The Hives Recorded Their New Album in One Take and Which 80s Metal Gem Should We Resurrect Next?
Plus: Why a drummer used three different kits on one Helloween album, the metal band that recycled KISS riffs, and the space rock masterpiece inspired by getting stoned at IMAX
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This Album Sounds Like Kurt Cobain Fronting Failure—And You’ve Never Heard of It
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois in 1991. While most college towns were content with cover bands and keg parties, this place was brewing something special. Love Cup formed the same year Hum was finding their footing, featuring Mark Baldwin on guitar, TJ Harrison on bass, and initially Jim Kelly on drums before Jason Millam took over. These weren’t just neighb…
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From 5x Platinum to Total Flops: September’s Metal Showdown
Ready to dive into four albums that tell different stories about 80s metal’s sprawling landscape? This month’s tournament spans the glam spectrum—from platinum superstars to industry insider projects that somehow slipped through the cracks. Each record here was suggested because it reveals something essential about what made 80s metal so damn vital.
New Releases
The Hives - The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
Remember The Hives? Those Swedish garage punk provocateurs who first crashed through the garage rock revival twenty years ago with their black-and-white uniforms and Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist’s irrepressible swagger? They’re back with their second album in two years after an eleven-year hiatus—and this time they’re dead serious about world domination.
The album was mostly recorded in one take at Yung Lean’s studio in Stockholm, with production assistance from Beastie Boys’ Mike D, who flew to Sweden specifically for this project. This razor-sharp collection of 33 minutes delivers what Paste Magazine calls “the raw, chafing urgency of what it’s like to be alive right now”.
What works: Critics universally praise the band’s relentless focus and songcraft. Northern Transmissions notes “songs as punchy as ‘O.C.D.O.D.’ and ‘They Can’t Hear the Music’ work damn well,” while the album maintains “wall-to-wall bangers”. Metacritic shows perfect 100% positive reviews, with Classic Rock calling it “vibrant, loud and sure to destroy dance floors worldwide”.
What doesn’t: Some reviewers wish for more musical diversity. Hot Press admits “there are songs that could have been shorter,” while others note the album’s “clarity of vision and purpose” might feel limiting to those wanting detours.
Belinda Carlisle - Once Upon A Time In California
Think Belinda Carlisle, and your mind probably jumps to Go-Go’s punk-pop or her solo hits like “Heaven Is a Place on Earth.” But this California queen has been living in France for years, releasing French albums—making this her first English-language record in 29 years.
Carlisle spent eight years sifting through “probably about 100 songs” from the 1970s that shaped her California youth, creating demos to see which classics could work in her style. Recorded in her native Los Angeles, it’s a deeply personal covers album featuring everyone from Jim Croce to Harry Nilsson.
What works: Rolling Stone Australia notes her impressive layered vocals, particularly on “Never My Love” where she “incorporated some Beach Boys harmonies”. Reddit users praise how “everything fits really well in a very cohesive way. Belinda sounds great”.
What doesn’t: The limited reception suggests this nostalgic approach, while heartfelt, may not capture the attention her original material commanded. The covers format, though beautifully executed, feels like a safer artistic choice rather than bold creative growth.
The Casket Lottery - Feel the Teeth
Kansas City post-hardcore veterans The Casket Lottery built their reputation on emotional intensity and political urgency over two decades. After losing founding member Stacy Hilt and nearly breaking up, Nathan Ellis pushed forward with a new lineup for what might be their most introspective work yet.
The album title references teeth as symbols of “pain, survival, and the scars we carry—whether they’re buried or exposed,” with Ellis describing it as exploring “middle age enlightenment” after years of insomnia and anxiety.
What works: Tinnitist praises how the album “navigates the tension between exhaustion and revelation” with tracks like “Bell Penny” delivering “soaring, anthemic, mid-tempo alternative rock territory”. The New Noise Magazine interview reveals Ellis’s raw honesty about mental health and survival.
What doesn’t: Critics note this is very much a “fatigue album” that doesn’t offer much hope or resolution. Ellis himself admits “I wish I could say I landed someplace with it that felt good, but unfortunately, that’s just where I’m at in life”.
Helloween - Giants & Monsters
German power metal godfathers Helloween are celebrating their 40th anniversary with their 17th studio album, featuring the “Pumpkins United” lineup that includes both Michael Kiske and Andi Deris on vocals alongside founding guitarist Kai Hansen.
Drummer Dani Löble recorded using three different drum kits to capture the perfect vibe for each song, while the album was mixed at the legendary Wisseloord Studios where Iron Maiden and Judas Priest recorded.
What works: Blabbermouth calls opening track “Giants On The Run” an “instant classic: big, bold and belligerent,” while praising the “magnificent” eight-minute closer “Majestic”. The Razor’s Edge notes how all three aging vocalists still sound “as strong and healthy-sounding as they were when they were twenty years younger”.
What doesn’t: MyGlobalMind points out inconsistency, noting some tracks fall into “hard rock and melodic metal territory” that feels less powerful than their classic speed metal approach. The variety, while showcasing different eras, sometimes lacks the focused intensity of their best work.
Google Earth (John Vanderslice and James Riotto) - for Mac OS X 10.11
John Vanderslice transformed from indie-folk songwriter into an electronic music pioneer after relocating from San Francisco to Los Angeles and shutting down his famous Tiny Telephone studio. His collaboration with multi-instrumentalist James Riotto creates music under the deliberately confusing name Google Earth.
The single “Endless Corridor” was inspired when Riotto got stoned and saw Interstellar in IMAX, laughing at the “groovy, very hi-fi, but also quite silly, percussion music” during the Dolby Sound demonstration.
What works: Flood Magazine notes how the duo achieves “the ‘hard alchemy’ of combining their three main musical loves: songwriting, electronica, and jazz”. The songs flow from two-hour improv sessions then get meticulously crafted, with Vanderslice admitting some tracks took “100 hours to tetris in.”
What doesn’t: The experimental electronic approach lacks the immediate songcraft that made Vanderslice’s solo work so compelling. The deliberately abstract nature and tech-inspired naming might alienate fans expecting traditional indie rock songwriting.
The Blow Monkeys - Birdsong
Remember The Blow Monkeys? The British sophisti-pop band behind “Digging Your Scene” and that “You Don’t Own Me” cover from Dirty Dancing. After 40+ years, Dr Robert has signed to Creation Youth—the new label from Alan McGee (the man who discovered Oasis) and producer Youth.
Dr Robert sealed the deal with McGee by playing T. Rex’s “Buick McKane” on acoustic guitar during a casual visit in the Spanish mountains where they’re neighbors.
What works: MOJO gives it four stars, calling it a “brilliant Blow Monkeys album” with sophisticated pop songs, noting “The Penny Drops is a sophisti-pop croon, the kind he made in the ’80s”. The album captures their signature blend of rare groove and polished soul-pop.
What doesn’t: Limited critical coverage suggests the album hasn’t broken through beyond their existing fanbase. The nostalgic approach, while expertly executed, doesn’t push creative boundaries or address why The Blow Monkeys matter in 2025.
Ron Sexsmith - Hangover Terrace
Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith has been craft ing melancholic melody for over three decades, working with everyone from Daniel Lanois to Bob Rock. At 61, this prolific artist (18 albums deep) recorded his latest during an extended London stay.
Despite his reputation for gentle folk-pop, Sexsmith describes this as more “wounded and introspective” than his recent “rural contentment” albums, dealing with pandemic fallout and friendship betrayals.
What works: The Bluegrass Situation praises the emotional range, noting how Sexsmith “wanted to express the full range of emotions, human emotions” rather than being pigeonholed. Tracks like “Burgoyne Woods” channel The Who’s power, while “Camelot Towers” tackles the housing crisis with empathy.
What doesn’t: The 14-track, 44-minute runtime feels indulgent for an artist known for concise songcraft. Some critics note the album’s wounded tone, while honest, lacks the uplifting moments that made his best work so endearing.
Chris DeVille - Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion
Stereogum editor Chris DeVille has written the definitive book on how indie rock evolved from secret handshake music to mainstream dominance, covering everything from Death Cab for Cutie to Phoebe Bridgers.
DeVille reveals this became “in a lot of ways the story of the evolution of the internet over the last couple of decades,” documenting how MP3 blogs, MySpace, and streaming reshaped music discovery.
What works: Merry-Go-Round Magazine calls it “a comprehensive and fantastic history from someone who lived right alongside it,” praising DeVille’s authority and personal anecdotes. Goodreads reviewers love the chapter playlists that enhance the reading experience.
What doesn’t: The nostalgia factor can be overwhelming—one reviewer noted having to “put it down and console myself about getting older”. The book’s comprehensive scope sometimes feels more like academic documentation than compelling narrative storytelling.
In Memoriam
Jim Kimball
The drumsticks have fallen silent. Jim Kimball, the thunderous heartbeat behind Michigan’s underground rock royalty—Laughing Hyenas, Mule, The Jesus Lizard, and The Denison/Kimball Trio—passed away Tuesday morning at 59 after a battle in the ICU. From his Ann Arbor roots to Chicago’s Touch and Go Records family, Kimball brought jazz-trained precision to punk rock chaos, creating what one witness called “Scott Asheton’s caveman stomp meets jazz swing”. Whether stealing the show from Hüsker Dü in 1987 or performing with stitches after getting stabbed in a NYC robbery, Kimball embodied the Michigan underground’s relentless intensity—no matter the circumstances.
Hey thanks for sharing! PS I dig The Hives!