Andrew W.K. is the metal ABBA.

For a long time, I thought I hated Andrew W.K. Detested, even. He performed for free at my school a couple years ago and I had vehemently made up my mind not to attend. I hated his horrible, annoying "party" message and his stupid-ass persona. Then I saw him live at USC, opening, curiously enough, for They Might Be Giants. This was ths seed of my changing opinion. He tore the place up, and every now and then, he went to play some really fantastical and bombastic piano-keyboard parts in the background. His hurting message of sincerity and enthusiasm was very winning indeed. I thought, "OK, OK, this guy's not all bad. He has a great live show. At least I've seen that, and now I know I never have to listen to any of his records again."Fast forward through a couple years of musical discovery on my part, figuring out there are plenty of things I like that I either had previously dismissed or had never thought I would like. Last night, a friend of mine sent me the new Japan-only Andrew W.K. release, Close Calls with Brick Walls. If you've combed my page in the last 12 or so hours, you might recognize the title already, as it is listed in my "ten best albums of 2006 so far" widget. Already.Maybe it's the fact that I can jibe with some mid-'90s In Flames records now. Or maybe it's the fact that I've come around to two of ABBA's full length records and many of their other tunes. Or maybe it's just that he doesn't seem to sing the word "party" once on the album. Either way, about four tracks into this (18-track) record, it occurred to me: he is the metal ABBA. This shit is like Mr. Bungle if they sold out, and that is a very, very good thing. What an excellent album. So strange, so shameless, so somehow artful. Whatever it is, I now officially lose the battle against your music. Perhaps, Mr. W.K., I've misjudged you all this time.Party hard, Andrew.