#8 The Hives - My New Favorite Band.

I suspected that the Swedes were up to something when I first heard Refused and The (International) Noise Conspiracy. The Hives and their Nordic brethren at Burning Heart Records are kicking some serious ass. The Hives play peppy punk that owes as much to Jerry Lee Lewis as the Sex Pistols. Add an eensy-weensy dash of counter-culture propaganda and a healthy dose mod swagger and you've got one of the most exciting bands to come around in a long while. It's about time that someone came along and shut-up all the overwrought Vedder/Staley acolytes that dominate alt-rock radio.

Keep an eye on MTV2 for reruns of The Hives’ energetic 2$ Bill show. Also, be sure to check out the band's early e.p. aka I-D-I-O-T