Finally. This is music i want to listen to, the kind of music i can like unconditionally. Patrick Wolf is a young English man, and he's just perspiring talent.

Lycanthropy, according to his bio, is a collection of songs composed between 1993 (he was 11 at the time) and 2003, telling the story of the metamorphosis of young Patrick into Patrick Wolf. This record is one of the most satisfying i have heard in a while. There are always things bother me, even in my favourite records, how you can't dance to DNTEL because, well, it's cute but not catchy enough (and really, i'd love to dance to DNTEL) or how frustratingly experimental Xiu Xiu can be, sometimes ruining otherwise perfect pop songs. So here comes Patrick Wolf. He sounds like a young, passionate Robert Smith lost sometime in between 1912 and 2004. The Boy Anachronism.

The catchy, danceable pieces never sound easy on the ear, yet there is an solid underlying structure that holds the songs, despite intricate arrangements and instrumentation. He sounds like a boy-Bjork, if such a creature can be imagined. 

If you like minimalism, step out. The songs are basically piano, or guitar, with electronic spiderweb architectures. and then on top of this, add strings and a boy that sings like Robert Smith sometimes. He howls, too. Got to live up to the name. 

I don't know how long it will last but i'm really enjoying listening to Lycanthropy. From the cute campfire opener "Wolf Song" to the club hit "Bloodbeat" to the painful confessions of "The Chilcatcher" ("i was still a child when you caught me and tied me to your bed/ you gave me shoes and pretty clothes, and i gave you what i had between my legs") to the classical/IDM clash of "Paris" to the dance punk anthem "A Boy like Me," little Patrick never fails to amaze. More than a debut album, this is a coming of age record, impressively dense and diverse. I can't help but love this.

DEBUT ALBUM OF THE YEAR (so far)

-Barbara H

/apr 1st 2004/