The Magic Position


The Magic Position is the third studio album by English-Irish 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". Video performances of "Augustine" and "Bluebells" can be freely downloaded, along with older songs and interviews, on the Patrick Wolf podcast in the iTunes Store.
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. Slant Magazine named The Magic Position the best album of 2007.

Critical Response

The Magic Position received general acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized 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".

Track listing

  1. "Overture" – 4:40
  2. "The Magic Position" – 3:53
  3. "Accident & Emergency" – 3:17
  4. "The Bluebell" – 1:11
  5. "Bluebells" – 5:17
  6. "Magpie" – 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"
;Japanese edition

  1. "Underworld"
  2. "Adder"
  3. "Ari's Song"
  4. "The Marriage"
  5. "Accident & Emergency"
  6. "The Magic Position"
;Canadian edition

  1. "The Childcatcher"
  2. "Luna & Libertine"

Singles

Album
YearChartPosition
2007US Top Heatseekers42
2007UK Albums Chart46

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

Personnel