Patrick Wolf is a love singer. From his early days, love was his biggest inspiration, whether cheerful or painful. In my opinion, Lupercalia was the album where he mastered the art of love. Patrick is one of my all-time favorite pop musicians. His lyrics are very idiosyncratic, and each of his albums has a unique dimension that almost no other artist has. He knows how to separate himself from the rest of wannabe creative minds.
Lupercalia came as an antipode to dark and twisted The Bachelor. It’s his fifth album and it is the closest that he has ever been to mainstream pop. He managed to connect early David Bowie and The Killers with modern indietronic love-themed anthems that Richard Hawley would adore. Melodies are rich, but somehow discreet. He never sounds pathetic. Elements of indietronic make this pop standard and extraordinary standard. It is one of the rare albums that grows in tempo almost gradually. There is no empty walk. My personal favorite was Together because I really loved the video. OMG, I am such a millennial. I also think anyone who loves The Killers appreciates Time Of My Life.
Other pearls are The City, House, The Falcons. At one point, he sounds like Bruce Springsteen on the edge of the 80s and then, at the other point, he sounds like Paul Simon.
If you are ever looking for a well-rounded pop album, you should play this one. Patrick Wolf was a pioneer in mixing indie, electronic and pop into a pleasant amalgam. Before Lupercalia, he was sacrificing catchy songs to experiments. His pop instinct was living in a fog. From then on, you could hear it clear. P.S. I was always team Patrick and never team Mika.
