The Hives

Though I can't be alone in wishing the Hives had used the mainstream appeal they won with Veni Vidi Vicious to write songs with the Matrix or do a duet with Lindsay Lohan or get Andre 3000 in for a collabo, the Swedish garage-rockers didn't do any of those things on Tyrannosaurus Hives, the first album they've made as bona fide stars. Instead they made a record that sounds exactly like the ones they made before they were stars, which is cool, too: "Walk Idiot Walk" struts like a robot, "Abra Cadaver" is a pretty funny title and the unconvincingly named "No Pun Intended" is cranked up to a tempo faster than anything else on the radio. They're not bad in concert either; the band Spin respectfully dubbed the best live band working today has been known to leave the audience weak-kneed and wailing for more. "The Hives have been playing the same songs for about two and a half centuries!" front man Pelle Almqvist proudly announced at their last South by Southwest set. And it shows.