[MP3] PATRICK WOLF has THE jam for unleashing sunshine on this freezing CITY

darling don’t look so sad, it’s about that day we kissed, up by niagara falls, it’s about the keys, the keys, the keys, to my heart you hold

♫ Patrick Wolf – The City

It’s been a while since we heard from the reigning prince of gloom-glam and boy have things changed. I don’t know Wolf’s music too well but even I can tell that he is in a better mood. (The Independent put out a great piece today for those of you interested in Wolf’s recent love and impending marriage.) “The City” was recently recommended as an addition to our collaborative mixtape of super-fun-time-upbeat-sunshine jams and it fits perfectly. Wolf drops all pretense and get’s down to business, the business of being in love. The business of putting it all on the table and being unabashedly smitten. It’s a vulnerable place to be and a big shift for a guy who has battled so many personal demons. That captivating voice of his is layered over epic horns, crisp fingersnaps, battle drums, and piano that sends shivers down my spine. And how oddly perfect is that almost hip-hop-esque distorted baritone vocal chant?

As if the music alone wasn’t enough to become my springtime anthem, Wolf has gone and made one of the best videos (below) I can imagine accompanying such a jam. Not only is it set on Santa Monica Beach (holler!) and features a smiling Wolf, but there is also a parrot, piano playing on the sand, general beach-y giddiness, perfectly timed pigeon flying, and one very lucky fedora. This is exactly how you make a brilliant video on a budget. Watch it. Love it. Dream about it.

Lupercalia is out in May. Grab another taste, the upbeat and soaring strings-and-drums in “Time Of My Life.”

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