Formed in either 1989 or 1993 ( I write 'em, you pick em'), the Hives are a Swedish band that became "overnight sensations" in the early 2000's with their garage rock meets pop music sensibilities. Over the course of their still somewhat young career, they've released five LPs, three LPs, and have developed a reputation as one of the best live bands going. They've had a little more commercial and chart success overseas than here in the states, but nonetheless are one of the more fun and lively bands going these days.
Released on their Veni Vidi Vicious LP in 2000, "Hate to Say I Told You So" could best be described as frenzied or frenetic or furious or fevered or frantic or (now that I've run out of F synonyms) manic or crazed or wild (thank God for the thesaurus). The song starts with thirty seconds of hyperactive guitar that sounds like it's being played through a bullhorn while jumping up and down on a pogo stick, before there's a short lull with just a drum banging to and fro, before lead vocalist Howlin' Pelle Almqvist shreds his vocal cords with some of the most in your face vocals ever recorded by a pop musician. And it continues unbridled for three more minutes, with the guitars thrashing, the drums bashing and the vocals slashing, an ode to nihilism or a prayer to the id, and even now, some sixteen years down the road it is still every bit the numbness reducing, demon releasing grandiose pop tune it was the first time I heard it.
And you can thank the gods of music for bequeathing to us all the glory that is power pop...
Rap sheet: "Gonna get through your head what the mystery man said/Because I'm gonna..."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
You know, in the early 2000s, when I went kinda stark raving mad, this song was a part of the soundtrack. It's a good one.
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