GenQ - For the not so straight individual

The Hives are a one trick pony, so it’s a good thing they have a pretty good trick. Since bursting onto the scene in 2001 with their uniform of black and white and blithely declaring themselves to be the best band in the world, the Swedish punk rockers strut a fine line between being a punk band, and being a caricature of a punk band. When they jokingly proclaim their latest album, ‘The Black and White Album’, will sell more copies than The Beatles ‘White Album’ and Metallica’s ‘Black Album’ combined it’s hard to take them seriously… but why would you want to. The Hives may promise big things but when it comes to explosive blasts of punk-pop they deliver… and do it with style.

The Hives’ fourth album has the same firecracker energy as the previous three, but they have implemented a few changes. The production of the record was more spontaneous, their songs are longer and they’ve been crafted with stadium rock in mind. The band also employed guest producers for the first time.

Boundary-pushing Hip-Hop producer, Pharrell Williams adds his flavour to a couple of songs, with mixed results. His influence is most notable on disco inspired track, ‘T.H.E. H.I.V.E.S.’, for me the weakest on the album. A more prevalent bass line, the sparing use of drums and vocalist Pelle Almqvist’s falsetto make this an almost unrecognisable Hives song, except for their famous bluster in a chorus consisting of, “We rule the world�. On the other hand, ‘Well All Right’ is a triumph, a west-coast swing inspired track telling you to forget the shit in your life and yell “Whoo Hoo�.

Dennis Herring, producer of the last two Modest Mouse records, fine-tunes most of the tracks on the album, including radio-friendly opener, “Tick Tick Boom�. One of the strongest on the album, this ‘I told you so’ song has a chorus designed for the audience participation of a live show… but trust me on this, it works just as well when you blast it in your car. ‘Try it Again’ has a relentless guitar riff and a catchy ‘Hey Mickey’ chorus, and ‘You Got It All Wrong’ is classic Hives punk. ‘Won’t Be Long’ is a rock/punk hybrid, with a slower pace and vocals, but a sing-a-long chorus and a strong punk beat.

The Hives continued to produce some of their own tracks and their irreverent personality shines strongly. ‘Puppet on a String’ and instrumental interlude ‘Stroll Trough Hive Manor Corridor’ are tongue in cheek stabs at the sort of menacing gothic carnival melodies that are the bread and butter of bands like Panic! At The Disco. ‘Giddy Up’ has a bit of a hip-hop flavour, and cheekily suggests that relationship troubles can be solved by getting “back in the saddle for a little ride�.

Their standard garage punk/rock is also accounted for on adrenaline blasts, ‘Hey Little World’, another album stand-out, and ‘Return the Favour’, and ‘Square One Here I Come’. ‘You Dress Up For Armageddon’ is a refreshingly classic punk track and ‘Bigger Hole To Fill’ closes out the album with characteristic Hives turbo-charged energy.

‘The Black and White Album’ is a good album with a couple of great songs. Some of them do benefit from a repeat listen and most of the time they’re sticking to their tried and true formula... because it works so well. Their risks have largely paid off and created a few of their best tracks. Above all else The Hives are shits and giggles fun… and who doesn’t want to be a part of that.