Even if there was nothing behind the giant marketing concept that is The Hives [ tickets ], they might have gone far on their swagger and bravado alone. Luckily for us, they actually do make good music.

With "Tyrannosaurus Hives," the Swedish band--Vigilante Carlstroem, Dr. Matt Destruction, Chris Dangerous, Nicholaus Arson and their leader, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist--puts a handful of short but punchy tunes behind their posturing. (From press materials: "Tyrannosaurus Hives is a record so full of potential hits, it would take a hundred songwriters working for a hundred years to come up with anything like it.")

The first single, "Walk Idiot Walk,"--a riff on politicians ("See the robot write up his name on the ballot")--is easily the best, but others also go beyond their ridiculous titles ("Abra Cadaver," "See Through Head") to be playful, you-must-jump-up-and-down-now romps. Clearly influenced by The Ramones and other '70s punk, The Hives also borrow from earlier music: "Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones" echoes The Monkees' "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," and "Diabolic Scheme," with its evil doo-wopping, could have come straight out of a '50s horror film.

A few tunes are less memorable than others, but everything here is over-the-top-rock enough that you can just see these guys screeching and doing the rooster in their retro suits. And yes, that might be an image we have thanks to the insanely good job they do promoting themselves--but it wouldn't mean anything if they didn't put their music where their mojo is.