Posted by baseball on 2008-03-21 02:23:47
My Score:

Late to the party, but going to hop on the pro-Hives bandwagon here.

Give this album more than a couple listens, it's great. I really think that if you think this is derivative or predictable you're just not listening closely enough. This album is chock full of catchy, but still aggressive and interesting rock and roll songs.

i'm not gonna specifically defend their last album, but I don't think the Hives can compare to Zebrahead in terms of creativity. hell, even "Anthem" was good and it was with a new (worse) singer and primary songwriter.
point being, sure you're gonna love the Hives, they're catchy and totally predictable. Zebrahead (at least The Yellow and Waste of Mind) are much more talented and unique, but obviously plenty of people still find solace in tried and true styles...a la the Hives.

Heh I just noticed that this thread went all Zebrahead over here... yeah I wrote that last Zebrahead review. That thing sucked. It was odd how many people on this site defended it- really doesnt seem like a band that anyone would like let alone ADMIT to liking around here. Major loss of cred points I think. The Hives however rule.
-Greg

glasspipe have you ever listened to any of the hives full lengths? if you did i think you'd be pleasantly surpirised at how fun and well done they are, even if they are a bit derivative.

zebrahead is great. unique and original, and catchy as hell. this is pretty generic, derivative music. just sayin.

yeah, I got a kick out of all the pro-Zebrahead comments myself. Zebrahead was created with the sole purpose of opening for Reel Big Fish or Goldfinger. They headlined at the Pageant theater in St. Louis a few years back and about 80 people showed up. The Hives fucking rule, btw.

I think it's odd that a bunch of people are like, "I can't believe anyone still likes this" and all the rest. I can get if it's not your style, but why were there so many people jumping to defend fucking Zebrahead in their last review?
Seriously.
-Dante

i actually have to say i really enjoy listening to this all the way through, i think it's quite cohesive. not nearly as disjointed as everybody makes it out to be.

Posted by llmp on 2008-01-23 02:39:39
My Score:

About half of their songs are really good, the other half are so annoying it physically hurts to listen to them.

White Stripes > The Hives

@Deadpan:
I was living in Dublin in '01 and I hated, but hated everyone I met insisting that the Strokes were the best band in X number of years. Somehow, the Vines, the Hives, and the White Stripes were all lumped together and while I can see the bands having a certain common aesthetic, I can't hear much similarity. "Veni Vedi Vicious" was the best of that class. I'm still shocked about such a fast and furious album went mainstream.

Really good grower album. It doesn't hit you in the face like their earlier stuff, and the production is eons better than Tyrannosaurus Hives (that one sounded so tiny and digital). "Square One Here I Come" is my favorite song of the new year, even if it did come out in 07.

Album rules. Yup. If I had my way these dudes would put out albums every 1 or 2 years, not every 3 or 4 dammit! Love em.
-Greg

Great album, still, i think Tyrannosaurus Hives has it beat (just slightly). Won't Be Long is the standout track, by far.

surprised people are still into this.

Posted by GreenVandal on 2008-01-22 16:43:39
My Score:

This album is pretty boring. All the songs are pleasant enough, but once you get past the hooks and the big riffs, you won't find anything else; it is very shallow music.

Of the four leaders of this movement (the Strokes, White Stripes, the Hives and the Vines), Sweden’s the Hives seem to be making the most interesting music

i could not disagree with you more. while i dont really like ANY of the above mentioned bands, I find it hard to believe that you could view the Hives music as 'more interesting' than The White Stripes or The Strokes.

I'd have to agree with this statement. The White Stripes so far appear to be the only band that have attempted anything remotely leftfield (this album aside, since I haven't heard it, although I don't exactly have high hopes), and even that was just boring, nappy (diaper) rash music - shitty and annoying. I could go along with saying that they wrote catchier music, but that's about it.

Maybe it's a British thing, but having had bands like this rammed down my throat by various outlets of the media for the past seven years, I can't leave space for anything other than hatred for every band that sounds like they might as well have happened 20 -30 years ago. Wank. Pure wank.

Posted by Dante3000 on 2008-01-22 11:21:22
My Score:

I really like this album. It does lack a cohesion though. That's what I love about Barely Legal you can put it on (when you're in the mood for it) and listen to the whole album. I find I'm often in the mood for tracks off of this album but rarely do I listen to the whole thing all the way through.
-Dante

garage rock gets a pass since it killed nu-metal in the early 00s, but other than that, its pretty boring

Of the four leaders of this movement (the Strokes, White Stripes, the Hives and the Vines), Sweden’s the Hives seem to be making the most interesting music

i could not disagree with you more. while i dont really like ANY of the above mentioned bands, I find it hard to believe that you could view the Hives music as 'more interesting' than The White Stripes or The Strokes.

Posted by dropkickmurphy01 on 2008-01-22 08:20:51
My Score:

This is a great album! The Hives is one of my favourite bands (tied withT(I)NC) and I have always loved everything they did. I didn't like the album the first time I listened to it but then I started listening to the individual tracks a bit more and I really like the album now! My only complaint would still be the track Giddy Up, they really didn't need that song on there at all.

Posted by the4footpartysub on 2008-01-22 07:58:18
My Score:

yeah i really enjoyed this. i personally like "you dress up for armageddon" and "return the favour".

Posted by 8dollarclarinetsolo on 2008-01-22 02:30:42
My Score:

i totally agree with scott about that song. it slays. but i think tracks 2 and 3 on this record are a bit better. i didnt really like tryrannasaurus hives too much, but this record is a huge return to form

Posted by maverick on 2008-01-22 01:34:07
My Score:

This album just didn't do it for me like the last two did. And frankly, "Fall Is Just Something Grownups Invented" is better than pretty much every song that actually made it onto this record.

-Scott

Posted by wyzo on 2008-01-22 00:57:36
My Score:

"Of the four leaders of this movement (the Strokes, White Stripes, the Hives and the Vines)"

media defined trends don't really classify as movements. The strokes and vines don't really fit anymore than adding in flavor of the month bands like Jet. Some like the Hives and white stripes made the old new, others just raped corpses of music past.

This record, as with the last hives record, is pleasant. Not amazing or epic by any means, but the early morning cartoon network ad with them on it is pretty entertaining. After all the self-applause they built up for themselves, they haven't topped their biggest record, but that's nothing to be ashamed of, they still rock a hook now and then.

Here's to a humble hives.

w

this album forkin rules.