The Hives - Black & White Album (9/10)

The Black And White Album (2007)

The Hives

"The Hives are law. You are crime."

When a band states that they are the law, and that every other band is worthless rubbish, it's normally a red-flag that someone has an over-inflated ego (those with true talent never boast, right?). While that probably is true of the Hives' egos (which are most certainly not lacking), their talent is evident in nearly everything they do. Courtney Love, in 1998, was actually quoted as saying that the Hives are "better than Nirvana because there isn't just one brilliant boy." Her adamant support of the band helped gain the Hives the title of being one of the most overrated bands out there today. Fans everywhere worship the very ground the bandmembers stand on, all echoing the bold statement: "The Hives are law. You are crime." With the Hives, you'll never need another band. They're it. But is this all just blind adoration for a band that has been proclaimed as one of the greatest live bands ever?

If The Black And White Album is anything to go by, then it's safe to say that no, it's not. Nearly every song presents hooks, riffs, and beats inspired by music of the 60's and 80's, all while managing to stay unique to the Hives' true musical style. While on past albums the Hives concentrated mainly on being as loud and obnoxious as possible, on this album they've ventured into new, uncharted music territories. Well, for them at least. They experimented with a lot more R&B and a little more, as they call it, disco. While the disco element is thankfully not too prevalent, the R&B, layered on top of the Hives' already catchy songs, creats absolute gems.

The album starts off with a song that includes everything a good punk song needs - a striking riff and explosions galore. It has been featured in many movies, TV shows, and NFL commercials, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it. It still manages to be far from overplayed.

Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, the band's lead singer, refers to the album's third song, "Well All Right!" (which was produced by Pharrell Williams and recorded in the same studio as the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive"), as a "punk-rock version of the macarena." Unfortunately, the likelihood of a world-wide dance phenomenon sprouting from this song is quite low and it would be safe to say that you won't be hearing this at every wedding reception you ever attend.

The fifth song on the album, "A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors," gives you the experience of a lifetime - a [creepy] stroll through Hive Manor Corridors. It is their only instrumental song and features Nicholaus Arson, one of the band's guitarists (and Pelle's brother), with just an organ and a dictaphone.

"Hey Little World" has been described as "AC/DC playing a disco song produced by Electric Light Orchestra." Whether or not that's a good combination is purely up to the listener. For this Hives fan, it's a fine example of the Hives ability to make rock music danceable once more.

"You become what you hate, or you hate what you become," sings (or, should I say, howls) Pelle on the album's seventh track, "Won't Be Long." It features Pelle singing an octave lower than usual and, while it contains the rock-and-roll cliché plot of leaving town, is one of the most "non-dude" songs the Hives have recorded. Its catchy hook, however, serves to make this a classic Hives song that'll definitely (if it didn't hook you during the first listen) grow on you.

Every great band needs a theme song. "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." (also produced by Pharrell Williams) is a subtle, "über-disco" hint at how massive the Hives' egos really are. The lyrics describe how much the listener wants to see the band live and the excitement they feel upon seeing THE HIVES written in lights atop the venue. "We rule the world, this is our world!" proclaims Pelle boldly throughout the chorus. While not exactly their greatest (or most impressive) song ever, it's certainly outside their usual style and is worth a listen to.

The music venturing is followed by a breath of... not-so-fresh-but-nevertheless-needed air. "Return the Favour" is classic Hives through and through. It's loud, fast, catchy, and features lyrics about nothing in particular. While not a spectacularly surprising song (and was released unfinished), it's comforting to know that, under all the "rock disco" of the previous songs, the same old garage band from Sweden remains and all they wanna do is rock your socks off.

The thirteenth song on the album is "Puppet On A String" and features just a piano, vocals, and finger snapping. It's different from anything they've done, but certainly not in a bad way. In part of the song, they switch the tape and the entire track slows down, adding to the dramatic feel of the whole song.

Overall, the album is certainly worth listening to and can be streamed here.

Standout Tracks:

Tick Tick Boom

Try It Again

Won't Be Long

Square One Here I come

You Dress Up For Armageddon

Bigger Hole To Fill

9/10

The Strokes - Is This It (10/10)

Is This It (2001)
[U.S. Edition]
The Strokes

Floating on raging seas of hype, in 2001, The Strokes' debut was one of most anticipated albums of the decade. In time, Is This It would earn recognition as a landmark album of the early '00s and a stand-out of the garage rock revival period. Alongside acts such as The White Stripes, The Hives, and The Vines, The Strokes were a back-to-basics band from New York City that sought to recapture the minimalist rhythms of bands like The Velvet Underground. However, the minute Is This It gets going, there's nothing vintage about it. Its irresistible hooks and slick guitar licks are distinctly modern; it's their sensibility that's classic.

The band is tightly knit, flawlessly ticking away in time like a metronome. Fabrizio Moretti's work on the drums is quick and tight with not a beat out of place. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the album is the bright guitar-work shared by lead guitarist Nick Valensi and rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. Twanging chords rapidly fall into place to give the songs forward momentum, but when the intensity builds, wonderfully enthusiastic solos of guitar legend spring out from the steady march of instruments for a brief moment before returning to the line of duty. All of this would seem overwhelmingly rigid if it weren't for the crooning of singer Julian Casablancas, who approaches the mic intimately and emotionally in every song.

There's a certain joyous urgency to the album as well, especially in tracks like "Barely Legal," where Casablancas writhes in his own confusion about where his life is going and his desire to remain young and restless even though his off-and-on girlfriend won't have it. "I just want to misbehave, I just want to be your slave/ You ain't ever had nothing I wanted/ But I want it all I just can't figure out...nothing." Casablancas' sleepy and in some ways seductive tone of singing is pure rock n' roll, and what really helps to establish the band's character.

All in all, Is This It is an exciting modern masterpiece that effortlessly pulls the listener to the very end with classic song after classic song. As I'm sure everyone knows by now, The Strokes have crafted something truly one-of-a-kind, despite even its most obvious influences. If this hasn't already found its way into your library, then you've been missing out for some time.

10/10

Stand-out Tracks:
"Soma"
"Barely Legal"
"Someday"
"Last Nite"
"Hard to Explain"
"Take It or Leave It"