ANDREW WK - CLOSE CALLS WITH BRICK WALLS (LOAD 111)

A CO-RELEASE WITH A MAJOR LABEL (UNIVERSAL DID THE CD) MIGHT SIGNIFY LOAD ARE IN A COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DIFFERENT WORLD THAN THAT IN WHICH THEY STARTED BUT ANDREW WK IS A COMPLETE OUTLIER IN THAT HE IS A STADIUM-FRIENDLY BIG ROCK GUY WHOSE ROOTS ARE IN PIANO RECITAL AND CREDIBLE NOISE MUSIC (PEDIGREE CAN BE READ ABOUT ELSEWHERE).

CLOSE CALLS IS A PRETTY BIZARRE RECORD IN THAT IT CONTAINS ITERATIONS OF THE ALICE COOPER-MEETS-STADIUM POWER POP ROCK AND ROLL THAT WK BECAME KNOWN FOR. SOME OF THIS IS GOOD ('PUSHING DRUGS' FEELS AS MANIC AND MANTRA-HEAVY AS A JOHN MAUS SONG) AND SOME OF IT IS NOT AND FEELS KIND OF WET. BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME EXPERIMENTAL AND LUDIC PIANO PIECES BETWEEN, BULKING THIS UP TO AN 18 TRACK HALF-MARATHON.

IT'S NOT A BAD RECORD BY ANY STRETCH AND I THINK IF YOU LIKED THE WHOLE 'I GET WET' AESTHETIC THEN YOU SHOULD GO FOR THIS. IF YOU'RE THE KIND OF PERSON WHO ARRIVED AT LIGHTNING BOLT VIA THEM HEADLINING OVER A CRUST BAND FROM YOUR TOWN, GIVE IT A WIDE BERTH.