Andrew WK Still Parties, Sans Vocals and Riffs

In fall of 2001, I was a freshman at a liberal arts school in Boston, swapping Spin for CMJ and learning the fine art of “college music” from the good book of Thurston Moore. Then, like a bloody party Jesus from the heavens, along came Andrew WK to save me from my pity party:

andrewwk-742139

Always cheesy, never subtle, and maybe akin to what you’d find on Jock Jams, at first glance AWK conjures little more than a WTF. But beneath the mangy surface lies much more: high energy hedonism, pop melodies, and genuine POSITIVITY… rare in pop and rock these days and non-existent in what we were listening to back then.

Anyway, AWK is back, sort of, with “55 Cadillac,” a new album of what he calls “spontaneous solo piano improvisations.” You can hear “Central Park Cruiser” on Billboard.com now. It’s piano. It’s not rock. It’s out Sept. 8th. And wouldn’t ya know… it’s being released by Thurston Moore’s label.

What’s the opposite of “selling out”?

Edited: September 5th, 2009

Arctic Monkeys Recession-Friendly Cover Art Cost $1

Arctic Monkeys "Humbug"

If one Arctic Monkeys fan somewhere buys one MP3 from their new album “Humbug,” out August 24th, that should cover the cost of the album’s art.

While the UK band recorded their third LP at Joshua Tree in California, they held the DIY “photo shoot” that produced the image.

“It’s a photo I took with a dollar camera. I bought a camera for a dollar while we were in Joshua Tree in the Californian desert. There were film students selling all this stuff off at ridiculously low prices.” Drummer Matt Helders told The Sun. “It’s a bold thing to be on the front of our album, even though we are still slightly disguised.”

I think Weezer would beg to differ:

weezer-albums-covers

Edited: August 21st, 2009