’s love of sampling, featuring both sounds he recorded on his iPad in a Florida swamp, as well as samples of woodwind improvisations played by his father. Considering this, it’s a wonder that it doesn’t all break down into a mess of sonic experimentation, but Wolf’s vocal melody manages to bind the charmingly ramshackle instrumentation together into a curious but pleasant experience. By contrast, EP finale ‘Trust’ is a simple, romantic song at that presents Wolf at his most lyrically honest and raw – indeed, the lyrics are largely taken from his private diaries. Featuring a more ‘classical’ backdrop of harps and accordion, it’s a beautiful way to round off this record.

Dedicated fans will find much to enjoy on this EP, and those who enjoy his earlier work may appreciate the generally darker tone that’s present here. Overall, Brumalia may not quite stake its claim as an essential part of the Patrick Wolf discography, but it’s another intriguing set from one of the finest songwriters this country has to offer.

Anyone still clinging vainly to the hope that the new Patrick Wolf record will be a return to the darker days of Lycanthropy and Wind In The Wires, please, stop – for your own sake. Indeed, you need only take a look at the cover of Lupercalia to get an inkling that he’s moved on – its stark white on white portrait of Wolf offers a clear contrast to the dark backdrops of his previous records (even the colourful fairground ride on The Magic Position was set against a black background). At 27 years old, Wolf is no longer the lost soul he was on his early records – he’s found love at last, and as such Lupercalia is a journey through the ups and downs that come with it.

Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia

The album starts on a joyful note with ‘The City’, which, for all its brassy exuberance, campy saxophone riffs, and chirpy “top, top, top of the morning to you”s, somehow transcends its own ridiculousness and becomes the feel-good anthem it wants to be. The upbeat feel continues with ‘House’, a heartfelt track that celebrates being able to share your home with the one you love, and ‘Bermondsy Street’, which tells of love’s ability to break down barriers – those of sexuality in particular. Its message is subtly revealed with some simple but effective gender pronoun switching in the verses, which ends up making the chorus seem a little heavy handed (“love knows no boundaries/sees beyond sexuality”) – nevertheless, it’s still a charming song.

Thankfully, the record avoids becoming saccharine by exploring other themes.  The slow-building, piano-led ‘Armistice’ brings back some of the swelling drama of albums past and sees Wolf and his partner finding strength in each other, while ‘William’ is a brief but honest dedication that provides an appropriate centrepiece to the album. Elsewhere, ‘The Days’ longs for a lost love as an escape from loneliness, accompanied by some suitably cinematic, sweeping strings – by contrast, ‘Time Of My Life’ is a melancholy-tinged yet defiant tale of standing tall and moving on from a previous relationship.

If you got fed up of Tilda Swinton’s voice on The Bachelor, you’ll be pleased to know that Wolf has picked his collaborators far more wisely this time round. ‘The Future’ features a gorgeous turn by Katie Harkin (of Sky Larkin) on backing vocals, combining with Wolf’s own voice in a way that’s sure to melt even the hardest of hearts. And anyone sceptical of Alec Empire’s involvement with this record can breathe a sigh of relief – the one track he’s worked on, ‘Together’, is far from another ‘Battle’ style atrocity. In fact, it’s actually quite good – the bubbling synths provided by Empire are matched with graceful violins and a moving narrative about being separated from a loved one by long distances.

Fittingly, album-closer ‘The Falcons’ sounds like it could be played over the end credits of some feel-good summer movie, with strings dancing around four-to-the-floor beats and sparkling synths, as Wolf declares that “things are looking up, up, up for you/looking up, up, up for me.” And after four previous albums of turbulent emotion, who are we to begrudge him a little happiness? I doubt that many people will hold Lupercalia up as Patrick Wolf’s best record, but it’s still a well-rounded collection of songs that maintains the sense of intangible magic that has always run through his music.

Judging by this weeks release schedule, most bands are biding their time for festival season to get into full swing before releasing their summer singles. As such, there’s not a whole lot of action coming our way this week but there are a few gems in the singles that are seeing the light of day.

Cage the Elephant
Around My Head

The latest offering from the band from Bowling Green, Kentucky doesn’t stray too far from their signature sound. The jangly guitars open the song and are joined by a very Frank Black-like vocal. There’s a nice upbeat chorus which is awash in summery sounds. It’s only let down is that it’s maybe too much like Pixies and this is  a bit disappointing from a band that can do much more than merely sound like someone else.

The Naked and Famous
Girls Like You

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous. Having tasted some success in Australasia and the US, will this see them finally break the UK charts? The song starts fairly low key, with a nice synth and vocal, before a bass guitar joins in and the song begins to gather momentum. around the midpoint the whole band has joined in and there’s a really good, positive vibe around this record. It’s not a case of “will they break the UK?”, but “when will they break the UK?”. On this showing, ‘Girls Like You’ should be the one to do it.

Patrick Wolf
House

‘House’ begins with a nice, upbeat sound. The piano is very pleasant on the ears and Wolf’s vocal joins as the song gathers pace. This song screams radio friendly and will be sure to feature on Radio 1 playlists for the summer. The sound is like Holly Johnson for the 21st Century. The big 80′s drums are there and this should have a lot of appeal for pop fans.

The Pierces
Glorious

The first thing that jumps into my head when I listen to ‘Glorious’ is Stevie Nicks. The Pierce sisters are vocally very similar. Musically, this is part folk, part spaghetti western which just doesn’t seem to work. The lyrics are a little too Christian Rock. “God bless the world./God bless the glorious”. It begs the question why schedule it’s release after the Rapture?

James Vincent McMorrow
Sparrow & the Wolf

‘Sparrow & the Wolf’ is another upbeat song, which skips along at a fair tempo. This is somewhere between Fleet Foxes and James Blake. The drums keep this moving at a high tempo throughout and you just want it to veer off into new territory now and then. It all feels a little too safe. There’s also a lot of music that’s similar, but delivered better and with a bit more flair.

King Post Kitsch
Don’t You Touch My F****** Honeytone

The best is saved for last. ‘Don’t You Touch My F****** Honeytone’ is a blast from start to finish. It opens with a jagged guitar riff that pays homage to 60′s Mod rock before a really sharp, catchy vocal guides us along at a fair pace. The vocal isn’t overly produced and works really well keeping pace with the music. There’s a nice keyboard sound, possibly a Hammond, that pays further respect to the 60′s and overall this is a very catchy, enjoyable song that deserves a ton of airplay.

Wolf Gang

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week:

‘Lions in Cages’ by Wolf Gang (Memory Tapes remix)

I assume the moniker Wolf Gang is a reference to he of operatic and composing fame in fair Vienna way back when. Perhaps that is why the piano takes my immediate attention, that and the background vocal haunts that are quite nice. Not that keen on the choir singing, which doesn’t sound as nice as I would want it to sound. Musically though, this is pretty lovely and sweet to listen to. Naturally, this is a Memory Tapes remix, so you can bank on it flowing superbly and being dreamy and ethereal. I mean, I don’t know how he does it, but Dayve Hawk just has such a keen ear for how sounds should merge and mix to make it pretty and like, well, music to my ears. So lovely to listen to this while looking outside with a warm cup of tea in one hand and a biscuit in the other.

http://hypem.com/track/1257961/Wolf+Gang+-+Lions+In+Cages+Memory+Tapes+Remix+

‘Creature’ by Kim Ann Foxman and Andy Butler

As you probably have heard (or not), Andy Butler has started his own label primarily focusing on House music. And this is one of his new tracks that follows that aesthetic. So no Hercules and Love Affair stuff here, but distorted vocals by Kim Ann Foxman following a more House than Disco vibe. So it’s about the beat. The vocals are a bit nasal I find, but it is hypnotic enough to get sweaty to on the dance floor. And I guess that where Disco is about true emotion in the vocals, House is about abstracting it. The song has got quite the sexual vibe with the “you are my creature”, and I guess that is something that does belong to House. Forget the more dreamy lovelorn bit of Hercules and Love Affair, this is predatory. I like this, although I saw Hercules and Love Affair live not too long ago, and those new songs sounded so wicked I just want Butler to start releasing those. But in the mean time, and in a slightly different vibe, this will do quite nicely thank you.

http://hypem.com/track/1244987/Kim+Ann+Foxman+-+Creature

‘Time of My Life’ by Patrick Wolf

I mean, when Pulp got older (they’re back, you know, so I had to squeeze them in one way or the other), they really took that Woody Allen thing to heart. That thing where he went, I’ve got only one thing to say about getting older, don’t. They went mean, and got disillusioned, and that is perhaps why I love This is Hardcore so much. Patrick Wolf is far removed from his boy wonder status, from his skinny shape, boyish charm, colourful hair, but instead of sounding bitter, he keeps on sounding, well, cheery (not to say he looks like a 48-year old with a receding hairline now, but just to say that, well, like everyone, he did get older between his debut and now). He seems to get cheerier as the years go by (I mean, some of his early stuff was pretty dark, no?). The violin sounds upbeat, you’ve got handclaps, and it is very tuneful. I know this was written just after a break up, but it is about being “happy without you”, enjoying life even after a certain period of your life has been ended and a new one is about to begin. Scary, probably, but if you listen to this Wolf track you shouldn’t worry about it and just be strong and enjoy the new start. At least, I haven’t uncovered all lyrics yet, but that’s how it sounds anyway. An upbeat message in the face of adversity, and built on positive sounding violins. I like this a fair bit, it really sounds like it could be a crowd pleaser in the vein of ‘The Magic Position’.

http://hypem.com/track/1255546/Patrick+Wolf+-+Time+Of+My+Life

‘Violent Love’ by Munk (The Twelves remix)

I was quite unsure about the beginning by The Twelves on this remix of a track by Munk. But after the initial hesitation I quite dug it. Love the vocals and how this is perhaps more danceable than the original one I listened to a few weeks ago. Really something to dance to with the lights down and late at night. I love the piano as well. With four and a half minutes it also has a nice running time for listening at home, though in the club I wouldn’t mind an extended version of it. Just a really well executed track in my book, really does Munk justice as well.

http://hypem.com/track/1258476/Munk+-+Violent+Love+The+Twelves+Remix+

‘Marathon’ by Tennis

This is again that lo-fi sound with the vocals kind of in the background and the instrumentation just a bit hazy. I do like the vocals though, they are very dreamy and innocent sounding, I like that. I wonder what she would sound like if the vocals were produced a bit more clear, I think that would be quite something. In terms of vibe it is one of those tracks that you half expect to find over a black-and-white home video montage about how happy we used to be with a flower in our hair. Not my favourite genre, but I do like it more than I have liked others in the recent past, so if this is your cup of tea do try it out.

http://hypem.com/track/1257991/Tennis+-+Marathon

‘Say What You Want’ by Cosmonaut

Now I don’t know anything about the band, but it is one of those electronic/synth-pop bands that have taken to the space theme. And I did like what Monarchy had to say about that in the interview we did with them a week or so ago (check it out in the archives!). A cosmonaut is, I believe, a Russian astronaut, and it is kind of in the vein of Monarchy’s sound, though it is a bit harder and a bit cruder. At least, on some points, sometimes they seem to smooth it out a bit. I’m not sold on this track. I think it is decent and it has some very nice elements in it, but personally I can’t really find a thing that for me elevates it above other bands in this genre. But on a synth-pop playlist it would be an alright addition as far as I’m concerned.

http://hypem.com/track/1252020/Cosmonaut+-+Say+What+You+Want

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

As a companion piece to our 50-1 countdown that hit the internet gradually over the past couple of weeks (check the top three and work backwards), I’ve decided to do this piece on my own personal top 20. First person writing, the chance to eschew writing as voice of a consensus – my very own top albums of 2009 as some sort of deeper representation of what this here site’s all about.

The order is very loose, and I guess based on factors such as how and how much I enjoyed them. I could probably put these albums in a tombola, get them out re-ordered and still call it a fair representation of my year. That said, the top five would have to be the top five, and in that order. They are five incredible albums that have added a next-level fever to this year.

And a special mention should also go to the following, who just missed out on the list: Sian Alice Group‘s Troubled, Shaken Etc, Tortoise‘s Beacons Of Ancestorship, Bill Callahan‘s Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, Extradition Order‘s Since The Bomb Dropped, Annie‘s Don’t Stop, Fuck Buttons‘ Tarot Sport.

In short, it’s been a phenomenal year. Now here they are…

20. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer: Spencer Krug’s genius knew no bounds as Sunset Rubdown’s third album loosened up and toned down the private narrative quota. Yet more of that layered-thought stuff Krug’d become such a master of mixed with deliberately child-like turns of phrase, AND we got given the most impossible not to dance to track of the year in ‘Idiot Heart’. An instructive triumph.
Position in writers’ top 50: #18

19. Fever Ray – Fever Ray: Karin Dreijer Andersson’s hermetic wall got strengthened further still as her Fever Ray persona all-out succeeded at creating an arcane cloud of vocal manipulation and dense electronica. So static was this self-titled record in its chimes and drones that the claustrophobia felt like a letting go. The sounds were plaintive and jarring, fitting the themes of disconnection and debilitation like hand-in-glove.
Position in writers’ top 50: #4

18. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains: The wildest experimentation hid deftly behind a heart of ’90s U.S. college rock on this impressively-developed debut album. Its variation never felt overblown as noises posed as hooks and dichotomies were linked together with lengthy passages of of arpeggial cacophony. Seamless ebb and flow between the gaps bridged this album into the mainstream, only briefly disguising Cymbals Eat Guitars’ world-sized ambition.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

17. The Decemberists – The Hazards Of Love: Based on an interpretation of the title of an Anne Briggs (lost folk singer from the ’60s and ’70s) EP, this ruddy ridiculous 17-track extravaganza was put together as, yes, you heard: a concept rock opera. The homicidal rake, the choir for revenge-seeking undead kids, the psychotic queen – they were all here. I’m still playing catch up with their garrulous fantasy, happily revelling in its exulted pomp.
Position in writers’ top 50: #32

16. tUnE-yArDs – BiRd-BrAiNs: Recorded on a digital tape recorder but by no means lo-fi in scope, tribal drums and ukulele loops formed the backbone of a record hissing with charm and clattered snippets of tribal drumming. Merrill Garbus’ (approx.) 26-octave range combined with rhythms attacking from all corners and oddly, it felt like a giant cohesive whole. Relying heavily on looping imperfect takes of each part into the polyphony, BiRd-BrAiNs possessed an improbable, one-off charm.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

15. Blue Roses – Blue Roses: The perfect soprano of Laura Groves, the fragile melodies, the warm thumb piano, the rapturous passages of choral melisma, the occasional twinkling xylophone – these were the reasons why Blue Roses’ beauty didn’t feel trapped by conventional boundaries of structure and harmony. Uneasy suspensions built up, descending scales and ascending sequences were sung, and I became enraptured.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

14. The Horrors – Primary Colours: This was a remarkable album of pitch-bending darkness cutting iconoclastic outlines, with 2009′s finest out-and-out frontman at its core. The hype died down as Geoff Barrow came in to make The Horrors’ second album a revelation of whizzing keyboards, Germanic screaming, hypnotic basslines, spiralling rhythms and giant crescendos. And I’ve still not a clue what they’re on about. Do they? It’s a moot point.
Position in writers’ top 50: #7

13. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: There’s no wonder I fell so hard for a record combining the sounds of my favourite indiepop, C86 and dancefloor-bothering shoegaze bands. TPOBPAH danced through the mopery with such panache, bringing a sub-scene crashing into 2009 with an endless stream of precise and fuzzy twee anthems lucky enough to have Kip and Peggy’s sweet, nerdy vocals sat right at the heart.
Position in writers’ top 50: #8

12. The Clientele – Bonfires On The Heath: Capping off a period of almost exactly nine years after the release of Suburban Light, The Clientele’s breathy, ingratiating sound found its resolve with the addition of purring Spanish guitar lines, warm brass and a teasing sitar. The lyrics were as pictorial as ever, MacLean’s cogitative words conjuring up vivid imagery of clothes-stealing rhododendrons, characters solitarily traversing autumnal scenes. This was a great band doing what they do best: dreamy, romantic poesy with just the right amount of space to take it all in.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

11. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career: Whether jubilant to be sad or sad to be jubilant, the simple phrasing cut just where it hurt. The Glaswegians’ mix of indelible sadness and celebration was approached in a more poised fashion than their illustrious output had previously seen, making this LP their finest yet. Surging string arrangements and extravagantly lush production made each glorious catharsis all the more hard to take, only increasing my desire to be take the Traceyanne Campbell fangirling to a whole new level and do the obvious – give her a hug.
Position in writers’ top 50: #19

10. Patrick Wolf – The Bachelor: Funded by the fans, this record was an artistic ceremony. Each inch sounded so desperate to impress that it was a pass or fail mission – but fear not, for its perpetrator  concentrated so hard with such determined lyrics that it was to go no way other than a massive pass. The orchestral arrangements were pinpointed to each emotion, and Wolf’s interplay with interpretations of techno-pop and Celtic folk sounded like a homecoming, a personal revolution.
Position in writers’ top 50: #29

9. The Duckworth Lewis Method – The Duckworth Lewis Method: I’m not going to lie here: I’m no a cricket fan. It was the idea of this album that I loved, how sprightly and geeky it sounded. I temporarily became simple as the in-jokes rang out. “Always denied entry by the English gentry/now we’re riding Bentleys playing Twenty20″ they said, and I was filled with an untainted joy that led me to fleeting hour-long Wikipedia trails, teaching myself the idiosyncrasies of cricket. The idea of Hannon and Walsh spewing this gem out for jokes made it all the more addictive.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

8. Micachu and The Shapes – Jewellery: Mica Levi’s distinctive vocals and cohesive, fluff-free experimentation created an album of all-encompassing, neatly plastered together joy.  And I’ll bet my Spotify Premium subscription that Levi’s knowledge and desire to listen to everything was the background to her simultaneously attention-grabbing, attention-shirking debut. That it wasn’t a rumpus for its ambition goes by the wayside. Congratulations, Micachu.
Position in writers’ top 50: #17

7. YACHT – See Mystery Lights: Cryptic, skittering and even comical computer beats set the pace for this hedonistic record released on the ever-excellent DFA imprint. I’d never heard an album sound so wired yet chock-full of ridiculous hooks – the cabalistic minute-long build-up on ‘Summer Song’ offers the perfect snapshot. Simple basslines sat under disaffected vocals, and it sounded like an underwater party. Maybe if YACHT were around a few thousand years ago they’d now be as popular as religion?
Position in writers’ top 50: #48

6. The Whitest Boy Alive – Rules: Coming out too early in the year for it to be remembered (or so I choose to believe), Erlend Øye’s latest outing revelled in a fragile and introspective groove. With dance anthems waiting to escape (‘High On The Heels’, ‘Courage’) playing equal part to in-a-corner think-outs (‘Island’, ‘Intentions’), irresistibly smooth vamps symbolised the quietness craved in spite of Øye’s emotional turmoil. It sounded seasoned, like a weathered voice of self-absorption.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

5. The Puddle - The Shakespeare Monkey: New Zealand’s The Puddle have been making music for 25 years, this album again completely slipping by the wayside. It featured, as ever, a sweet, shambling and velvety delivery meandering a well-read path of topics including infinite probability and human frailty. The polite/angry dichotomy of the guitar-playing reminded me of bands not often recalled like Galaxie 500, The Go-Betweens and Sebadoh. This album was lyric art of the wonkiest indiepop variety, a perfect set of reedy, well-worn literacy.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

4. St Vincent – Actor: Annie Clark’s rowdy prog-pop songs travelled to unexpected places by creating distinct and developed characters. Their numbed emotions were accurately reflected in the sympathetic production, and as the actors’ façades piled on top of each other, their own insecurities came gleaming through. Heavy guitars interspersed the glimmer in between that uniquely plush drollness as the listener became Clark’s foil, a helpless bit-part in the affair.
Position in writers’ top 50: #16

3. The XX – XX: An uncertain record sung as a one-on-one confession or an awkward late-night reveal with probably as many silences as notes, it was unclear whether XX was as stripped-back as being about a sexless sex, an intangible resolve that never came, or something else entirely. We’ll never know. But should it have been monikered ‘brave’ for its starkness? Remarkably not, as the xx’s influences seemed to be so incidental. This band’s exploration happened right before our eyes, in the dark and through a tiny crack in the door. An oh so welcome addition to trendsetters’ Things To Tack Onto And Learn From.
Position in writers’ top 50: #2

2) Lights – Rites: Lights’ endearingly schizoid personality made for an astonishingly sexy stoner record with killer slap-bass, cathartic guitars, soaring triply-dubbed harmonies and fuzzed-up dual vocals from Sophia Knapp and Linnea Vedder. It was an intense listen for sure, ranging from heavy and woozy to escapist and Italo disco-evoking in parts, impossible to find a centre in. The vocals cracked and disappeared into ambiance sometimes before gloopy acid-rock took over, at other times a quiet funk. In spite of the lack of centre, the jubilation was just so euphoric; its knack for creating this real, multi-faceted persona left me baffled as to why it didn’t become more popular than the ultra-cult secret it shamefully became.
Position in writers’ top 50: did not chart

1) Wild Beasts – Two Dancers: With any luck, you’ll have read me gushing about this in our Top 50 countdown series, because it finished top of the writers’ list as well as my own. But just why it was my finest album of the year? Well, the way it snuck out from the realms of outsider-pop for starters, the drug-like nature of how I breathed it in. The way each note rung out leaving me longing for the next; the reverb and the sound of it being played back like it was evolving right before my eyes. And those lyrics, why of course; heavenly metaphors clothed the darkest words in the finest garb. Two Dancers was that album, the one that will be looked back on as an unrivalled masterpiece for years to come.
Position in writers’ top 50: #1

Excuse the hopefully unnecessary patronisation, but if you’ve not read how we got this list (y’know, the formulae and the musoing), then you must! You really. Click here now, go on.

We’ve already revealed who sits from positions 50 to 31 of our top 50 albums of 2009 (yes, this year has been Abundant [intentional capitalisaton]), and with the grand reveal of those sitting between 30 and 21, we get ever closer to the all-seeing Top 20. There’ll be proper paeans to every single one of ‘em, by the writer that loves each one the most. Appetite-whetting indeed.

And then you may begin…

30) Mastodon – Crack the Skye: Sprawlingly-majestic prog metal. It’s a sturdy album [Ed - wut? Don't pretend you're not shocked that your indie-types chose this record above 247 others...], an epic libretto – hell, I dont’ know what I’m talking about, I’m going to go give it a listen. *facepalms*

29) Patrick Wolf – The Bachelor: The catharsis of his previous three LPs, Mr. Wolf’s sound became all the more extravagant. An incredibly cohesive cross-genre mix that remained very aware of its preposterous melodrama and embraced it with expansive Baroque arrangements.

28) Passion Pit – Manners: With songs refreshingly devoid of big hooks, Michael Angelakos’ dizzying falsetto was the defining feature. Each track took its time to swell and the by-product was, well, massively fun. Nice chap too.

27) Girls – Album: Full of pissed up maudlin reflections, the least Googleable band/album combo were well received this year. Their comatose, ’50s-evoking laments were deliberately vapid, and quite unlike anything else on the horizon. They’re that side of drunk, and they’re recreating it well.

26) Fight Like Apes – Fight Like Apes AndThe Curse of the Golden Medallion: The finally-relased album from this Dublin lot is the record you’ll wish you’d got into at the time. Sugared-up slapstick, and a fair cop at it too.

25) The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead: Free of unnecessary filler notes or syllables and drenched in layers of feedback, this second album was a dark and ominous record reflecting the Glaswegians’ teetering between primal fear and macho swagger.

24) Emmy the Great – First Love: An impressive debut from the girl that the boyfriends of the girls who love Adam Green obsess over. It’s an anti-relationships record with no inhibitions, finally revealing the far-more-likeable face behind Emma Lee Moss’ on-stage bravado schtick.

23) Arctic Monkeys – Humbug: A disjointed, reclusive record with big arrangements and in the most part, the substance to back up its departure. Felt like a constant climax to reach the resolve, full of a different frustration but the same discontent as before, only grander.

22) PJ Harvey and John Parish – A Woman A Man Walked By: Violen heartache was on the frontline as Harvey and Parish’s combined disquiet fused into pit-of-gut delivery. More of a must-have than it intended to be.

21) Grammatics – Grammatics: Boldly ambitious in the way it hosted introspective ruminations as much as it did knowingly self-indulgent opuses (see ‘Inkjet Lakes’), it’s one of the lost albums of 2009. Ironic then, that it just missed out on our top 20.

Here is the  40-31 that came before this, and the 50-41 that came before that. Stay tuned for the Top 20, which will run from Monday in blocks of five.

Patrick Wolf

November 15 2009

For all the flack he gets for being gay, posh and dressing like an idiot, you can’t fault Patrick Wolf’s drive and work ethic. This time last year, he was without a record company – he took his half-finished forth record and completed work on a double album, before splitting it into two discs. The first of these, The Bachelor, was released in June this year, with Wolf having funded the remaining recording work and subsequent promotion through the website Bandstocks. Ever the individual, the album featured dark, camp dance-pop songs and string-drenched epics, managing to end up on the right side – just – of overblown.

So he can be forgiven for wanting to cap what has been a year of triumph, struggle and controversy with a spectacular show at London’s Palladium on Sunday night. There was a majestic string section, backing singers, the Voice of Hope (not Tilda Swinton, alas, but some other tall woman in a floaty dress), Florence Welch minus her machine, Alec Empire, glitter and, inevitably, costume changes. What was interesting though was the certain amount of restraint and focus Wolf put into his performance, for the first two-thirds at least, making this one of the best performances I’ve seen him give in some time.

Before all that however, came Micachu and the Shapes. The band sauntered on quietly, heads bowed, in stark contrast to what was to come. The trio are hardly ones for grand statements, and they stood in a triangle in the centre of the stage, looking in at each other. Micachu was picked out by a spotlight in the middle, throughout a set comprised of material new and old. Often she doesn’t sound quite like she’s singing, more like she’s shouting at someone on the other side of the road, but it works within her short, startling songs that sound as cobbled together as the instruments she plays. Their debut Jewellery is one of the more fresh-sounding records of the year, and the set hinted at more pop experiments to come.

When Patrick Wolf did emerge for the start of his set, it was with a slightly different emphasis than we’ve become accustomed to. As the safety curtain moved up to reveal the night’s full line up of musicians, Wolf stood in the centre of the stage, clad all in black. He gave an energetic but still slightly muted performance during the first few songs, allowing the string section to fill out songs like ‘Overture’, ‘Wolf Song’ and ‘Wind In The Wires’. It was a night where he seemed to turn back to confront the introverted, thoughtful Patrick Wolf of old, though there was still plenty of the bravado and drama that have become fixtures of his newer material – his Palladium show found him reconciling his many ‘faces’ for the first time, largely with success.

Some songs that are rarely played live got an airing – ‘Thickets’, written on a bike ride along the river near Hackney Wick, we were told, as well as Wind In The Wires ‘Epilogue’ and ‘Shadow Sea’, the latter as a lead in to the spectacular ‘Bluebells’. As promised prior to the show, some special guests put in appearance – Florence Welch, described by Wolf as one of the best singers in the country, joined him on ‘The Bachelor’, while Alec Empire dominated the latter stages of the night with ‘Battle’, ‘Hard Times’ and the punishing ‘Vulture’.

The night closed with an emotional encore of ‘The Magic Position’ and ‘The Sun Is Often Out’, originally written for one deceased friend, Wolf dedicated it to another that had recently passed away. Promising to return in 2010 (The Conqueror is due sometime next year), Patrick Wolf took in the applause for what he described at one point as the best show of his life. Looking back to his first London show of the year in March just underlines how far he’s come – there was a sense that he had something to prove at that point, but all these months on, his show at the Palladium found him on the cusp, suitably, of some kind of personal and artistic conquest.

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf played a triumphant show at the London Palladium tonight, and the special guests he promised prior to the show proved to be worth the wait.

Florence Welch was surprise addition to the line up, joining Wolf on the title track from his recent album The Bachelor. She was followed by Alec Empire, who took to the stage for a number of tracks, including ‘Battle’, ‘Vulture’ and ‘Hard Times’.

Patrick Wolf’s usual live band was also augmented with a string section and backing singers, allowing him to present material new and old to a predictably ecstatic audience. A full report on tonight’s show will follow soon.

Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf is not only playing the stunning London Palladium on November 15th, but will also be joined by Marc Almond and Alec Empire on stage. The songs will be played with a live string section and gospel choir.

“It is a total honour that I am able to duet with the legendary singer-songwriter, Marc Almond. To me, he is one of the most genius brave and passionate renaissance artists of the last three decades, a total inspiration. He has explored music from Russian folk to Gypsy to being a complete original electronic pop star in his work with Soft Cell.  I met Marc totally randomly last summer whilst finishing off “The Bachelor”, he was moving into the house next door to mine and we bumped into each other on the street, me coming home with my groceries and him moving his furniture in. We hit it off immediately and he has since been a big support and encouragement to me over the last year. With Marc’s amazing new album “Orpheus in Exile” just released and me closing “The Bachelor” album tour in the U.K at the Palladium, it seems perfect for our paths to cross now on-stage. We will be doing two songs together… but time will tell what they may be. Hopefully one from each of our own songbooks. The other fantastic guest will be Alec Empire, flying in from Berlin, we are still preparing our collaboration on the night but it will definitely be a live continuation of the work we have done together over the last two years, representing our co-writes and production on The Bachelor and perhaps one of the forthcoming songs from my next album The Conqueror. To me, Alec is one of the seminal revolutionary beat makers and noise makers around and as always it blows my mind to think we are working together now, when I think back to sneaking in with a fake ID to the London Astoria to see Atari Teenage Riot play, aged 14.”

We’ll have a report for you next week, don’t you worry…

Patrick Wolf

Oh man. In case you missed that news about Patrick Wolf throwing a massive tantrum at C/O Pop, you may need to familiarise yourself with it before reading this more-hilarious-than-Raygun apology. Lucky for you, it’s right here. And here’s the apology, fully unedited:

“I am very sorry that I became too much wolf on stage at C/O Pop. I was singing Shakira’s new song “She Wolf” and I felt my animal instinct to protect my audience. My music is very tribal at the moment, I feel I am protective of all of them. It had been a very long day. I slept well but woke at 4 am to fly to Cologne to start a full day of back to back interviews and photos. My band and crew were setting up onstage and I had no idea of stage times as I do not wear a watch and wasn’t informed that my set was being cut short before I went onstage by the relevant parties.

One of the many people milling around backstage told me that the “music industry conference” had gone on too long. Being someone that thinks the audience comes before the industry, in my tired and promo overloaded tour brain, I took this as a demand for justice for the audience. This is why I directed my aggression, which came at the end of a very heated set, not at a man or woman. I was throwing the stool and the microphone at a black hole part of the stage where no one would get hurt but there would be a statement made… The spit did not land on anyone but was in general a display of “I don’t respect you”. As I said, my show is very tribal at the moment as there is a lot of good in the world to be fighting for. The words “bitch” and “motherfucker” really are not misogynistic words when you live near Soho, London, so let’s put that to rest. My tribe will know that I have over the past 10 years been a public champion for feminism, against ignorance and always fighting in the name of the good fight.

The very bad footage you see on YouTube does not explain that the lady to my left is Victoria my long term violinist and good friend who I protect like a sibling and is not the one I am directing my words or aim to when throwing a piano stool. I would rather hit myself then see Victoria hurt by anyone, or any of my band.

I’m terribly sorry if anyone was upset by this display of closure on a show, but as a human who works like a dog to keep myself in music during these hard times in the industry, I do have off days and bad moments like every other person in the world – although I am not sorry that I am passionate enough about music to care that my crowd didn’t get their money’s worth due to curfews and mismanagement of stage times. I hope you agree. The display of aggression was directed at nobody in particular, just life and darkness and hard times.

I’m sorry if any people got in the way and I hope you can forgive me for causing any damage due to excess negative personal emotion. As you heard or saw, the audience was encoring for almost half an hour. My next album is about hope and romance and love, so I will bring you a bunch of bright red red roses and a box of After Eights next time from a helicopter when I see you all. So, a summary, major miscommunications backstage x lack of sleep due to very busy schedule x singing many songs about battling x an intense education from the extreme parts of London nightlife/wildlife/streetlife as a teenager x Steve Strange going on very late x a full day of cameras flashing and questions x being 26 years old and should have known better = bad wolf

sorry. peace. pace. truce.

Patrick Wolf”

Are we the only ones left wondering whether he’s turned into the Chris Morris of baroque pop? Don’t forget that in April 2007, he announced his retirement from live music in a statement something akin to “A creative clock is ticking and I have many, many projects to be creating with my time left on this earth”.