- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Q MagazineWorth investigating. [Mar 2007, p.115]
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Even at his laziest, Wolf sounds vastly more intelligent, committed and interesting than his supposed rivals, and "The Magic Position" is full of heart, warmth and beauty.
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It’s easy to overlook a few fizzles in an album stuffed with fireworks.
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But so what if The Magic Position ends up creaking slightly under the weight of its own ambition – surely that’s better than settling for the norm?
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MojoA lot of artists are creatively bankrupt by their third album. But being still only 23, you suspect Patrick Wolf is just coming into his own. [Mar 2007, p.99]
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A true work of genius by a true eccentric.
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If you were looking for a new Bowie, Patrick Wolf is proving himself the Thin White Duke's successor in more than just his extravagant dress sense.
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Wolf sometimes succeeds in emulating Kate Bush’s knack for combining the utterly bizarre with godlike musicianship, but sometimes he falls short.
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Detractors will complain that there's nothing to rival the brutal impact of his earlier recordings, but only towards the end does the new-found positivism grate.
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A wild and beautiful ride.
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The Magic Position sounds laboured by the end. However, it's difficult not to respond to such delirious joie de vivre.
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UncutThe third outstanding album of his career. [Mar 2007, p.103]
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Akin to Bowie's 'Hunky Dory', in its senseless but brilliant eclecticism.
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These tracks... show an entirely new side of Wolf: one that finally puts impeccable pop songcraft ahead of lachrymose keening.
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Rolling StoneWolf's joy is contagious, and there's nothing remotely not awesome about him. [22 Mar 2007, p.80]
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Under The RadarThe only missteps are when he tries to conjure the more dour sensibilities of his older works.... But they're tiny mistakes on an otherwise irrepressible and delightfully inventive pop album. [#17, p.88]
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The Magic Position is a euphoric listening experience not even being a critic can spoil.
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Paste MagazineComplex yet catchy, lush yet groomed, and organically digital, The Magic Position is how pop radio must sound to the brutally insane. [May 2007, p.63]
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UrbHis best full-length. [May 2007, p.98]
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Ranging from dense electronica to stark piano ballads to an amalgamation of indie pop, electronica, and concert orchestra, The Magic Position envisions a magical world where Wolf has everything he could ever want at his disposal.
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SpinThe songs are about love and sex, but a hint of nihilism still lingers in Wolf's melodramatic vibrato. [May 2007, p.91]
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For anyone who has enjoyed even the briefest of flirtations with pop music, The Magic Position is as bold and captivating a record as you will surely hear all year.
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Rarely has spilling one's heart been such a colorful affair.
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The Magic Position loses a little focus near the end, but flashes of inspired lunacy like the jarring arrival of a spectral Marianne Faithfull on the spooky "Magpie" help to make this unpredictable collection of Victorian-peaked electro/folk-pop so hard to dislike.
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While there aren't any downright bad tracks on The Magic Position, it does have several places where it seems to lose a bit of focus before honing back in on things again.
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The Magic Position feel[s] more like a missed opportunity than a legitimate breakthrough album.
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FilterFey, agonized chamber pop at its most tortuously fetching. [#25, p.90]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 52 out of 59
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Mixed: 2 out of 59
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Negative: 5 out of 59
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seandJul 29, 2007
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PWolfJul 25, 2007I'm sorry I made such a shit record
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NikkiGJul 11, 2007Fun when it wants to be... yet convincingly serious when it wants to be as well. Very enjoyable to listen to!