THE HIVES put on their kooky stage costumes Tuesday (June 26) at Sound Academy. See listing. Rating: NN
For a band so clearly laser-focused on good times, Swedish garage rock superstars the Hives don’t seem to be having a ton of fun on their fifth album. They might pride themselves on being the type of band that doesn’t have to evolve, but they just sound bored. Diehard fans will say we’re insane, but they’ll also admit that all their albums pale next to the over-the-top spectacle of the live show. Doing goofy stuff like adding a surge of canned cheering to the first song, Come On!, just highlights how sterile the album feels by comparison.
We get that it’s supposed to be cartoon rock, but this feels more like parody than an honest celebration of rock ‘n’ roll ridiculousness. Are we supposed to be laughing? Because you can’t take it seriously. But it’s not funny either. Strangely, it’s the occasional modern production touches that actually come closest to working – they’re far more interesting than the shameless quoting of classic rock riffs that most of the album is based on.
Top track: These Spectacles Reveal The Nostalgics
