The Hives
This album is The Hives second full length album which helped them transform from barely a no-name band into one of the forefathers of the garage band era in the early 2000s and beyond. The album includes a bunch of great quick fun songs to jam to. Although the instrumentals could resemble the average punk band, they are by far that and the vocals and edgy songs are something anyone can listen to. And yes, they are from Fagersta, Sweden. These Swede's can really rock out.
The Band ~
Howlin' Pelle Almqvist ~ Vocals
Vigilante Carlstroem ~ Guitar
Nicholaus Arson ~ Guitar
Dr. Matt Destruction ~ Bass
Chris Dangerous ~ Drums
The Tracks ~
1) The Hives - Declare Guerre Nucleaire ~ This short introductory song is pretty much a filler track, I'm not exactly sure. Its not bad or anything but its just a little strange with the scary squeels coming from Pelle and the wierd background noises towards the end. 2/5
2) Die, All Right! ~ This is probably my favorite track of this album. Right from the intro with the kicking drums it is awesome. Although the guitar part is relatively repetitive and not very complicated, this song is great. I love the chorus especially and the vocals are amazing as well. 5/5
3) A Get Together To Tear It Apart ~ Again, the intro kicks off with a sweet drum roll. This is a nice fast paced song too. I love the song as a whole. All the parts fit so well together and the guitar part is pretty cool. I really like how well the 3 guitars are put together and how each is playing in a different octave. Another good song. 4/5
4) Main Offender ~ This song is the second single off this disc. It is a cool song. The guitar work within the first part of the song really reminds of some older songwriting and guitar parts reminiscent of old blues guitarists like Chuck Berry. The vocals in this song are also really unique and I think they are wonderful. The chorus is great on this song too with the background singing, the little organ ending, and squeeling vocals of "Why Me?". This song is sweet! 5/5
5) Outsmarted ~ Not a bad song but hard to come off a few great songs. The instrumentals are really cool with the "Outsmarted!' being yelled over them. I guess its about a kid who used to be "the kid who always got caught" but now the kid who "Put the *** back in place and I'm the one who threw it back in your face." 3.5/5
6) Hate To Say I Told You So ~ This is the first major single from The Hives and is the song that actually gained them the popularity that they have today. It kicks off with an awesome intro with a cool guitar part and then an awsome section before the vocals come in. The lyrics are really cool and the they sound cool as well. "Do what I please gonna spread the disease because I wanna. Gonna call all the shots for the "No"s and the "Not"s because I wanna." An awsome song and introduction to The Hives. 5/5
7) The Hives- Introduce The Metric System Of TIme ~ This seems like another filler track similiar to the intro again but its not. Its not the cream of the crop but its a decent song and and the guitar part is decent. Another really quick song both timewise and key signature. 3/5
8) Find Another Girl ~ By far the most "out there" song on the whole album. Its kinda a combination or paradise/love song/techno song. I think its pretty cool and a nice change of pace as opposed to all the fast songs. The lyrics are definately about love after you listen to it and how you should get over your heartbreak. We've all been there folks. "True love is hard to find sometimes its kinda hard to find. But forget about that girl that broke your heart and try start a new. For if there was a guy for her theres got to be a girl somewhere for you." 3.5/5
9) Statecontrol ~ Heres another one out of the five sub two minute songs on the album. It is also sub-par and does not stand out at all. It is really a low point on the album. Its not exrtremely bad but its just not worthy of the album. 2/5
10) Inspection Wise 1999 ~ Even though its only 1:37 on the clock, I really like this song. The guitar part is sick and I love it ever time I listen. The chorus is cool and the every part of the song is pretty cool. 4/5
11) Knock Knock ~ This is another decent song and I really like it. It is the buildup chord progression throughout the song and the vocals are pretty cool how they sound with the other instruments. Not a bad song at all the ending is pretty cool too. 4/5
12) Supply And Demand ~ This is the closing point on the album and it is also a nice little song. The guitar work is nifty and the drumming is nice. If you have realized so far, you either really like Pelle's singing or you dont. Im sure many people like it and I love it. 3/5
I think this is a really cool album. The vocals are really interesting and I love the thing they got going with the two guitars. The drumming is also superb especially for a garage band. The only negative aspect about this album is that there are virtually no bass skills at all, but that is typical with this genre. The length of the songs is also poor. Other than that this album is great. I dont know if its worth buying but its worth a listen sometime.
Average Score ~ 3.67
My Score ~ 4
