Tyrannosaurus Hives cover

Tyrannosaurus Hives

Released

Overlooked in its time, the first post-fame Hives album was their finest hour and one of the most striking moments of the rock and roll revival. The songs are all short bursts of energy, but instead of landing as the garage punk the band was previously known for, Tyrannosaurus Hives accentuates the mechanistic minimalism that underpinned much of the best music of the era. That means “Walk Idiot Walk,” “No Pun Intended,” and “Abra Cadaver” sound like Kraftwerk synths and machine beats translated to guitars and drums. The songwriting is tight, catchy and memorable, but the distinctive arrangements were perhaps a little too extreme for their time.

Joshua Levine

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