The Hives - Black And White Album
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Free Music Notes for Black And White Album
Free Music Review: Not just singles and filler, this is a ALBUM.
Hit: 5 Stars
Hi friends.
Above average Hives fan, keep that in mind.
It's 2007, folks. People are downloading singles or buying albums designed to be full albums. The Hives know this and give (as always) the biggest bang for the buck: fourteen songs priced for EVERYONE to afford, which sound BEST all together, and in chronological order.
You have got the classic Hives songs for the familiar: Tick Tick Boom, Try It Again, You Got It All... Wrong, Hey Little World, Won't Be Long, Return the Favour, Square One Here I Come, Bigger Hole to Fill. Great, fast, upbeat songs. Lots of places to sing along by the time you get to the second chorus, they are THAT catchy. Guitars sound great, some wonderful piano accompanying songs, bass is deep and prominent.
The amount of excellent classic Hives songs on this album meets or exceeds the number of standout tracks on their other great CD's, so right off the bat, this CD is very satisfying. I've asked other Hives-loving friends of mine how they feel for the album, and while we all have different favorite songs from the classic sounding tracks, we dig them all.
But here's where it becomes an album, the songs in between: Well All Right! (zoot suit big band sound), A Stroll Though Hive Manor Corridors (a droning instrumental organ song that makes Won't Be Long TEN times cooler when listened back to back), T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S. (turns into the most self-absorbed cheesy AND FUN disco song, right up there with their superiority complex), Giddy Up! (a lusty DEVO-like disco track), You Dress Up For Armageddon (fun, swinging rocker) and Puppet On a String (slow, droning piano track).
These fun, experimental new tracks, when listened to in proper CD track order, make the album so much more fun. You get a fun smile about how different or kooky these oddball tracks are, and then before you wonder if the Hives have "lost their touch", you get a KILLER classic sounding song immediately afterwards. And, by the time you listen to the album 3x through, you come to love the oddball tracks for themselves.
The classic songs are astounding, the non-classic sounds are damn fun and kooky, but when they're all together, it's a full start-to-finish satisfying music experience. I'm so glad that The Hives are able to do what they do: evolve and make their music and shows affordable for everyone. With three long years between albums, I would want the band to mature, branch out and IMPROVE. I think they did all three with this.
I also recommend buying the UK version with the bonus track: Fall Is Just Something That Grownups Invented. It's 100 mph of Hives fun, and (since the track order of this album is key to its enjoyment) goes perfectly after Bigger Hole To Fill.
Free Music Review: Adrenaline Rush--Forget the 'Red Bull'--Just Go Along for the Ride!
Hit: 5 Stars
(4.5 *'s) Nothing has rejuvenated the airwaves like The Hives' "Hate to Say I Told You So." Crescendo and angst about who-knows-what? Gets the answer: Who cares? 'The Black and White Album' finds the fabulous five Swedes with none of the trappings of success. What makes this album a worthy successor to the remarkably fast-forward 'Veni, Vidi, Vicious'* is the variety. Add to this the fact they've yet to take themselves too seriously, and, '...Black and White...,' while not as groundbreaking, draws on an expertise that prevents any formula. As an ABBA aficionado, The Hives covers more Swedish territory. From slick and sweet to awesomely wild, The Hives do Scandinavia proud!
Highlights only Please! Okay, I'll try.
1.) "Tick Tick Boom" is incredibly propulsive. Almost matches "Hate to Say I Told You So." Found on recent soundtracks, including 'Jumper'. Hollywood `Get(s) Smart'.
2.) "You Got It All Wrong," "Hey Little World," and "Return the Favor" are expansive. Great trajectory, yet they manage to mix it up better than The Ramones did.
3.) The whole idea is fun, so "Well All Right!" "You Dress up for Armageddon," and "Square One, Here I Come" fill the bill. "Puppet on a String" reinvents the wheel nicely.
4.) "Big Bang Theory"? "Try It Again," "Won't Be Long," and "Bigger Hole to Fill" are harder rockin' evidence.
5.) "Variety is the spice of life." "T.H.E. H.I.V.E.S." showcase a Mick Jagger-like vocal. Now I thought The Hives drew from The Kinks and The Dave Clark Five, but the columnists were right, there are Stones' influences. "Giddy Up" funks it up nicely. (Are they singing about `Urban Cowboy,' `Brokeback Mountain,' or protesting the foreign policy of President Bush? I haven't decided yet.) "A Stroll Through Hive Mansion" shows no false modesty: We need an intermission, but this carnival music for a flea circus is a little too tame. Maybe they should have consulted R.E.M. before creating an instrumental.
The Hives still are fun after all these years, but their experience only expands their already impressive repertoire.
(I know 'Tyranasaurus Hives,' came just before 'Black and White,' but I prefer to compare 'Veni Vidi Vicious'.)
Free Music Review: You Got It All.....Right!
Hit: 5 Stars
When I got the new Hives album, I was expecting a lot of what I had seen in their previous three albums. Fast, Stooges-like, bounce around punk rock that goes from beginning to end. Instead, I got the Black and White Album. Which was way more varied and experimental than their last albums. For starters, the shortest song clocked in at just over 2:30, and it was way longer than their last three albums. While there was still some speed in here (Tick Tick Boom, Return The Favour) they focused more on melody and rhythm this time around.
I'll admit, after the first few listens all the way through I felt that this was the worst album they put out, but still fairly good. After listening to it more though, I started to like it more and more. I now see it as one of their best albums yet, and definitely a cut above any other rock albums out there right now. While this is definitely their most mainstream album yet, it doesn't feel out of place. At first listen, "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." could definitely look like they sold out, but it has really grown on me. "Puppet on A String" is definitely something new and bold, since its their first song without a guitar, but it is definitely a song I've come to appreciate a lot more. There's also a lot for long time Hives fans (Try it Again, Square One Here I Come, You Got It All Wrong) and some slower but great songs (Hey Little World, Well, All Right!). "Giddy Up" has a great catchy, southern beat that you can't help but get into. Also, depending on where you get it, you'll get "Fall is Just Something Grown Ups Invented" or "Hell No", both amazing songs that I will never understand why they weren't included on the original track list of the album. But overall my personal favorite on this album has to be "Won't Be Long", which is a song that defines this album in its entirety.
People expecting another "Tyrannosaurus Hives" or "Barely Legal" will be somewhat disappointed with the Black and White Album, but if you give it a few more listens, you will come to appreciate this album fully as another Hives masterpiece.
Free Music Review: Best New Album
Hit: 5 Stars
If you haven't already bought The Hives new Black and White album then you are definitely depriving your hears, and should immediately add their album to your collection. The album is jam packed with songs that will have you up out of your seating dancing and singing along.
The thing that I love best about their new album is that they were not afraid to take chances and experimented with different sounds. The album is not what I expected and that's a good thing. The Hives are able to make the transition from strictly rock n' roll/punk songs to a more eclectic style. All the while staying true to their rock roots and keeping their distinct sound that distinguishing them from other musical artists.
There is definitely a strong blues and hip hop-esque influence on this album. I think most notably heard in the song Giddy up. For those of you who are not into the whole hip hop thing dont be scared away by my description. The Black and White album is definitely a rock n' roll album but influences by other genres of music can be heard. The Hives create their own, new, unique sound.
Hey Little World and You Dress Up For Armageddon has more of an old school punk sound to me, which I really like.
The album even includes a catchy anthem song- T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.
Buy the new album. If you dont, you are definitely missing out and depriving yourself.
Free Music Review: Best Album of 2007!
Hit: 5 Stars
This new album created by The Hives is a great accomplishment. After their 2nd album, Veni Vidi Vicious, was praised and credited for bringing back rock 'n roll, they made their third album named Tyrannosaurus Hives. Tyrannosaurus Hives was criticized for being to similar to Veni Vidi Vicious. Then finally, after much anticipation, their 4th album was released, The Black and White Album. This latest instalment is nothing like their previous works and shows The Hives' incredible range and diversity. The album is a complete masterpiece. It's tied for my favorite album of all time with their Tyrranosaurus Hives album.