Their first album seized me by the lapel, shook my head, and rocked my brain. Their sound ran from my head down to my toes just like a thunderbolt. They were reckless, ambitious and inconsistent but, at the same time, united and well-arranged. Then, The Hives grabbed my heart and never let it go.

Now, here comes their second. Pop, pop-er, pop-est! They became pop!! Well, this may be the well spoken story. Morning after the success of first albums, too many bands wake up with a sort of misunderstanding that they have to be more pop to shoot to mega-stardom. The results are second albums being just a bunch of songs which are half-pop-half-rock and don’t have anything good they had in their first albums. Quite sad, eh? But, don’t worry. The Hives are not just pretty faces that are just clinging to success and popularity. Yes, their second album sounds more pop but still holds the classic tastes that brought them success with the first. The princes have done this through simply talents. First of all, as players of guitar, bass and drums and a singer, each prince is fantastic. (They really can play music. Their gigs show that.) Secondly, their song writing has never been in doubt. (Clever, cynical lyrics and impressive melodies.) And lastly, the band’s unshaken attitude towards music. (They don’t seem to be being manipulated by popularity, do they?) They know where they stand and where they want to go.

Perhaps, they want to rock the general public this time. Compared to their first album, in which the princes played for their own fun, THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUM shows the band playing for others, or the general public. They are never flattering, though. They just turn to the public and play face to face. They are confident that what they are doing is a fun and, if they love it, the public loves it, too. Surely, they want to share fantastic time with as many people as possible. That is what The Hives think of being pop. It’s not matters of easy-money-making and becoming mega-stars. Just have funs, great funs, and share them with populations.
Well, a bit of disappointment is that the album lost vigour of lighting speed. Maybe because the album has 15 songs, it feels a little bit long and, not really dull, but dullish. Still, THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUM is a great album, which satisfies old fans’ expectations and meets new fans desires. The Hives will grab many hearts and never let them go this time, too.
<Billee>