It's official: The rock revival has set upon the unsuspecting music populace, teeth baring and guitars scorching. The Strokes are now international superstars, Jack White of the White Stripes is rumored to be dating Winona Ryder, and the summer could not be more primed to make new stars out of a number of other bands that reach back to the primal rock of the '60s and '70s with their new releases.
The first of these lucky bands is the Hives, who actually released their breakthrough album Veni Vidi Vicious two years ago in their native Sweden. Rereleased by the American label Sire Records, Veni Vidi Vicious has experienced a renaissance that would make Michelangelo blush, with its second single \Hate To Say I Told You So"" receiving the kind of airplay on MTV and MTV2 usually reserved for the latest 'NSync offering. Not much new ground is tread upon within the album's 12 tracks in 28 minutes, but they traverse the territory with their throttle firmly set on ""full."" Less melodic than the Strokes but more out-and-out rocking, the Hives never fail to energize, and while half of the tracks on Veni Vidi Vicious are fairly standard punk-rock, the other half are absolute gems'catchy and unabashedly fun.
Somewhat contradictorily, the British music magazine New Musical Express has labeled both the Hives and the Vines as the new Strokes. The Vines, from Australia, do not fill these lofty shoes as well as the Hives, however. With their debut album, Highly Evolved, hitting the shelves in July, the Vines should receive a fair amount of publicity, but the album is almost uniformly uninspired. Several offerings, including ""Outtatheway!,"" have the freewheeling sense that is necessary for quality rock, but most are bland and unexciting.
Never keen on letting music stand for itself, NME has also tagged the Doves as the new Radiohead, which shortchanges the Doves. Yes, they are both British. Yes, the Doves traffic in the same brand of quality rock that made Radiohead famous in the mid-'90s. But their sophomore effort, The Last Broadcast, is a dense, spiraling, intricate album that stands for itself as a testament to their substantial songwriting ability. Already a smash hit in England, the Doves hope to win over us Statesiders as well. Alternating from softer, touching songs to atmospheric rockers, this album should be the recipe for that success.
Finally, a revival of the '70s is coming from an unexpected place: Weezer. Their newest album, Maladroit, successfully blends Rivers Cuomo's love of metal and hard rock with their now familiar brand of alt-rock. Featuring solos that would make Eddie Van Halen proud and the pop-music sheen they developed with their green album, Maladroit is a satisfying throwback to the days of long hair and bitchin' Camaros, all with a surprising apparent lack of irony. All in all, Weezer has offered a satisfying rock album in a summer rife with them.
