Tim Brough's Black Leather Bookshelf

Back to the Hive
4 Out Of 5 Stars

The Hives made a long shot album when they issued "The Black and White Album," expanding their sonic palette and forcing some funk, all while still sounding like no-one else but The Hives. Well, forget all that. "Lex Hives" ditches the experimentation and cranks the amps on 30 minutes of basic garage/punk crunch. Howlin' Pete and the boys deliver their fifth full length like they didn't miss a day from "Veni Vidi Vicious." If you were suspect in any way, the sonic dirtbomb of "Come On," which is basically a Ramones-slinging "Come on everybody, come on" repeated for about 90 seconds, drives that message home.

"Lex Hives" brings back the noise. The lessons of TB&WA that remain are the fact that polish wasn't completely lost on the band; this may be the cleanest loud album you've heard since "Rocket to Russia" and the best swipe on the Electric Light Orchestra (when "Go Right Ahead" takes its hood from "Don't Bring Me Down") since Randy Newman's "Story of a Rock and Roll Band." Also, like so many garage pros, The Hives are modern blues at supersonic speeds. "Without The Money" drops the speed (but not the volume) for some hardcore wailing. Is your life missing some big dance racket? "Lex Hives" is the law, the cure and the disco all rolled up in one shiny CD.


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