Album Review: Patrick Wolf - Sundark & Riverlight

Patrick Wolf's new record, Sundark & Riverlight, is dark and introspective and certainly speaks to a remarkable level of vocal and instrumental confidence, but does however suffer from a slight sense of repetitiousness at times.

The tone of the record is firmly established from its opening moments, with the slow violin lines, deep vocals and full texture of Wind In The Wires. The initial impressions of some level of repetitiveness to the content and form of the record are given by The Libertine, whose melancholic string lines and lyrics begin to feel very similar to those of the foregoing tracks. This formula is then reused in Vulture; however each track certainly has impressively complex, distinct, poetic lyricism that makes them impressive nonetheless.

A welcome change in pace occurs with Hard Times, which is faster and more upbeat than the tracks that precede it, and is also one of the catchiest and most effective tracks on the album. Wolf further displays his versatility and musical prowess with Paris, whose violin introduction gives it a classical feel and whose more optimistic vocals display an impressive range and really captivate the listener.

At times, certain tracks on this record, such as Together, feel slightly disjointed, as though the instrumental arrangement and vocal lines are somehow disconnected. However at other times tracks on the album, such as Bermondsey Street, achieve this coherent marriage of musical lines and vocal content absolutely flawlessly. The record then finishes with Wolf Song, which is energetic and fast-paced and a good choice of closer. While the record does feel slightly dull at times by virtue of its lack of variation, it remains a remarkably accomplished record that showcases the artist's talents confidently and comprehensively.