The Hives have been together for a considerable amount of time. They’ve released quite a number of hit songs and albums, and a few greatest hits CD’s too. Their trademark is their simple guitar riffs, and clever but short and straightforward lyrics. The band claims to not actually write their own songs, however rumours argue against this. Whether the band wrote it themselves or not, this is a pretty impressive album.
The album starts on the first single to be released from the album: ‘Tick Tick Boom’. You can find typical Hives’ catchy guitar riffs here and, like as mentioned above, clever lyrical content. Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist (lead vocalist) certainly shows his talented singing skills in this song.
‘Try It Again’, the second track of the album, is a song worth mentioning. It has a ‘alternating’ guitar riff which is the opening to the song and then repeated throughout. It’s funny how The Hives use the same idea all the way through a song and it never gets boring. There are added vocals, in the form of cheerleaders, to this song too.
‘Well All Right’ is another song that deserves mentioning. It is quite different to the other songs on the album because of its guitaring. Strummed chords are used, rather than riffs made from power chords. This, along with the vocals, gives the song a more ‘Rock n Roll’ sound to it, although I may be alone in thinking this.
‘A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors’ is a short instrumental piece that is just under three minutes long. Made to make the album seem longer? Possibly. It is a bit pointless. But the song title does sum up a part of The Hives fun attitude towards themselves.
‘T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.’ is a very odd song. It has a slight rap sound to it, and, like the only instrumental song in the album, gives the listener a preview to how The Hives think towards themselves. In a joking way, Howlin’ Pelle sings about how they ‘Rule the world’ and how the gig venue ‘Is the world’. Overall the song is rather different to The Hives usual sound.
‘Giddy Up!’ is another perculiar song, but it’s worth checking out.
The ending track, ‘Bigger Hole To Fill’, is very catchy but also has a very similar sound to a song earlier on in the album (‘Won’t Be Long’). It’s a typical Hives song, catchy riffs and vocals that you just can’t resist jumping around to!
If you are a Hives fan, this album is definitely worth buying to be added to your music collection. It has all The Hives usual sound, but mixed with other musical elements. It's got the ability to get inside your head and never let go. I recommend that this album should be bought before you buy any of their compilation albums.
Rating: 7/10
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