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Close Calls With Brick Walls / Mother of Mankind
Rock · 2010

Close Calls With Brick Walls / Mother of Mankind

Andrew W.K.

A sprawling, eccentric pivot from the wall of sound into piano-driven boogie, experimental rock, and melodic baritone anthems.

March 22, 2010 · STEEV MIKE

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This double-disc collection represents the moment Andrew W.K. stepped out from behind the monolithic 'wall of sound' that defined his early career. Instead of the relentless, over-compressed blast of his debut, this album breathes with a dynamic, almost classic rock sensibility. It sounds like a man rediscovering the joy of the piano as a lead instrument, blending the stomp of 1970s boogie-rock with a strange, art-school experimentalism that was previously buried under layers of distortion. It is less a party at a club and more a wild, unpredictable jam session in a very large garage.

Moments Worth Listening For
the transition from the frantic piano intro of I Want to See You Go Wild into a surprisingly straightforward, fist-pumping rock anthem
the stripped-back, almost vulnerable vocal delivery on I'm a Vagabond that reveals a folk-singer sensibility hidden under the party persona
the bizarre, experimental detour of Pushing Drugs where the rhythm becomes jagged and the lyrics lean into surrealism
Reviews
BBC Music
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Pitchfork
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Close Calls With Brick Walls / Mother of Mankind sound next to the rest of Andrew W.K.'s catalogue?

Dynamic Range+4.0σ

The production is built around dynamic range than this artist usually allows.

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