The Black and White Album

The Hives ditch their native Sweden to record in Mississippi, working with  producers such as Pharrell Williams, Jacknife Lee, and Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello). They expand their thrashing guitar sound to include more bass and songs that clock in over three minutes.

At some point early in their career, the members of Swedish band The Hives decided that since nothing's more fun than being in a rock band, they should behave accordingly. From this decision came the matching uniforms, the silly names, the elaborate backstory, and an aura that suggested their lives resembled the…

By the looks of it <b>The Hives</b> are pretty much the same as the last time we saw them.

Time and time again, the Hives have shown that they can crank out consistent, and consistently fun, garage rock.

Black and White finds the Hives making their first real effort toward diversifying their sound.

Of all the garage rock revival bands storming our musical beaches during this new millennium, the Hives are by far the sassiest.

<p>(Polydor) </p>