Patrick Wolf - "Hard Times" (video)

There is something of a lagging magician about Wolf. For all the (literal) bells and whistles in his music, it sometimes feels as though all his tricks are festooning his sleeves.

A love album dedicated to Wolf's soon-to-be husband William, Lupercalia is full of perfect sun-drenched hooks. Yet it also feels oddly soulless, as if in sacrificing some of his weirdness, Wolf sacrificed his emotional heft as well.

He's had quite a run thus far but at the tender age of 25, eccentric chamber-pop wunderkind Patrick Wolf finally has his first bona fide misstep on his hands.