The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives

It’s funny. I’m certainly not a fan of speed metal, but put a wiry, yelping punk in front of the mic, and I’m all about frantic beats. The followup to Veni Vidi Vicious, The Hives' latest disc Tyrannosaurus Hives, delivers more of the spastic pop that the Swedish quintet have become known and loved for. There's a sort of cool that The Hives have that a lot of bands are working these days too, but The Hives have a quirkier, jerky mod thing going on that sets them apart. The guys basically look to me like a negative image of The Godfathers (ok, just the jackets really), and right there I'm interested. I'm a sucker for gangster and mod fashion. There's not a whole lot of variation when it comes to tempo, sort of fast or faster, but I'm not complaining. “Diabolic Scheme” sounds so much like “Gentleman” by the Afghan Whigs, and how can you go wrong with that? One of the hookier songs on the album is “Walk Idiot Walk.” It's got a steady beat, tight guitar and almost evokes an early Who spirit – funky, fist pumping anthem energy but in a much faster tempo. The pure early punk sound of “A Little More for a Little You” is definitely gonna get your body shakin'. Every song on Tyrannosaurus Hives is a little frantic gem. With another good album in the can, plus I hear their live show is not to be missed, The Hives are poised to take us on another wild ride. [www.hivesmusic.com]