Around the turn of the millennium, Sweden provided us with an update to The Kinks. Lots of energetic fuzzed guitars playing punk-infused garage rock with chord hooks you can't ignore. I almost hesitate to call them punk at all because the lyrics aren't angry enough - The Hives would rather party than tear down the establishment. It's along the lines of The Strokes, but I prefer these guys. It's a short album; 12 tracks in only 28 minutes. Normally, I'd complain about the length, but that's about all I can take in one sitting. I hear the band is great live, but I'm way too old for that mess. Metacritic rates this album at 84 out of 100 - sounds about right.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #63 (July 6, 2002)
Tracks: Not exactly versatile, the band produces very similar songs, but the standout track is Hate To Say I Told You So. The attempt at variety is Find Another Girl, which, of course, turns out to be the weakest song on the album.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My buddy Jim gave me a copy of this one. I used to listen to it in my car, but stopped because I was afraid it might lead to road rage (singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist yells a lot and gets me worked up).
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