An Album Review of ‘Lex Hives’ by ‘the Hives’

On the 4^th of June this year, the album ‘Lex Hives‘ by ‘The Hives’ was released. It is produced by the band itself in collaboration with Joe Zook, Andrew Scheps and D. Sardy. They have used the Disques Hives/Sony record label. It comes with a deluxe version which features some bonus tracks that were produced by Josh Homme of the ‘Stone Age’. Many reviews are optimistic about the album and we want to find out whether it lives up to the hype.

First of all the band has been absent for the best part of 4 years and 6 months. Perhaps they were thinking about that when they opened with the song ‘Come On’! It is a really fast number that sometimes obscures the lyrics. Unfortunately it only last a minute so you do not get the full impact of the dynamics. You are not missing much in terms of the lyrics because they shout the title over and over again for 1 minute and 8 seconds. Pelle Almqvist told a reporter that there was no doubt that the band was looking forward to their comeback.

“We’re into the idea of being one of those bands that doesn’t really have to change that much. Like the Ramones or Iron Maiden.”

Most people who listen to the ‘The Hives’ are well aware that they are even better in live performances. There are 12 songs on the current set. They include ‘I want more’, ‘Go Right Ahead’ and ‘My Time is Coming’. This is cartoon grade at its most successful point. Their lyrics can be quite compelling. One of them is competing for the best of the year:

“You careful types with sort-of lives just won’t know what I mean/When I speed through life like a biblical locust ridin’ on a laser beam”.

Another big number that we noted in this review is ‘These Spectacles Reveal the Nostalgics’. This is a forward-looking band that is happy to make fun of those that indulge in mindless nostalgia. Of course some might argue that they are being hypocritical since their sound is essentially ‘Detroit’ circa 1960. The band seems impervious to fads and fashions. It is a refreshing approach which acts as an antidote to the manufactured pop that rules the waves today. The witty sarcasm in their lyrics is something to be admired.

The fact that the band is back with ‘Lex Hives‘ is a triumph for ‘The Hives’. In any case they have done a very good job with it. There is nothing I would change about the band. On a personal level, their sound is just about right.