I Get Wet

Album review

Obliterating the concept of guilty musical pleasures, I Get Wet turns hair metal hedonism, punk energy, and pop melodies into an instant, insistent blast of fun with all the power of a beer commercial. From the opening anthem, "It's Time to Party," to the excellently named finale, "Don't Stop Living in the Red," the album is all climax -- the blasting guitars, blaring keyboards, and Andrew W.K. himself are all turned up to 11 throughout. W.K. is a one-man manifesto, dedicated to spreading the way of the party with songs like "Party Hard" ("We do what we like and we like what we do!" could be "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap" several generations down the road), "Party Til You Puke," and "I Get Wet," and the fact that he looks like the stoner bully from high school only adds to his cred. Guessing whether or not Andrew W.K. is a big joke or not is almost beside the point; he comes on so strong that he either really means it, maaan, or he's got his tongue stuck firmly in his bloodied cheek. Either way, there's not much fence-sitting with his music -- you'll think the big, dumb, cartoonish "Girls Own Love" and "Ready to Die" are the stupidest songs you've ever heard, or you'll love them because they're the stupidest songs you've ever heard. Even I Get Wet's sensitive "She Is Beautiful," which is about being too shy to talk to a pretty girl, is about as subtle as a high schooler's after-shave -- and just as awkwardly charming. While the album has a certain sameness due to the frenetic beat that drives nearly every track, it's the perfect complement to W.K.'s party-centric vision. Refreshingly simple and cleverly stupid, I Get Wet is a great big bear hug of an album, and resistance to its hard-partying charms is futile.

© Heather Phares /TiVo