The Black and White Album, the newest release from The Hives, feels like two albums fighting for top billing, as its yin-yang title would suggest.
Where the first album is straightforward, hard-hitting, love-it-or-leave-it garage rock, (exactly what listeners would expect a Hives album to be), the other album is evidence of The Hives ever so slowly moving into new territory.
The first album is more of the same, for better or worse, with the catchy rock of "Tick Tick Boom," the clever lyrics of "Square One Here I Come" and the bare energy of "You Dress Up For Armageddon," delivering The Hives' trademark strut. The counterpoint of this consistency is a bit of repetitiveness, while some of the lesser tracks of the "first side" fail to leave much of an impression.
"Side B" is a slight detour into the experimental. The organ-charged interlude of "A Stroll Through Hive Manor" leads into the power disco "Won't Be Long" and the surprising hip-hop beats of "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.," a song that is catchier than it should be.
Other experiments, such as simple piano fused with hand clapping, showcases in "Puppet On A String," and the offbeat hip-hop of "Giddy Up!" falls pretty flat. "Giddy Up!," in particular, borders on stupid.
The Black and White Album is the fourth release from The Hives, coming three years after Tyrannosaurus Hives and seven years after their breakout album Veni Vidi Vicious. Surviving the garage rock movement of the early 2000s from which they've spawned (see The Vines), this new album seems to be looking for a way to keep the old fans happy while slowly venturing onto new avenues.
Though it's hard to declare The Black and White Album a complete success, most fans will likely be satisfied. The band shows that they can still produce the sound that made them popular, so why not give other sounds a shot while they're at it?
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
