Review: Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor (* * *)

Everyone familiar with Patrick Wolf knows drama is part of the Wolf experience. He's talented, certainly, and ambitious as well, but complimenting his mad pop genius is a love for the theatrical and grandiose that is endearing at the least and captivating at best. His emotionally unstable nature makes for some weighty and depressing songwriting, but for the most part it enhances his complex arrangements and remarkable vocal delivery, heard in a relatively joyful pop presentation on his previous album, 2007’s excellent The Magic Position. For The Bachelor, Wolf kicks things up a notch by further broadening his musical horizons, tackling social and political issues (in addition to more personal emotional traumas) while also embellishing his already eccentric style and taking it in several directions; traditional folk ballads and glam-rock epics are a big part of this set. Driven by both his ego and raging emotions, Wolf frequently gives in to his increasingly dramatic tendencies and has created a wildly uneven album. The Bachelor is both impressive and somewhat frustrating. (Continue Reading...)