After their two year-old album got popular, the Hives seemingly dropped off of the face of the planet. Last I checked, their website said they were "taking time off." Can anyone shed some light on this situation?

All I know is The Hives beat out The Strokes on Feb. 13th (i believe) at the NME Brat Awards for Best International Band...I'm not too sure about that.

I give that the Marge Simpson moan of discern..."mmmmm".

I read on nme.com that they were recording a new album that apparently mixes the Sex Pistols with Kraftwerk that should be out in September. As a Hives fan, I am excited, especially if a tour is involved.

damn swedes. where's komeda?

i have the scoop. they are in switzerland at the moment, recording and touring. one of my friends is in this band called "reigning sound" and they have played a few shows with the hives, and are going to tour with the hives again in sweden and all that for a couple of weeks this month and one of the shows is at the bass player's house. so they are alive and well. I'll get him to ask them about the new record.

pretty fuckin sweet, huh?

I feel "in-the-know." Thanks Stalker.

Is it true that they all live together in some Black & White mansion/castle/compound of rock like I have read in magazines?

Yes, the entire house is black with a tall, slender, white door.

i don't really know if the hives can pull off another album that would be as successful as their last......i might be wrong, but i have my doubts. you can never tell what the fickle public will buy these days......

Yeah, I feel the same way. I'm afraid they may become one or two hit wonders. I hope not.

even if they do, i will still rock out to them. fuck the public.

I heard a rumor that Matt Destruction has given up music all together to become a carnie. I was told that soon after the Hives performance at the MTV awards he ran away with a traveling circus in hopes of getting the part of the sad clown. Unfortunately, last I heard he was still the understudy for the clown who drives the little car. I'm sure this must be a let down after rock n' roll superstardom. As I said this is just a rumor, but it seems pretty believable to me.

Ugh...Carnies...circus folk...small hands...smell like cabbage.

stick to your guns, stalker......

Well...I think that the general public will react to the new Strokes and White Stripes albums the same way they will to the Hives. All three bands have had their time in the spotlight and they'll probably go back to where they were at the beginning of 2002 as oppossed to the end of it. Fine by me.

that's probably true.....im looking forward to the next strokes album more than anything......it should be interesting to see what they will do with it....

OH, I cannot wait for the new Strokes album. I'm sure it will be beautiful. I know it will not be a disappointment.

(Edited by Sexy Sadie at 9:57 am on Mar. 4, 2003)

As long as a member of The Strokes gets to screw Catherine Pierce (see this month's Rolling Stone) I cannot support them.

zing!

i'm not sure how long the strokes can remain interesting. i liked "is this it" a lot, but i don't think that their sound leaves much room for growth. i could be wrong.

Geez...your roommate is so going to suffocate you with a pillow/stuffed dog tonite in your sleep.

he and i have discussed it before. i'm not saying that their next album won't be cool, but like JC said, the third will be the one that makes or breaks them. i just can't see them writing songs that are much different from anything on "is this it".

If you listen to their older songs like "In Her Prime" you can definitely hear a difference from the Is This It songs. If they can make the transition from those songs to the ones on Is This It, I believe they can continue to grow and change like they have in the past. Even if the new album's tracks aren't much different from Is This It, I would still be happy. Actually, if it's anything like Is This It, I'll be thrilled. I don't think you can go wrong with that kind of stuff. But that's just me.

that makes since, but if they keep making the same kind of songs, i think i could just listen to "is this it". but i know of your love for the strokes, ms. sadie., and i wouldn't question it. i don't want to get mauled

i see your point. but if the strokes did make another album like "is this it," it certainly would not be a waste. a strokes fan would have a whole other album full of different "is this it"-style songs to listen to. though the style of the songs may be the same, they would be different songs nonetheless.

besides, i definitely think that some of their new songs like "meet me in the bathroom" and "i can't win" sound different (thought not drastically so) from the last album.

i love the strokes.

The Strokes are a good band that could prove to be a great band, when all is said and done. I liken them to R.E.M. after their first EP and LP, back in 1983. Here you had a band who had made two great records, garnered critical acclaim, and gained somewhat of a following (though admittedly not as great as the Strokes' following). Like the Strokes, people accused them of looking too often to the past for their inspiration. Most of all, though, R.E.M., like the Strokes had a certain sound. It was a cool sound, but they were kind of one dimensional. But rather than dwell on this one sound that had cut it for Chronic Town and Murmur, they grew and evolved. And that's what made a good band into a great band. And that's where I see the Strokes today. They can keep making Is This Itagain and again, and be a good band. Or they can stretch themselves, step out of their comfort zone, take some chances, and become a great band. Or that's one man's opinion, anyway.

(Edited by Crispian Mills at 9:21 pm on Mar. 5, 2003)

Well said Mr. Mills ... many people complain about REM's later albums, but at least they didn't continue making Murmur for twenty years. I respect that.

Anytime the Strokes and REM are mentioned in a comparison it make me nervous. I like the Strokes but I LOVE REM.