The Magic Position is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf. It was released on 26 February 2007. The album features collaborations with Marianne Faithfull and Edward Larrikin of Larrikin Love as well as backing vocals by Wolf's sister Jo Apps and also bass and alto clarinet instrumentation by Derek Apps. The album was preceded by the singles "Accident & Emergency" and "Bluebells".

The Magic Position
Studio album by
Released26 February 2007
GenreFolktronica, indietronica
Length40:49
LabelLoog
ProducerPatrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf chronology
Wind in the Wires
(2005)
The Magic Position
(2007)
The Bachelor
(2009)
Singles from The Magic Position
  1. "Accident & Emergency"
    Released: 23 October 2006
  2. "Bluebells"
    Released: 1 January 2007
  3. "The Magic Position"
    Released: 26 March 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Drowned in Sound[2]
The Guardian[3]
NME[4]
No Ripcord[5]
Pitchfork8.3/10[6]
Playlouder[7]
Slant Magazine[8]
Stylus MagazineA[9]
This Is Fake DIY[10]

Music critics and Wolf himself have noted that this album marks a departure from the musical style of his previous two albums, with this one being more pop-oriented. He cites Boney M and Giorgio Moroder as influences.[11] Slant Magazine named The Magic Position the best album of 2007.[12]

As of 2009 the album has sold 20,400 copies in United Kingdom.[13]

Critical response

edit

The Magic Position received general acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[14]

Track listing

edit
  1. "Overture" – 4:40
  2. "The Magic Position" – 3:53
  3. "Accident & Emergency" (featuring Edward Larrikin) – 3:17
  4. "The Bluebell" – 1:11
  5. "Bluebells" – 5:17
  6. "Magpie" (featuring Marianne Faithfull) – 3:57
  7. "X" – 1:05
  8. "Augustine" – 4:19
  9. "Secret Garden" – 1:49
  10. "Get Lost" – 3:17
  11. "Enchanted" – 2:07
  12. "The Stars" – 3:51
  13. "Finale" – 1:57

Digital download

  1. "The Marriage" – 2:46

UK enhanced edition

  1. "Bluebells" (music video)

Japanese edition

  1. "Underworld"
  2. "Adder"
  3. "Ari's Song" (Misprinted as "Ali's Song")
  4. "The Marriage"
  5. "Accident & Emergency" (music video)
  6. "The Magic Position" (music video)

Canadian edition

  1. "The Childcatcher" (live)
  2. "Luna & Libertine" (live)

Singles

edit

Personnel

edit

Charts

edit
Chart performance for The Magic Position
Chart (2007) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[16] 46
US Top Heatseekers[17] 42

References

edit
  1. ^ Christopher, James (26 February 2007). "The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. ^ Dobson, Gareth (26 February 2007). "Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  3. ^ Dave Simpson (23 February 2007). "CD: Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position | Music | The Guardian". London: Music.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. ^ "NME Album Reviews - Patrick Wolf: The Magic Position". NME. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Patrick Wolf: The Magic Position - Music Review". No Ripcord. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Patrick Wolf: The Magic Position". Pitchfork.
  7. ^ "Playlouder MSP Music Service". Playlouder.com. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  8. ^ "DVD Review: Music and Lyrics". Slant Magazine. 5 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Oooops". This Is Fake DIY. 26 February 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  11. ^ Lindsay, Cam (May 2007). "The Amorphous Patrick Wolf". Exclaim!. p. 15. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  12. ^ "Features - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine.
  13. ^ "Billboard". 18 July 2009.
  14. ^ "The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  15. ^ Billboard.com - Discography - Patrick Wolf - Get Lost
  16. ^ Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position - Music Charts
  17. ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Patrick Wolf