The Hives

Essentially a glorified single for "A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T" from the Hives' Barely Legal album, this five-song EP features the title tune (duh!) along with four otherwise unavailable sides from the band's formative period. If you dig the Hives, these tracks find them in typically fast, loud, and attitudinal form, especially on the hot-wired "Fever" and "Outsmarted," in which their garage rock snazz waves wild and free, and "Untutored Youth," which features some inspired speechifying from the ever-thoughtful Howlin' Pelle. And if you don't dig the Hives, you're utterly hopeless, and the band would likely agree with that observation. More for the hardcore than the casual, A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T offers bold entertainment regardless of where you stand on this crucial issue. Gearhead Records' original U.S. release of the EP added a sixth cut for extra value, the otherwise unavailable "Numbers." ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide