Andrew W.K. - The Wolf

If you're looking for something with wafting steel drums and a little literature on the plight of the humpback whales, it is best advised you immediately type "Sting" into the search engine. There are few signs of maturity on Andrew W.K.'s sophomore album - the tempo is a little slower, the production bigger - although after coming up with three songs with the word "Party" in the title last time around he does narrow it down here to just the one, "Long Live The Party." Like everything else on The Wolf, it is completely out of control, piled high with fire-breathing riffs, demonic choruses, and the kind of message even toddlers can grasp: "I want to have a party / You cannot kill the party." Playing with former members of Florida speed-metal bands, the white denim clad rocker delivers a set that is as brutal as it is brutally funny. Oprah has nothing on the sage advice delivered in power-ballad "Never Let Down" ("You're doing O.K. / Just follow your heart"), while lingering Loverboy and Night Ranger fans will welcome the melodic collision of pianos and screaming guitars on tracks like "The Song" and "Totally Stupid." There aren't too many records like this, and that's probably a good thing. --Aidin Vaziri Amazon.com

Happy!

Happiness and positivity emit from Andrew constantly, and listening to this album will do the same to the listener. It's so full of happy! August 16, 2007

Stunning

I LOVED I Get Wet.
It is likely one of my all time favorite records, and maybe you will base your reaction to my review based on that fact, but AWK rocked so hard in I Get Wet that it was only measurable on a scale of simultaneous orgasms.
The Wolf is NOT as good as I Get Wet. I was heartbroken, but if you're getting The Wolf hoping its just as AWESOME, you're in for a letdown. However, if this is your first Andrew WK record, or you are just getting it without expectations, I recommend it highly.
He is truly a genius without bounds. September 11, 2006

Utterly ridiculous--in a good way

"Every song is set out to be the most exciting song I can possibly write."

After delivering a debut in 2001 whose only flaw was rocking too hard, Andrew was faced with a daunting task: craft a sequel.

This is why we are alive. The triumphant opening words of the album. The guitars come in. Then, only two minutes later, the shouted refrain: I wanna have a party/Can I get a party? announces the album has begun in earnest.

Given that three songs on his previous album also involved the word "party," Andrew W.K.'s life oevre is clearly not a collection of separate works, but a gestalt that will continue to grow as long as he is alive, like Dante's Divine Comedy or Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac. He is unapologetic for rocking hard, and asks no permission to do so: this is a refreshing attitude in a post-Matrix world in which every action scene must be accompanied by lengthy philosophical exposition. Andrew stays true to his artistic vision.

"Every song is written as, I am so incredibly blown away by what I just heard. I'm gonna do it again and again, I'm gonna repeat those parts, I'm gonna play them again, I'm gonna play them louder, and I'm not gonna hold back."

As A.B. Spellman said in his liner notes to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, Andrew's music is "Like Wagner -- it begins on a plane at which most performances end and builds to a higher plane than the average listener considers comfortable." After years of radio waves clogged by Sir Nose D'voidofrock and the Placedo Syndrome of disco, lo-fi, unplugged, anti-loud elevator music, it's understandable that having our collective mind rocked so severely would hurt a little bit--but it's pain that hurts so good, baby.

"I want each part to be more exciting than the last, so you can't even decide what you like, and just know it's all not a coincidence, or accident, or mistake, that it was done with a purpose and a commitment to be slamming, exciting music. It all is written on piano and it goes from there."

Admittedly, this isn't a great album. But it is a good one, and it's fun, and the music feels much less self-conscious than other fashionable retro-rockers from the Strokes to the Darkness. Nothing bad will happen if you don't listen to it, but something good will happen if you do. Smile, baby. August 15, 2006

I truly feel sorry for people who can't enjoy Andrew W.K.

Like the title says, by hating on Andrew W.K., you're only truly hurting yourself. The man's a ball of healing white light, and if he passes on before me, I expect to have a beer with him, Mr. Rogers, and Bob Ross in the afterlife when I go. I Get Wet is the greatest party record since... you know, I'm not even sure. It's been so long since a record partied that damn hard. Probably something by Queen, honestly. And The Wolf is every bit as good a record, if not better. Unless you're just the most jaded hipster in existence, you will feel genuine uplift during tracks like "I Love Music." I've seen the man live, and it was one of the greatest shows I've ever attended. I'm a pretty quiet, reserved guy, but I never once stopped jumping up and down for that entire two hours. And Andrew rocked a thousand times harder than I did that night, for certain. If you're reading this Andrew, many thanks for the phenomenal albums, and thanks again for that message you left on my answering machine. January 18, 2005

Repetitive,Loud and Boring!

I first heard A.W.K. on a Warped Tour cd from 2003. I heard Ready To Die and I loved that song. A couple weeks later I went to best buy and saw somw A.W.K. albums. I was hesitant to pick one up but I had to get it knowing that it probably was awesome. I must warn a lot of people don't pick up an album because of one song! I learned the hard way.

When I heard the first song I wasn't impressed. Sure, I admit it does pump you up like all of these songs, but that's it. Every song on this album sounds the same, loud, repetitive, and boring. But the worst part is most of these songs average out to be up to four minutes long! It's so repetitive I don't know how anyone could like this.

Just before I wrote this review I listened to the album. It's around 45 minutes long so brace yourself. The real problem is you can't get into this, the vocals sound the same every song and there is nothing to them. Loud noises and a few synthesizers here and there. Overall don't get this! Download maybe one song from this album, because they all sound the same REPETITIVE, LOUD, LONG, and BORING! December 22, 2004

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