God is Partying

Album review

When Andrew W.K.—né Andrew Wilkes-Krier—burst onto the scene in a blaze of hyperactive, hyper-intense glory, it could've been the dumbest frat rock joke ever. "When it's time to party, we will party hard! Hey!" was an actual lyric, and the overarching theme of his debut album, I Get Wet. Culturally, the early 2000s was a time of great cynicism and skepticism: He had to be in on the joke, right? Turns out, he was in on it—but it was no joke. Andrew W.K. was serious about the notion of having a good time, just not in some nihilistic, let's-get-wasted sense. He became a motivational speaker and a guru of the power of positive thinking and living—lecturing at Yale, NYU and Oxford Union. And he's never stopped preaching the virtues of feeling good about feeling good. The Michigan-raised singer delves into good vs. evil on his sixth album, once again meant to be listened to with arms raised to the heavens and head-banging as a show of proselytizing devotion. Like AA, religion or conspiracy theories, either you're on board or you aren't. "Stay True to Your Heart" delivers a simple message (it's right there in the title) via a majestic, soaring power ballad. "You've got to close your eyes/ And open up your soul/ Let the power rise/ Give it total control/ Until your head's on fire/ Until your body aches/ Like a fever burning with desire/ Will you do whatever it takes?" he extolls, sometimes veering into falsetto in his fervor. Sonically, it is pure, delicious, '80s-style cheese (admittedly, an acquired taste); if you're willing to play along, it can leave you feeling like you're ready to go into battle. "Remember Your Oath"—which is just begging for inclusion on a Bill & Ted movie soundtrack—is a reminder that weakness can seep in, so it's important to stay strong. "So now your demon's back again/ I can't believe that you let him in ... You broke your body, broke your spirit/ You broke your heart," Andrew W.K. laments as the guitar solo practically weeps. There is Iron Maiden metal mysticism (opener "Everybody Sins," which roils for two minutes before W.K.'s rasp enters) and sounds of Chicago industrial circa-1997 (the 10-minute menace "I'm In Heaven"). Piano drama "And Then We Blew Apart" revels in Queen-worth grandiosity, even if it's not clear if it's a break-up track or the story of a shared feeling so big, it destroyed the whole planet. Still, take solace: The world can be a tough, dirty place, and it can take a lot of work to keep up an optimistic outlook—but Andrew W.K. believes in you. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz