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Sonically they've tweaked their punk-pop vibe, even employing the hip-hop-flavored Pharrell Williams for one cut. Happily, that gambit--the danceable ''T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.''--pays off.
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Throughout, monster riffs abound. Perhaps this monochrome-clad cartoon combo are as great as singer Howlin’ Pelle always said they were.
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The Swedish fivesome’s trademark sound is so ridiculously simple that you’ll be humming it all day, and with their quirky humour, probably with a grin on your face.
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And desperate single aside, it all works pretty damn well.
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The Black And White Album continues its predecessors' winning trend.
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Four potential singles are dropped in the first 15 minutes and, frankly, they're all about as good as it gets.
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Still, 'Tick Tock Boom' and 'Try It Again' put them all together as effectively as anything they have done since the big smash 'Hate to Say I Told You So' and suggest these revivalists are themselves due a revival.
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SpinThe Hives want it all, so they've risked everything on an album that audibly fights to earn it. [Nov 2007, p.113]
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Seven years after breaking out of Sweden's eternal garage-revival scene, this color-coordinated quintet has somehow created its liveliest, most playable album.
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The Hives' best tunes are the ones that race pell-mell through churning guitar riffs and pounding drums while singer Almqvist hollers about, well, whatever.
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It's nice to have a record with a plan.
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The band's ambition on Black and White is admirable and makes for an album that is, even in its less successful moments, never less than an interesting listen.
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With its spunky energy and grand polish, The Black and White Album should keep our favorite Scandinavian sass masters aloft on the modern rock wave for at least another year.
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Under The RadarThe Black and White Album is an extraordinarily (perhaps inordinately) confident album. [Winter 2007]
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While the balancing act between the Hives' new and old approaches is a little lopsided, making this album less amazing than "Tyrannosaurus Hives," The Black and White Album should satisfy most fans while giving them a few challenging moments to chew on, too.
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Despite uneven attempts to branch beyond their explosive pop-punk, the Hives' fourth full-length ultimately delivers the goods.
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The Black and White Album can feel, at times, thematically spastic, spinning more like a mixtape than a proper LP.
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BlenderMost of the album, like the single 'Tick Tock Boom,' sticks to formula. [Nov 2007, p.150]
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The Black And White Album feels less like a fresh start than the end of something.
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MojoThe rethink has paid dividends. [Nov 2007, p.90]
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It's enjoyable, fast-paced and delivered with an undeniable amount of skill. But it isn't memorable enough.
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Once The Black And White Album settles in, and you've figured out which songs to skip, it's as enjoyable as any of their previous albums.
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Q MagazineThe Black And White album plays their usual garage-rock game with no desire beyond loking hot and sounding cool. [Nov 2007, p.138]
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So are The Hives stuck in a stylistic corner, or is The Black and White Album just a rocky bridge to something new and revelatory from the group? The material seems to drop hints in both directions.
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Not exactly different enough to make this the Hives's "White Album," but for once, things aren't literally so black and white.
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The increased repetition of blurted nonsense phrases and the further dumbing down of their very basic progressions should serve to rid them of numerous long-time fans who hoped the Hives could save rock 'n' roll.
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UncutHere they often come across as Hard-Fi playing the songs of The New York Dolls--infinitely more irritating. [Nov 2007, p.104]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 26 out of 34
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Mixed: 3 out of 34
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Negative: 5 out of 34
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Jun 12, 2012
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JohnB.Dec 17, 2007Great step forward for a band that should be topping charts in the US.
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JonatanDec 14, 2007The best rock album of the year. Excellent songs, like You Got It All Wrong, Hey Little World and Bigger Hole to Fill.