REVIEW: THE HIVES - THE HIVES FOREVER FOREVER THE HIVES

4/5

Long Live The Hives

Japan's fantastic Fuji Rock festival welcomed The Hives alongside Haim, Vampire Weekend and many more to the ski mountains of the Land of the Rising Sun this Summer. And even almost fifteen years after we saw them playfully and cockily take over London's Hard Rock Calling festival in Hyde Park, the Swedish rabble rousers have not lost a single step. Fabulous frontman Pelle Almqvist still acts like his act is the best thing since sliced furniture...because it is. Remarking to the Naeba Ski Resort faithful how returning to this Japanese festival the Swedes have moved down a stage, but up a time slot (that's progress). All as their signature style and sound like, no other, stops in the middle of a song, before they break into their absolute classic. And Nicholaus Arson, Vigilante Carlstroem, Chris Dangerous and The Johan and Only never hate to tell you so...alright?!

At that July gig, The Hives announced their new album coming in August...and here it is. So say it with me, 'The Hives Forever Forever The Hives' in trademark and time-honoured humility. Their first album for the 'Veni Vidi Vicious' rockers since 'The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons' two years back. And this might be one of their best, like 'Tyrannosaurus Hives' (try curing that with cream) and 'The Black And White Album' for an act who are still your favourite band in logo all caps. Sporting royal regalia, in atrociously amazing album artwork and expressions only they could make (the guitarist looking like a Dalek), The Hives take these crowns and royal robes to the palace of their single and album title-track to close this bawdy affair. Almqvist won't stop dressing like the king he is on the actual lead single, but 'Enough Is Enough' as he screams into the trademark boxing microphone he swings around on stage. "Everyone's a little f####n' b####/And I'm getting sick and tired of this/Went to the doctor 'turns out I'm sick/Sick of everybody's bull####/And I ain't listenin', not hearing anything/Can't take no more." Actually entering the ring as a boxer, punching down on everyone...even the referee.

Don't blow the whistle, it's all fun and games for the fondly friendly group that have always sung with a tongue in their (and your) cheek. They just want to 'Legalize Living' in black and white, like "Rules on top of rules, all of this I do despise/Layers upon layers upon layers upon lies/They are putting the doubt in you/They tell you what they want you to do." Continuing to 'Paint A Picture' with more strong singles matched by amazing music videos. This one, a caricature of their best, looking like the halfway house of an a-ha- music video, or something Jack and Meg of The White Stripes used to take on. After the brackets of an introduction and some interludes, you'll be saying 'Hooray Hooray Hooray' for The Hives again and their big-three singles. All for their classic, quick-draw tracks for some of the best two minutes you'll have without your significant other complaining. Sure, Sabrina Carpenter is dancing with Colman Domingo in drag this New Music Friday. But apart from that, it's just a 'Stans' soundtrack of old Eminem records and The Fun Lovin' Criminals without Huey (no, thanks).

Yet The Hives are the same beautiful Nordic bastards who stole the show from my favourite Springsteen in London and beloved Haim in Japan. Every album of the year could have come out this weekend and 'Forever The Hives' would have still been one of the classics of the calendar. Recorded in Stockholm's studio syndromes of the bold YEAR0001 and the alphabet soup of Riksmixningsverket (owned by ABBA's very own Benny Andersson), this record like the label will really make you Play It Again Sam. A half-hour of all garage rock power, it's time to 'Roll Out The Red Carpet' again for a royal appointment with these Berry's that could make Beethoven roll over once more. Produced by longtime collaborator of the band (est. 1993) Pelle Gunnerfeldt and the Beastie Boy Mike D, this seventh seal of an album even has the Queens Of The Stone Age's very own Josh Homme rocking all over tracks like the good 'Bad Call' and the overdose of  'O.C.D.O.D.'. Mike D's presence actually made everyone so nervous, producer Pelle was tripping over wires. Murder for anyone with O.C.D.

Obsessive compulsive Hives fans will come out in exactly that though when they hear the "Crawling out from under nothing/Ears are bleeding, head is hurting/Raise a glass to every fuse I blew/Look back and see the bridges burning/Behind you, see the closing curtain/Every single friend deserting you" of 'They Can't Hear The Music'. The guys that were all 'Born A Rebel', as they are right now taking the world by a storm of a tour, told Emily Garner of Kerrang that this album is "a new record so full of energy, joy, anger and life that you will be questioning reality as you have known it... Every single song a single, every single single a hit, every hit a direct hit in the face of the man." And man, what a rollout of hits, but maybe the one that hits the hardest is the anthem of the 'Path Of Most Resistance'. "You soak in lukewarm water and you flatten the graphs/All the good feelings and none of the bad/Swimming upstreams 'cause I don't wanna be/A little bit trapped and a little free/A little bit trapped and a little free/Always something for them but there is nothing for me," Pelle urges with power that fights those who want to take yours. Now, if that isn't rock and roll in the face of the modern day, I don't know what is, or what to tell you. A forever feeling like The Hives that will stay with you as you itch for more. The Hives aren't dead, and you shouldn't be, either. Long live. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Enough Is Enough', 'Legalize Living', 'Path Of Most Resistance'

Spin This: The Hives - 'The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons'.