I Get Wet (Island ’01) Rating: B-
Andrew W.K. likes to party. How do I know? Well, songs such as “It’s Time To Party,” “Party Hard,” and “Party ‘Til You Puke” aren’t exactly open to interpretation. I mean, this guy’s idea of a deep lyric is “take it off.” Then again, his idea of partying is smashing his own face with a brick (see the album cover). Of course, these songs are simply too dumb to ever come off as threatening, and this album’s slick, commercial production (Bob Rock would be proud) makes it more of a piece with ‘80s hair metal or mindless ‘70s bands such as The Sweet or Slade than any bands currently using the heavy metal moniker. As such, this can be seen as a really loud pop album, and it’s actually kinda fun in limited dosages. The album is all about fast tempos, big pummeling beats, cheesy outdated synthesizers, and shouted lyrics about - well, you guessed it, partying! The good news is that Andrew W.K. obviously doesn’t take himself too seriously, and that these songs are catchy and rocking. Unfortunately, the album is so one-dimensional and simple-minded that gets dragged down by its own stupidity. These songs sound good on the radio, but when placed side by side they soon begin to suffer. Perhaps if his lyrics were just a tad more mature (maybe Gene Simmons can give him some pointers) this album would have more staying power, but if these are all the tricks Andrew W.K. has up his sleeve, his career will soon run out of steam.