Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Review
The Bachelor was originally intended to make half a double album, with the second half called The Conqueror, which is now expected in 2010. This first album is, according to Patrick Wolf, loosely based on his life and experiences as a single man away from home; 'heartbroken and in deep dispair [sic]'.
Firmly planting himself as the hero, Patrick tells a winding tale plunging depths to retribution, ostentatiously bloated with high camp, vast orchestration and drama.
Patrick enlists the help of folk royalty Eliza Carthy to duet with him on The Bachelor, a song about a pig farmer who needs someone to look after his pigs after his death.
Wolf sounds like David Sylvian covering Marc Almond throughout. Much here is angry and questioning, with odd moments of optimism. Damaris is an uplifting song punctuated by military drums, chimes and slight recorder in the background, plus a throaty voiced chorus, urging the listener to rise up.
Actress Tilda Swinton's spoken narrative acts as a familiar accompanying Wolf on his journey. Sometimes her received pronunciation can distance the whole experience. On Theseus, for instance, her spoken repetitions of Wolf's singing ('freedom!'! 'lover!'!) remind you of a children's fantastical drama and render the otherwise joyful and well orchestrated arrangement ridiculous.
Patrick's dramatic persona cannot always mask the lack of melodic content. The Sun is Often Out, written about a poet friend's suicide, may be overloaded with violins, but very little happens. The laboured delivery leaves the listener cold rather than empathetic.
The album comes with rambling notes from Wolf detailing the ideas behind each song. For example, Vulture was written from his experience of spending a few days in a hotel room with a Satanist. High-minded and fantastical songs are grounded by such explanations, and without this knowledge, the listener might be more open to his musical ideas.
Those who find Wolf's life as fascinating as he does will receive The Bachelor well; those who don't should steer clear of the lyrics and enjoy the fantasy for what it is. --Lucy Davies
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
With a spirit of desire and movement more present then ever in this, Patrick's fourth chapter, here is a offering of immense maturity and spirit, gracefully exploring the everlasting growing pains of a commensurate artist and brilliant soul. Both Subtle and hard hitting, once again this album is a progression in Patrick's musical journey.
Like the rest of Patrick's back catalogue, the album is incredibly emotive and cathartic. Indeed it seems to me the feel of this album can change depending on the mood of the listener.
On one had it takes hard experiences and lays them bare and clear and grating, and on the other, it shows the need for them to make us move forward, work harder, see the light set against the darkness.
' Give me hard times,
I'll work harder, harder
For revolution'
In this album Patrick has gone even further in clashing and melding more traditional sounds (particularly prevalent in tracks like 'thickets' and 'theseus' which carry a real celtic spirit in them) with fast paced and sometimes cutting processed sound (shown in 'count of casualty' and 'oblivion') This Celtic lilt is certainly the way forward, a greatly mature and modern progression i love the classical style of folk story telling in songs like 'Damaris'. The equivalency of fast paced songs to ballads is just right.
My only gripe with the album is the song Battle, which, although a good attempt at a more 'rock-n-roll' song, it falls short of the rest, as (imo) the lyrics sound a little awkward and the style forced.
My favourite song on the album is its Tenth track 'Blackdown'
'wet afternoon breath
was taken deep into my lungs
thinking of the man i must become
my story has just begun
and i will be returning to myself soon'
It is a beautiful thing to see such a talented musician create like this, and i urge you to experience this album.
We must remember too that this album was in a major way financed though Bandstocks, meaning that it was Mr. Wolf's fans that stood to loose out if he didn't create something wonderful. Despite the added pressure this must have created the extra freedom of expression has shown us what an artist can do when really allowed to take their idea and run.
Brava Patrick, waiting for part two now with great expectation.
Like the rest of Patrick's back catalogue, the album is incredibly emotive and cathartic. Indeed it seems to me the feel of this album can change depending on the mood of the listener.
On one had it takes hard experiences and lays them bare and clear and grating, and on the other, it shows the need for them to make us move forward, work harder, see the light set against the darkness.
' Give me hard times,
I'll work harder, harder
For revolution'
In this album Patrick has gone even further in clashing and melding more traditional sounds (particularly prevalent in tracks like 'thickets' and 'theseus' which carry a real celtic spirit in them) with fast paced and sometimes cutting processed sound (shown in 'count of casualty' and 'oblivion') This Celtic lilt is certainly the way forward, a greatly mature and modern progression i love the classical style of folk story telling in songs like 'Damaris'. The equivalency of fast paced songs to ballads is just right.
My only gripe with the album is the song Battle, which, although a good attempt at a more 'rock-n-roll' song, it falls short of the rest, as (imo) the lyrics sound a little awkward and the style forced.
My favourite song on the album is its Tenth track 'Blackdown'
'wet afternoon breath
was taken deep into my lungs
thinking of the man i must become
my story has just begun
and i will be returning to myself soon'
It is a beautiful thing to see such a talented musician create like this, and i urge you to experience this album.
We must remember too that this album was in a major way financed though Bandstocks, meaning that it was Mr. Wolf's fans that stood to loose out if he didn't create something wonderful. Despite the added pressure this must have created the extra freedom of expression has shown us what an artist can do when really allowed to take their idea and run.
Brava Patrick, waiting for part two now with great expectation.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Patrick Wolf's fourth album is his first recorded with a budget, in proper studios, and with serious collaborations (The Magic Position's dalliance with Marianne Faithful notwithstanding in the facer of Eliza Carthy, Matthew Herbert, Tilda Swinton, and Alec Empire, who all appear here). It's also, (in)famously partly funded by donations from fans paid via the internet - £100,000 to mix the album and subsidise early tours.
The resulting record may well alienate fans of the low-fi, bedroom caterwauling that made up his debut, Lycanthropy, or the lonesome promontory folk of Wind In The Wires. It may even confuse fans of the pop-inclined Magic Position, his last album from 2007. But it shouldn't, because The Bachelor, a collection of songs charting the dark days and emotions that followed his brush with major record labels and existential panic, is a terrific record that sees Patrick step not only out of his bedroom but also out of the shadow of his key influences - namely Kate Bush and David Bowie.
Because have no doubts about it; this is a big, elaborate, ostentatious record that has more in common with The Hounds Of Love than with whoever's trendy with the gatekeepers of indie taste in 2009. Swinging from darkly tinged, sexually-charged electro on Vulture to bona fide English folk traditions on the title track, Thickets, and Blackdown, and taking in dramatic string & choir laden ruminations on loneliness such as Damaris and Theseus, as well as full-on guitar driven anthemic rock (Hard Times), and perfect symbioses of all of this distilled into perfect dissonant pop nuggets (Oblivion), it covers all the bases that Patrick has traversed through his career thus far, only now it does so with a stronger purpose, with more accomplished songs - with a sense of ambition and pride and imperative.
Yes, it verges on overblown on numerous occasions; yes, choirs are deployed; yes, Patrick's vocals are now dramatically accomplished and refined rather than the castrato terror that typified his debut: but this is what happens when a gifted boy grows into a talented man. Some people will doubtless see this as a betrayal or a loss; others will recognise it as an evolution.
That £100,000 is well spent, too, because this is a gorgeous-sounding record, rich with timbre and scale, depth and dynamics, flutes and violas and sequencers and ancient synthesisers and guitars and drums and ukulele and grand piano and church organ and double bass and sitar and "circuit bent mobile phone" and cutlery percussion and massed voices recorded and mixed with real skill and attention to sonic detail.
If you can't tell, I think this is Patrick Wolf's masterpiece.
The resulting record may well alienate fans of the low-fi, bedroom caterwauling that made up his debut, Lycanthropy, or the lonesome promontory folk of Wind In The Wires. It may even confuse fans of the pop-inclined Magic Position, his last album from 2007. But it shouldn't, because The Bachelor, a collection of songs charting the dark days and emotions that followed his brush with major record labels and existential panic, is a terrific record that sees Patrick step not only out of his bedroom but also out of the shadow of his key influences - namely Kate Bush and David Bowie.
Because have no doubts about it; this is a big, elaborate, ostentatious record that has more in common with The Hounds Of Love than with whoever's trendy with the gatekeepers of indie taste in 2009. Swinging from darkly tinged, sexually-charged electro on Vulture to bona fide English folk traditions on the title track, Thickets, and Blackdown, and taking in dramatic string & choir laden ruminations on loneliness such as Damaris and Theseus, as well as full-on guitar driven anthemic rock (Hard Times), and perfect symbioses of all of this distilled into perfect dissonant pop nuggets (Oblivion), it covers all the bases that Patrick has traversed through his career thus far, only now it does so with a stronger purpose, with more accomplished songs - with a sense of ambition and pride and imperative.
Yes, it verges on overblown on numerous occasions; yes, choirs are deployed; yes, Patrick's vocals are now dramatically accomplished and refined rather than the castrato terror that typified his debut: but this is what happens when a gifted boy grows into a talented man. Some people will doubtless see this as a betrayal or a loss; others will recognise it as an evolution.
That £100,000 is well spent, too, because this is a gorgeous-sounding record, rich with timbre and scale, depth and dynamics, flutes and violas and sequencers and ancient synthesisers and guitars and drums and ukulele and grand piano and church organ and double bass and sitar and "circuit bent mobile phone" and cutlery percussion and massed voices recorded and mixed with real skill and attention to sonic detail.
If you can't tell, I think this is Patrick Wolf's masterpiece.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It is not a great album, I can tell you for sure. There are few memorable songs, many are under-inspired, others are just bad. Silly peaks here and there troughout the album's lenght. Also noticeable the presence of what is actually looking like a ill-concealed lack of original ideas.
It's the weakest album in my collection along with Bruce Springsteen's "The Promise", for that matters.
It's the weakest album in my collection along with Bruce Springsteen's "The Promise", for that matters.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
WOLF IN REVERSE
Listened to this album after getting Lupercalia, and after the first listen, personally i dont think its as good, but i will give it more time obviously, loved lupercalia
Published 19 days ago by LC
Epic brilliance
Patrick Wolf came onto my radar a few years ago with The Magic Position, a delightfully catchy, somewhat indie release evocative of early Human League, so my initial reaction to... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2010 by Emily Wood
Something different and special
Never heard of Paddy Wolf before seeing him at on the tv at the recent Reading/Leeds festival, so this is the first album I have brought of his. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2009 by Mark Bates
Baroque and Roll Splendour
That any single recording might contain an Ondes Martenot
(an extraordinary sonic tool beloved by the composer Olivier Messiaen)
and the sublimely strange Tilda Swinton... Read more
(an extraordinary sonic tool beloved by the composer Olivier Messiaen)
and the sublimely strange Tilda Swinton... Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2009 by The Wolf
His finest yet
This is without doubt Patrick Wolf's most ambitious, accomplished and impressive album to date. Thoroughly recommended.
Published on 8 Jun 2009 by D. W. Hawkes
Brilliant!
Just want to affirm what people have already said very well here, this is a beautiful, bold, epic, album, sumptously produced, Patrick has certainly grown, he sounds more command... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2009 by R. Hunt
incredible
First listen I was unsure, but I left it playing and was hooked. A little familiarity turned the complexity of the songs from keeping me out to drawing me into incredible songs,... Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2009 by Village Em
Outstanding
I cannot recommend this album enough to anybody. Despite its dark undertones, there is a slight glimmer of hope in some of the melodies and lyrics, subtly included to add depth to... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2009 by Christopher Baird
ICARUS
It is with a broken-hearted sigh that we start writing this review. After several listens of THE BACHELOR, PATRICK WOLF's fourth album, the only words that come to mind are:... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2009 by Gideon
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
