It may not have the “counting down their 15 minutes” undertones of their Nike ad, but the Hives’ clip for the better-with-each-listen “Tick Tick Boom” does serve as a reminder that Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and his bandmates can knock your socks off … with the sheer power of their minds. (Also, Almqvist’s extended “yeahhhh”s on the track sound straight lifted from Jane’s Addiction’s “Obvious,” do they not?)
The Hives – Tick Tick Boom (YouTube)
The Hives [MySpace]
I was at the bar with friends the other night when somehow we got on the subject of The Hives. He said they sucked, I said they were actually pretty good. Turns out, he was thinking of The Vines.
Easy mistake, but a big one. Either way, I find that they are a band that people like to throw a lot of criticism at. I’ve never been able to figure out why though. I think I’ve seen every person who has ever told me they didn’t like them tapping their toes merrily every time a song of their’s came on. Despite being constantly passed over for being a gimmick band, they write a lot of pretty awesome songs. Aww heck, I’ll just say it, I love the Hives.
Any art geeks out there? I’m convinced the opening image of a giant Pelle coming out of a box is an homage to this contemporary artist, Ron Mueck, who does giant-but-lifelike sculptures of humans in odd, usually reclining, positions.