Patrick Wolf - "The Magic Position"

With the release of his third full-length album, Patrick Wolf may be going through something of an identity crisis: at times dance-inducing, at times heartbreaking, and occasionally ridiculous, the music of “The Magic Position” is a decidedly mixed bag.

The artist describes his music as “Folktronica,” which seems apt enough—the melodic mix of electronic and traditional instrumentation is really where the album shines. Lyrics about enchantment and stars further ground this image, but the dance-music influence still maintains a respectable presence.

The execution also aids these elements, as the tracks often begin sparsely but gather power and lush instrumentation as they progress.

Most listeners will find it hard to make blanket statements about his music, which would probably thrill Wolf. More than just Bright Eyes with a dreamy foreign accent, Patrick Wolf brings a refreshing burst of talent and energy into today’s limping rock scene.

With an impressively broad musicality, Wolf takes command of synths, guitars, pianos, and violins. Sporting its fair share of hooks, beeps, and drum machines, “The Magic Position” often hides its own musical depth with flashy pop flourishes. But despite some of this lighter fare, Patrick Wolf certainly proves that he is more than capable of good old fashioned songcraft.

That said, nothing’s perfect and “The Magic Position” certainly isn’t, either.

The album starts out strong, with the powerful and enticing “Overture.” Title track “The Magic Position” is, however, a flamboyant bit of bubblegum, and it’s a weak leg for the album to stand on. With its major scale runs and predictable hooks, I wasn’t wowed.

The record is also plagued by trite and uninspired lyrics, but the overall quality and diversity of the music makes this fact forgivable.

Patrick Wolf is a competent musician, and there is some great songwriting and technical virtuosity happening here.

One might view this album as the schizophrenic creation of a deeply sad man trying desperately to be happy, and there are even some moments that foreshadow a move toward the darkness of industrial music.

“The Stars,” “Overture,” and “Bluebells” are the album’s most intriguing tracks, and the song “The Magic Position” is enjoyable enough if you go into it with the right mindset—that is, no mindset. There are a couple other tracks worth listening to, but expect to pick out a few favorite tracks and delete the rest from your hard drive.

“The Magic Position”—the album, that is—casts a strange spell, to be sure, but at the album’s close I was left expecting more.

Patrick Wolf really hints at something great here, but leaves me excited less about what I just heard than about what I’ll hear next. Too many songs on the disc are disposable or redundant, and a cohesive direction is lacking.

But a few solid tracks, good musicianship, and a good deal of tonal creativity may redeem the album for some. In other words, proceed with caution.