Black And White Album

The Hives - Black And White Album

Black And White Album
List Price: $7.63
Our Price: $7.59
You Save: $3.35 (31%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.99 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Listen soundtracks from this album



(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

Music CD Cover

Artist: The Hives
Brand: Baker Drivetrain
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2007-11-13
Music Label: A&M/Octone
Soundtracks:
  1. Tick Tick Boom
  2. Try It Again
  3. You Got It All... Wrong
  4. Well All Right!
  5. Hey Little World
  6. A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors
  7. Won't Be Long
  8. T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.
  9. Return The Favour
  10. Giddy Up!
  11. Square One Here I Come
  12. You Dress Up For Armageddon
  13. Puppet On A String
  14. Bigger Hole To Fill

Free Music Notes for Black And White Album

Free Music Review: Solid, energetic, frenetic, and worth some bouncing around in your living room
Hit: 5 Stars

I rarely give something brand new a 5-star rating, only because I tend to think that an item has to stand the quality test of time before I can comfortably say, "I love it!", but The Hives have quite simply secured my vote with their musical attitude.

I first saw the Hives on one of those sinful MTV shows (movie awards? music awards? is there a difference?) and one of the corporate trend-analysts-cum-vee-jay was talking about the rise of the 'The' bands, and the next feature (after commercial) was to be a classic 'Battle of the Bands,' featuring The Hives and The Vines.

As soon as the commercial break was over, and the so-called Battle began, it became quite clear who were MTV's boys. The Vines played in the center of the ungodly large stage, and The Hives were set up in the furthest corner of stage right. The 5 Hives were crammed together and of course played a tight rendition of "Hate to Say I Told You So" through an equalizer set-up that was probably done by the lowest intern on the food chain, while the 3 Vines strutted about in their MTV mansion and the singer did everything he could to make sure we thought that he didn't want to be there. Of course, the cramped quarters worked wonders for The Hives, for a band that stands close together plays close together, while The Vines were trying too hard to not look like corporate lapdogs.

Immediately, I knew that The Hives had something special going on, a purist energy that was both serious and playful, self-effacing and lacking the quality of giving a hoot about it, while The Vines were going to have a short career that would spiral into pretension and tediousness. The Vines wanted to be a mix of Kim Gordon and The Beatles, while The Hives were there to play, damn the consequences and who might be listening (or not wanting to listen). The kitschy matching suits, the bravado of their image (this album titles each band member His Royal Highness Prince)--all of it shows a desire in The Hives to make fun of themselves in their bravado, so that the real focus is always the music itself.

While previous albums carried themselves on their tight, energetic, basement sound, this album has a little more refinement--but not so much to lose track of the fact that these guys are quite simply the most balls-to-the-wall band in the popular limelight right now. From the head-bobbing energy of the first single, "Tick Tick Boom," to the vocal meltdown into wordless energy in "Return the Favour," The Hives have freneticism in spades. There are, of course, some attempts for new direction with the lounge-meets-Zelda "A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors" and the almost disco drive of "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." and the Swedish-country gallop of "Giddy Up!" These are interesting tracks, especially since The Hives merely remind us that they think about their sound and are willing to try out something new, as long as it remains fun.

By the time I finished my first listen, I wanted to go back to the beginning and go through it all again. That is rare enough, I find, for a new release, so high marks for this release from a band that is here to remind us that US pop has already become an overspecialized dinosaur, and that we need to start listening to some real Garage rock again.

Black And White Album Poster

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

More from The Hives

Tussles in Brussels

Tyrannosaurus Hives

Veni Vidi Vicious

Your New Favorite Band (Bonus DVD)


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

Alternative Rock Music CDs

Music Genres
Top music charts in Alternative Rock Music CDs
Maniacal Laughter ImageBouncing Souls - Maniacal Laughter
Release date: 1996-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $30.00
Parallel Lines ImageBlondie - Parallel Lines
Release date: 1994-07-29; Music CD
Best price: $397.77
L.A. Woman ImageDoors - L.A. Woman
Release date: 1993-04-09; Music CD
Best price: $199.99
Phallus Dei ImageAmon Duul - Phallus Dei
Release date: 1997-04-08; Music CD
Price in other shops: $18.98
Melrose ImageTangerine Dream - Melrose
Release date: 1990-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $74.98
Private Music of Tangerine Dream ImageTangerine Dream - Private Music of Tangerine Dream
Release date: 1992-11-10; Music CD
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $11.98
Ska Explosion [VHS] ImageSka Explosion [VHS]
Cleopatra; Release date: 1995-02-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops: $16.98
Little Earthquakes [VHS] ImageLittle Earthquakes [VHS]
Atlantic / Wea; Release date: 1992-11-10; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $16.98
Exile ImageExile
by Geoffrey Oryema
Music CD
Best price: $4.95
Louder Than Live [VHS] ImageSoundgarden - Louder Than Live [VHS]
A&M Video; Release date: 1991-07-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $14.98
Top Rated Albums
Father, Son, Holy Ghost ImageGirls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Release date: 2011-09-13; Music CD
Best price: $9.97
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Big Come Up ImageThe Black Keys - The Big Come Up
BLACK KEYS; Release date: 2002-05-14; Music CD
Best price: $11.69
Price in other shops: $15.98
Icky Thump ImageThe White Stripes - Icky Thump
WHITE STRIPES; Release date: 2007-06-19; Music CD
Best price: $6.97
Price in other shops: $13.98
Magic Potion (Dig) ImageBlack Keys - Magic Potion (Dig)
BLACK KEYS; Release date: 2006-09-12; Music CD
Best price: $8.15
Price in other shops: $16.98
Your New Favorite Band: Best of ImageHives - Your New Favorite Band: Best of
Release date: 2002-02-04; Published: 2001; Music CD
Best price: $8.26
Price in other shops: $20.49
Your New Favorite Band (Bonus DVD) ImageHives - Your New Favorite Band (Bonus DVD)
Release date: 2004-07-13; Music CD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $13.96
Barely Legal (Reis) ImageHives - Barely Legal (Reis)
Release date: 2004-10-26; Music CD
Best price: $8.38
Price in other shops: $11.98
El Camino ImageThe Black Keys - El Camino
Release date: 2011-12-06; Music CD
Best price: $9.85
Price in other shops: $18.98
Tyrannosaurus Hives ImageHives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
Release date: 2004-07-20; Music CD
Best price: $4.34
Price in other shops: $13.98
Veni Vidi Vicious ImageHives - Veni Vidi Vicious
Release date: 2002-04-30; Music CD
Best price: $6.06
Price in other shops: $13.96
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles