Patrick Wolf

Patrick Wolf is a boy genius from the UK who has been making music since adolescence. Lycanthropy, his debut album, collects tracks he’s recorded from the ages of 11 to 18, following his transformation from boy to man, or in this case, pup to wolf. Forging a unique blend of romantic pop and eclectic bursts of electronica, Wolf’s music touches upon avant-garde, folk and mainstream. His vast taste in instruments sees everything from the viola, accordion and ukulele included on the album, creating a remarkable landscape of diversity through the help of his trusty laptop. Fitting in somewhere nicely between Stephen Merritt, Björk, Morrissey and Momus, Wolf’s eccentricity hits moments of intense theatre. "The Childcatcher” disturbs with its candid lyrics ("I was still a child when you caught me and tied me to your bed/You gave me shoes and pretty clothes, and I gave you what I had between my legs”) and Squarepusher drill & bass madness, while "A Boy Like Me” could be the frontrunner as his theme song, using words straight from the Cure’s songbook over an attention-deficit drum beat. Lycanthropy is arguably the most special, enchanting and original record of 2003.