Just as most movie remakes fail to instill any sort of satisfaction in the hearts of true film enthusiasts, Patrick Wolf’s Sundark and Riverlight falls short as a 10th anniversary LP with a new twist on the artist’s classics. The album itself is a two-disc collection that reinvents certain songs from Wolf’s five prior studio releases and displays them in a far more acoustic light.
The first half, Sundark, contains tracks that reflect darker themes while the second half, Riverlight, is meant to be more optimistic, with songs about love and relationships — although there is little difference between the two. The album as a whole remains rather static in terms of tone and sound from start to finish. It is nearly impossible to tell the songs apart, for every track is layered with the same theatrical instrumentals and eerie verses, topped off with Wolf’s almost opera-like vocals. And as if the 16-track collection isn’t lengthy enough, this lack of musical variance makes it seem practically eternal.
Simply put, there are just certain lyrics and verses that cannot be taken seriously when placed under the wrong light. The artist’s previous works incorporated both electronic samplings and a far larger range of instruments. In the case of Wolf’s sixth studio release, one may find it difficult to not laugh when hearing a Morrissey-like voice wail “harder, harder” (“Hard Times”) or “Take my dead meat vulture / Dead meat vulture” (“Vulture”) above awkwardly dramatic string and piano orchestrations and slight drumming.
Ultimately, in describing the collection, the word “depressing” doesn’t even begin to reach the tip of the iceberg. The album itself strikes almost like the product of a midlife or, should I say, a midmusic career crisis. If there is anything Sundark and Riverlight will leave you feeling, it is a sense of nostalgia for the original tracks prior to their new arrangements.
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