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 onThe 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 lingeringLoverboyandNight Rangerfans 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