It's about time some authority finally declared the Hives the greatest live band in the world. And The Black and White Album, their third U.S. full-length, as a jaw-dropping facsimile of a band leaping and lurching live, three feet from your face. Big backing vocals, propulsive rhythms, and twin-guitar thickness, will have you convinced the Swedish quintet is playing live inside your head. Yes, the trope of "Tick Tick Boom"--Black and White's first single--has come up in rock before (P.O.D., Saliva). But the Hives do the exploding "Boom" thing leaner, Pelle Almquist leading massed-vocal choruses and bright, fist-raised guitars--meshing upstart garage punk and sheer pop style. Black and White spills infectiously catchy singles, with the sing-song, stomping chorus of "Try it Again" ("up and down and round again/You get up, you get down, and you try it again") and maracas, and counter-riffing guitars creating a fab dance-floor vibe with the boom-boom-slap of the drums a perfect backdrop. Then there are the other 12 tunes here, a couple electro-tinged and the rest making a persistent case for these Swedes to be burned on your brain. --Andrew Bartlett
Though the garage-rock boom of the early '00s has long since passed, Sweden's The Hives are among the few to have survived the hype and continued playing their brand of rough, howlin' rock. The quintet has actually found a nice middle ground over the seven years since 2000's Veni Vidi Vicious, gaining respectable appreciation in the U.S. without breaking out huge like it seemed they might. By the sound of The Black And White Album however, they're not content with that.
Broader, more adventurous, and sporting production credits from Modest Mouse collaborator Dennis Herring and The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, Black and White is the band's most nakedly ambitious release. At least half of the record is among their best work to date; lead track "Tick Tock Boom," for instance, is an absolute gas, full of exuberant stomp and rowdy glam. As the record progresses, so too does the experimentation. "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." drives their stripped-down rock into new wave territory, like Queen once did on "Another One Bites the Dust" (except Queen pulled it off). Some songs, like the quirky, borderline-ridiculous "Giddy Up!" go off the deep end completely. But like everything The Hives do, the album is interesting even at its worst--and totally fantastic at its best. --Matthew Cooke
Ladies and gentlemen, THE HIVES return with The Black and White Album!
Recording around the world (Sweden, Memphis, Miami, London) with a mind-blowing cast of producers (Dennis Herring, Pharrel Williams, Jacknife Lee) THE HIVES are set to release the definitive, kick-your-ass, funky, fun, and of course, rock n rollin' record of your life!
Check out their Fall 2007 tour with Maroon 5!
The Hives Photos
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Tyrannosaurus Hives
Veni Vidi Vicious
Your New Favorite Band (Bonus DVD)
Album Description
2007 release of the Swedish rockers' follow-up to to the successful Tyrannosaurus Hives. Having achieved a considerable amount of international success, The Black and White Album was recorded in different parts of the world to expand the band's sound and experience what other places have to offer. After some initial recording at Hive Manor, the group recorded outside of Sweden for the first time to put music to tape. The majority of tracks were recorded in Mississippi with producer Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello). In Miami, they collaborated with R&B superstar Pharrell Williams, (resulting in 'T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S' and 'Well Allright!'), while in London, they recorded at Olympic Studios with Jacknife Lee (U2, Bloc Party, Editors) at the helm (producing 'Hey Little World'). Features the first single 'Tick Tick Boom'. Interscope.
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