I really couldn’t pick anyone else to have this week’s Tune of The Week. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Patrick Wolf in Trinity College on Monday where he collected an award from Q Soc for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. We had a little chat afterwards, you’ll hear some on 2XM on the Culture Cafe on Wednesday at 10am.
He finished his set in The Academy with this track and live, it is absolutely massive! This week’s Tune of The Week is Patrick Wolf and This City.
There are times when one, ok I, can be aware of artists, but never really sit down to listen to them. It’s one of the things I love about music, being surprised, getting the buzz. It reminds us all why we fell in love with music to start with.
Patrick Wolf is a clever fellow, the Londoner has taken all the things I love about music and put them in a little package called ‘Lupercalia’. Wolf cleverly uses classical instruments alongside electro beats and samples to produce catchy poptastic treats.
Starting with the lead single ‘The City’, your lugholes are taken and given a good wake up call. The track builds up to a memorable choral refrain. When other artists would be happy to include just string section, Wolf doesn’t, he uses a brass section instead, giving a eighties feel but totally contemporary. Add this to a dance beat and you’re on a winner.
The mood is upbeat on Lupercalia, if it was so named after a pagan purification, then Wolf is in a good place and isn’t afraid to show it. ‘House’ is a modern love song and when Wolf does use strings on the track, the arrangements are interesting and not there just as an added decoration but an integral part of his sound. (more…)