If you’re at all familiar with Andrew W.K., you’re no stranger to his undeniably unique brand of high-tempo, fist-pumping, shout-along party rock. In truth, most of the songs on 2001’s I Get Wet sounded remarkably similar, but even then, the album is not quite like anything else that came before or has come since.

With a track record like that, one has to wonder how W.K. would manage to make his next album stick out at all. While The Wolf, released Tuesday, shows some signs of a more traditional rock album, it certainly doesn’t challenge W.K.’s status as one of the most sincere, crazy rockers making music today.

For starters, The Wolf is, in general, just slower than I Get Wet. While songs like “Party Hard” and “It’s Time to Party” never gave listeners a break in the action, The Wolf starts out with a track that includes an extended instrument-only section, featuring Andrew W.K. on keyboards. The tempo does pick up in the second track, “Long Live the Party,” which hearkens back to the energy of I Get Wet.

The album’s first single, “Tear It Up,” follows, and once again slows the album down. W.K. performed the song at Summerfest in June, long before the album was released, and it seemed to get a favorable crowd reaction. He played it in the middle of his set, however, flanked by two of I Get Wet‘s more energetic numbers, and this set-up worked better than the rather low-energy tracks immediately preceding and following “Tear It Up” on the album.

“Make Sex” is probably the most characteristically Andrew W.K. song on the album. Clocking in at only 44 seconds, the spare instrumentation and yelling-rather-than-singing vocals, accompanied by limited lyrics (“I don’t want to make life / and I don’t want to make death / I don’t want to make love / I just want to make sex”) remind fans that W.K. is really there just to record fun music.

The Wolf‘s lyrics, in general, resemble quite closely those of I Get Wet. Andrew W.K. is probably one of the most sincere artists in music today, and his lyrics reflect the fact that he loves music, wants to make the most of every moment and, in the end, just wants everyone to have a good time.

In “Totally Stupid,” for example, W.K. sings, “Life’s too short / So do what you want / I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again / So everyone just do what you want.” Likewise, the aptly titled “I Love Music” features the lyrics, “I love music / and I love to feel / I love to get through / I love to get through.”

Just as I Get Wet had “She Is Beautiful,” The Wolf doesn’t leave behind the romantic power-ballad of sorts. While “She Is Beautiful” is one of the more energetic songs on its album, however, The Wolf‘s “Really in Love” takes the tempo way down and has the aura of a 1980s song played at a junior high dance.

“Really in Love” is the unexpected track on the album, in fact, as fans probably don’t expect a party animal like Andrew W.K. to croon (yes, croon) the lyrics, “I didn’t know what I was / Didn’t know what I wanted from love / But now I know that I’m right / Even if you won’t have me I don’t care.” Could there be a special lady in the picture?

The general sound of The Wolf conjures memories of ’80s arena rock and power ballads, but I challenge you to find another artist in this day and age who is willing to put his heart into creating an album that sounds like nothing else on the shelves.

All in all, The Wolf is still probably one the most unique albums to come out this year. While it doesn’t carry the energy of I Get Wet and probably won’t hold the special place in fans’ hearts that epic first album did, The Wolf stands well on its own and likely will keep rabid W.K. fans satisfied for a while. And if you need any added incentive, there’s a code inside each The Wolf that buyers can use to enter a contest on www.awkworld.com. One thousand lucky winners (that’s right, 1,000) will get a personal phone call from Andrew W.K. himself. How’s that for dedication?

Grade: B