Tag Archives: Patrick Wolf

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Higher Plain Music’s Top 10 Artist Albums of 2012

In 2012 I felt that actually some of my usual favourite artists played it very safe and therefore when I came to look at whose made the top 10 albums of the year, there are four completely new artists to me and two that I’ve only known since last year. That’s exciting for my ears for the years to come.

A few self-imposed rules are in this time round. Tori Amos’ Gold Dust (not that it’d have made it) and Patrick Wolf’s “Sundark & Riverlight” (could have done) are reworks of older music that I’ve chosen to ignore them. Also Atticus Finch & Imogen Heap, despite making some of my favourite music, have done only singles in 2012 and therefore isn’t included as there’s no album yet. A separate top 10 for game soundtracks will feature later.

 

Honourable Mentions: Jesca Hoop, A City on A Lake, Module, Garbage & Sunday Lane.

arcana

10) Arcana – As Bright As A Thousand Suns

Arcana have been around for years and I preferred the more melodic and percussive band effort compared to the melancholic Peter Bjargo solo album. It’s one of those albums you feel like you’ve already known for ages with the beautiful mesh of different instruments from aeons passed.

Try Out: As Bright As A Thousand Suns

Anathema09) Anathema – Weather Systems

I had never heard of the band before a “You may like” on Amazon presented their album to me. From just the samples I felt like I’d been on a journey. The guitar work, the way the tracks just build and build into life defining climaxes and the vocal and string arrangements are simply amazing.

Try Out: Lightning Song

soap&skin08) Soap&Skin – Narrow

The wonderfully detuned and mumble happy Soap&Skin returned with a short but beautifully formed second album fusing her piano and industrial bleep roots together. What was made see’s her ripping her heart out and smearing it over your speakers. Her screams are like yelps and the quiet moments are like lullaby’s for the lost.

Try Out: Boat Turns Toward the Port

clatter07) Clatter – Garden of Whatever

Rifftastic bass/drum duo Clatter blasted back onto my speakers in 2012 with their best album to date mixing nutty percussive chops, strong vocals and euphoric choruses to mosh to. I still feel like I have to tell everyone there’s only two in the duo as there’s so much sound coming from them – it’s my favourite rock album of 2012.

Try Out: Strawberry Park

Alt-J06) Alt-J – An Awesome Wave

Yes, they are an indie rock group but I don’t think of them as a rock group – they’re like a spacious story group. Alt-J go out of their way to make sure no song follows a well trodden path and their lyrics are cryptically awesome. I’m so glad they got the Mercury Prize this year although I hope that doesn’t mean doom like so many others before them.

Try Out: Breezeblocks

iamamiwhoami05) Iamamiwhoami – Kin

Internet sensation for her music video strangeness, Kin marked her first full album release. It’s dirty, filthy, emotive and like you’re freaking out in slow motion. I personally love the way it all feels together as one seamless piece in a way and when played with the barmy DVD of continuous music videos telling a story of sorts, it only draws you further into the world of Kin.

Try Out: Drops

W13904) Lila Rose – Heart Machine

Such an early release in 2012, Lila Rose became my favourite album in 2012 for a lot of it until some later releases pushed it down. The mix of pop beats along with mature alternative slants, minor keys and Lila’s very downbeat vocal delivery that suggests knowledge beyond her years all merge perfectly to make easily the best radio playable album of 2012. It’s like she’s found her own mini percussive piano pop genre for herself.

Try Out: Casting Shadows

carinaround03) Carina Round – Tigermending

Recently reviewed a few weeks ago, Carina Round’s latest album is such a repost to clean-cut music. Messy, harrowing, haunting, unleashed and furious in places, Tigermending’s synth alt-rock mash-up goes out its way to tell you stories from the bottle of every bottle and alleyway. Carina has never sounded so good and she can still push out anthemic ballads too.

Try Out: Weird Dream

fionaapple02) Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

Fiona’s output is slow at best but it is always worth the wait. In many ways The Idler Wheel is her most direct and simple to date but with the purity comes the undistilled emotional impact of each song. Her vocals rasp and growl, her melodies stay stuck in your head for days and way the album comes together as a whole is phenomenal.

Try Out: Anything We Want

deadcandance01) Dead Can Dance  - Anastasis

After thinking for many year it would never happen I was delighted to have Dead Can Dance back together and their album proved that sometimes when two people work together magic happens regardless. An exercise in music of period and territories, each track pushes off into different versions of the Middle East. The instrumentation is rich, the melodies are sumptuous, the vocals of Brendan and Lisa are as strong as ever and although the album feels like they are separate in many ways, you can feel looking deeper how each has effected the other. Mesmerising.

Try Out: Kiko

And there we have it. My favourite albums of 2012.

Don’t forget you can also listen or even buy my latest studio album here too which I would be blessed to be considered in anyone elses top 10 of anything :-)

The top 10 game soundtracks of 2012 will feature soon.

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Patrick Wolf – “Sundark and Riverlight” Review

Patrick Wolf’s music career has always been a bit under the radar from most people but he has gained a cult following over the ten years. “Sundark and Riverlight” covers songs over his whole career but each song has been rerecorded stripped back to real instruments – mostly guitar and string based.

Disc 1 opens with “Wind in the Wires” which is delicate  and haunting with the strings really keeping a certain creepiness intact. “Oblivion” is just an acoustic guitar and vocal rendition which is a tad too simplistic for my tastes on the guitar front as it holds no power but is certainly a brand new song for your ears compared to the original. “The Libertine” instead fairs much, much better as its pushed by a string quartet based with some Eastern twangs to the lead string. Its dark and the choruses are fantastic – especially when the marching drums hit in. “Vulture” is another song utterly transformed into a brooding piano and vocal track – its almost unrecognisable. It’s great that Patrick is brave enough to sometimes turn things on their head. “Hard Times” is given the Bangla spin with the sumptuous string arrangements brought forward around simple percussion that sounds like a large Bodhran and a dulcimer being brought in for one of my favourite arrangements on the album. “Bitten” takes all the electronic and shares the melodies out over pianos and strings and straddles a strange line between being a full acoustic version and feeling like it really wants drums – but it is still very beautiful. “Overture” (for track 7?) has an epic air punching bass drum to pulse behind the strings, harps and ukes. It doesn’t have the manic drums but it still feels grande and heavy. Disc 1′s closer is “Paris” brings out the harpsichord to join the strings for an upbeat and glorious rendition of the track.

“Together” kicks off disc 2 with an almost Spanish guitar rework of the track with the little fills and trickles of the acoustic guitars. By the time the quartet are in its become something quite serene and floaty. “The Magic Position” has lost none of its sheer glee and rainbow filled happiness although it doesn’t feel quite the same without drums kicking in but its a valid alternative. “Bermondsey Street” transforms into a bluesy double bass and finger clicking good track with a gentle warmth throughout. “Bluebells” has a complex interaction between the harp, accordions and piano and actually feels faster despite its lack of percussion. It’s like its played in waves thanks to the accordions. Its a great fresh twist. Another track utterly transformed is “Teignmouth” which is deliciously dark and feels like a completely brand new track – perfect for this time of year. Sad and spooky. “London” is stripped back to a simple piano melody and is then embellished with various woodwind instruments that push to the fore more over the course of the track. Simple but effective. The woodwind stay for “House” as they continue to to permeate around happy guitars and Patrick’s strong vocal delivery – as it has been throughout with very little if any backing vocals at all. The closer is “Wolf Song” which is actually quite similar to the original but more string focused.

A lot of people complain it seems that Patrick Wolf’s albums are heavily produced and he should strip back his compositions to make them more organic. I don’t agree. I often revel in all the fun nuances he puts in and appreciate them. As a general rule, this album is excellent and shows that his songs can hold up in a more simple format but I for one would be more than happy to have him keep pushing his boundaries and then to do round up acoustic albums like these every 10 years! A must have for fans, not the best starting point for everyone else.

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Patrick Wolf – “Lupercalia” Review

Patrick Wolf returns with his fifth album “Lupercalia” and this time the boy’s joyous and shout it out happy. The walk walks the fine line of deliriously happy alternative pop and makes The Magic Position feel like a warm up emotionally.

“The City” is unabashedly happy with smashing tom drums, trumpet fanfare, a saxophone (argh) riff and warped vocal adlibs. You can help but feel like you want to join the street party as the catchy chorus soars and peaks emotionally. It reminds me very much of The Magic Position in terms of style and emotion. “House” in a style contrast sounds like he stole Vanessa Carlton’s next big hit and remixed it with Abba. The happy bright piano chords underscored with bold orchestration as the disco rock drums pound away, this has massive hit written all over it. “Bermondsey Street” is another gush of pride and love with a chirpy riff of piano/harp samples backed with a stomping drum beat and this time it feels like we’re channelling Madness at times. Catchy, fun and deliriously happy like a carnival, the opening trio will set the tone for the rest of the album.

“The Future” turns to a more rockier edge with lots of country twang in the verses before big orchestral toms smash in for the chorus which again uplift the listener into a glorious middle section and euphoric ending – easily the best uprising on the album to date. “Armistice” is first quiet spot on the album while distorted guitars echo and vocals are shouting. It’s a beautiful track that slowly builds and evolves without ever breaking out into a frenzy and it stands out because of it. “William” is a strange and quirky inclusion, a fifty second track that’s experimental with lots of electronic noises and an Indian vocal flick of an ending. Very curious!

“Time of My Life” opens with a grand string section before the song starts properly as it builds and builds into a great cross genre track of rocky elements, electronica bass lines and beautiful string arrangements running throughout. This is where Patrick comes into his own. It’s happy, its catchy, but it’s not cheap pop either. The beginning tracks aren’t cheap pop either, but they go straight for the hook. This is more about creating a soundscape and it works better. One of his best tracks to date. “The Days” is the dreamy waltz on the album. Rich and sumptuous, the string arrangements are beautiful and the deep but sparse percussion compliments the strings perfectly. Wolf’s vocals are on top-notch throughout but seem extra emotional here.

“Slow Motion” is the second dreamy ballad of the album, at least for the first half of the track. There’s some great random sound effects thrown into the track such as sliding electronic buzzings and Indian inflected vocal snippets again and they strangely all work. There’s a really speedy keyboard underscore that when everything else falls away makes the track feel like it’s jumping around like a cassette tape. It’s inventive and effecting. “Together” takes a twist to 80′s pop with electronic arpeggios and heavily bled vocals seeping through the speakers. Not sounding too far from The Petshop Boys in some ways, its catchy and simple but with all the inventive little trinkets you can find in the production of a usual Patrick Wolf track. The closing track “The Falcons” is an epic finale with a real stadium pleasing chorus and ends the album with an energy filled happy number.

It’s funny “Lupercalia” is in many ways Patrick’s most straight forward work. The opening trio almost feel like a separate entity to the rest of the album in style, if not tone. After that Patrick settles into more familiar audio territory and while it feels like an old friend, this time they have a massive grin on their face. By far the happiest works of Mr Wolf – that will determine where it falls in your order of album favourites. Patrick however, is massively accomplished as a musician and a songwriter and deserves huge credit regardless.

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Video Vault – Patrick Wolf (Plus free album stream)

Patrick Wolf’s new album Lupercalia is out monday and “House” is the latest single from it. You can firstly view the music video below where his new hair style is in full motion! Definately a more mainstream pop-rock sound this time round it seems.

You can also stream the entire album for free from the Guardian website. I’m holding off until I get the album on monday but a full review will be coming, rest assured!

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Most Viewed – July 2009

overclockedremixWell was there really any doubt? OverClocked Remix absolutely smashed the charts with almost more views on OCR posts than the rest of the site put together! Only Imogen Heap’s track listing for her latest album Ellipse was able to pull in big numbers too. Interesting we had almost exactly the same number of visitors as June (14 difference) and it was our third most viewed month of the sites history. We did break one new record, our first day with more than 200 hits! August should be a great month too. Let’s enjoy the summer!

01) OverClocked Remix (RE)

02) Imogen Heap (v)

03) Brendan Perry (^)

04) Utada (^)

05) Vienna Teng (v)

06) Hiroki Kikuta (RE)

07) Akira Yamaoka (v)

08) Natalie Imbruglia (NE)

09) Patrick Wolf (v)

10) Dead Can Dance (v)

Top 3 Games Reviews

01) Numblast

02) Trash Panic

03) Magic Ball

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Most Viewed – June 09

June missed being our most busiest month by just 21 hits so March 09 still holds the crown of busiest month – however for the first time ever one artist completely outrun everyone else by such a margin, their top post (our most viewed post this month) had more hits than the second, third and fourth busiest posts combined! Well done the Imogen Heap – everyone’s gone mad over the tracklist for Ellipse and we’ll be buying the album on release day so expect a sharp review on the day (provided its in shops – we couldn’t get a copy for Speak For Yourself in a store and had to buy online and wait). Patrick Wolf, Dead Can Dance & Vienna Teng’s album reviews all followed behind. Here’s the top 10 artists followed by the only two game reviews on site (we will be doing a top 5 game hits too). Congrats to Lisa Germano for making a new entry and Tori Amos, number 1 last month, dropped straight back out the charts again! June should be a busy month with lots of reviews not just here, but over on new site I Love Disaster Movies, which is another personal indulgence to another hobby of mine! Enjoy the summer!

01) Imogen Heap (1 Month)

02) Patrick Wolf (RE)

03) Dead Can Dance (RE)

04) Vienna Teng (-)

05) Akira Yamaoka (^)

06) Utada (v)

07) Brendan Perry (-)

08) Sarah Slean (v)

09) Lisa Germano (NE)

10) Yasunori Mitsuda (RE)

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Patrick Wolf – “The Bachelor” Review

I must admit I came to Patrick Wolf very late – last year in fact. It’s not very often someone strikes a chord on the very first listen but it happened with Patrick. The Bachelor is his fourth full length album and came out yesterday and is more of the same and then some.

“Kreigspier” opens like an electronic air-raid siren before “Hard Times” jumps in with his unique brand of electronic alternative classical pop rock. There is an eastern influence on the strings which embellish over the punchy pop-rock tune. It’s not as glamorous and spangled  as his last album but is definitely single worthy and is a great introduction to everything Patrick Wolf.

“Oblivion” continues the electro-rock cross over a Metal Mickey beat. What is clear is that the production is a great part of the music here. The anti-pop beats make everything seem approachable yet layered with depth. “Oblivion” is a bit scatterbrained but better for it as it never sits still. Title track “The Bachelor” sounds like a pub song in a way, but to say so gives it complete injustice. It’s reminds me of Patrick’s songs that you can imagine him playing on his door step in the desert. It’s a song you can listen to repeatedly and find new noises in it too.

“Damaris” is epic. From the echoed drums to the 80′s synths to the swelling string sections to the backing choir, this track is nothing short of stunning and one his best songs to date. There’s just something about it. “Thickets” is the Celtic song of the album with Irish flutes and soothing percussion and strings again and its beautifully sublime. This album has a particular richness in its sound which really boosts the overall feel on the album.

“Count of Casualty” is genius. It sounds like a chip-tune (which I love). Of course other instruments come in too but the use of what sounds like a game over crash of an old SNES/Genesis game is great. The song is quite abstract but it lures you in and the haunting effect of the backing vocals really work for the chorus. “Who Will?” slows the pace down with a organ led track with various electric piano extras. The percussion eventually joins in but its filtered out and so makes the track stand out as its almost turned inside out  in terms of its audio.

Single “Vulture” is Patrick Wolf at his electronic best and will please fans of his first two albums and it reminds me of Fischerspooner in a way. I love the bending of notes in this track and its something that’s used throughout the album but comes to fore here. “Blackdown” changes everything to organic instruments with a piano led track. Being the sole “ballad” so far it sounds out even if  its not exactly slow and then half way through it becomes a band track. It is beautiful however if initially a bit hard to follow but the bridge is sumptuous.

“The Sun Is Often Out” isn’t the happy track I thought it’d be looking at the title. It’s a string/vocal track that is both haunting and emotive. It sits perfectly in amongst all the technical tracks and the climax with the choir is fantastic. “Theseus” (along with “Thickets”) has a narration running through it and there’s all kinds of guest vocal snippets scattered throughout the album. This track reminds me of his earlier albums, its serene, slightly folksy and alternative all at the same time and the sitar embellishment is a nice touch.

“Battle” is a return to the electro-pop-rock at the start of the album but this is Patrick running riot. This is an anthem through and through from the screaming “Fight!” to the rocking guitar riffs. It reminds me a bit of a rocked up Adam and the Ants. The closer “The Messenger” is an interesting closer and uses some familiar chord structures from other songs of his. It reminds me of “This Weather” and in fact sounds just like it in the verses. The chorus’ are different enough however and sounds like a Wolf-esque space odyssey.

“The Bachelor” is another triumph. New fans are start here, old fans can rediscover here. Patrick’s sound has moved enough to stay fresh, even if his chords don’t always change – which is no small accomplishment. Patrick has yet to make a dud and by this effort, he doesn’t even look close to.

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Patrick Wolf – “Careless Talk” New Song

Patrick Wolf has uploaded a new song onto his myspace page. Entitled “Careless Talk” this is done in a 1950′s style light jazz and kind of reminds me of a less playful “Enchanted”. Clocking in at only 2:15 its short and sweet but doesn’t outstay its welcome. It was released on “The Edge of Love” soundtrack last month.

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Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position Review

Patrick Wolf’s third full length album “The Magic Position” is an excellent hybrid of alternative pop, electronic anthems and heart squeezing moments of beauty.

“The Magic Position” like previous albums has a certain hook that crops up throughout. First heard in the joyous “Overture” the violins shriek in joy with the drum rolls and complimented by Patrick’s soaring vocals. This disastrous pop to the minority is a new sound for Wolf and it works so well. The title track follows and that’s where it is most prominent. It’s like taking a cheesy euro-dance track and arranging it for the alternative fans. It’s quite unique until recently where others have jumped on-board but the song itself is genius demented fairytale. “Accident and Emergency” finishes the first trio off in electro pop heaven in similar vein to “Tristan” but less in your face.

“The Bluebell” is a bluesy introduction to “Bluebells” which uses firework sounds to cause an interesting drum circle in what is my joint favourite track on the album. It’s very much like a coming together of Patrick’s acoustic and electronic sides in a perfect mix, singing a dark happy song with downbeat lyrics. It’s such a mish-mash its fantastic. My other favourite track “Magpie” follows, like something Kate Bush should have written, Patrick takes on the voice of a Magpie in a bizarre duet that works so creepily and beautifully at the same time with piano and violin adding effect. Again, genius.

Ambient “X” leads into “Augustine” a lovely relatively straightforward band effort and as its the one one it comes across fresh and it’s catchy melody strays with you for long after. “Secret Garden” may only be a minute and a half with only two lines but it encompasses artistic elements and story telling in a great way and is my favourite and most original short piece on the album.

“Get Lost” returns to the delightful alt-pop deliriously happy side of the album to great effect singing all about the best parts of love. “Enchanted” is a jazz/blues fused smokey bar song and a rare quiet moment on the album but I quickly overlook it for that. Mainly because “Stars” is such a fantastic closer of electric bleeps and a slow build up that pays off with an emotional climax. “Finale” finishes off with a one note extension that’s similar to holding the last chord on a concert while you get a standing ovation…

…And that’s what “The Magic Position” gets. A standing ovation from start to end. It’s deliriously off kilter, mainstream and alternative all at the same time. Patrick deserves every piece of credit as with three albums in he shows no signs of weakness and if his originality holds out I can already see his 4th album to be a roaring success.

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Patrick Wolf Blogs On New Album & DVD!

I must confess I stumbled upon Patrick Wolf about a month ago and he has been my best new discovery of 2008 to date. In his blog he states that a live performance at Shepards Bush will be used for a TV performance and then an extended version will be used for his first DVD set for release in the second half of 2008. He’s also started working on album number 4 so we look forward to that later on too!