Black City

The anticipated Burning Heart/Epitaph debut release from this new (2002) Swedish group born from the ashes of some of the country's best hardcore travelers. Twelve tight and solid retro-punk tracks rocked with dark atmospherics, lower anatomy rhythms, and a taste of sex. Charismatic, passionate and straight-up soul-sensual. Digipak.

The best thing about the Hives' arrival is that it opened the gates for a slew of equally deserving Swedish bands, like political thrashers International Noise Conspiracy and psychedelic revivalists the Soundtrack of Our Lives. One of the finest of the lot is the Göteborg group Division of Laura Lee, a quartet of skaters whose fidgety debut mixes punk insurrection with hip-shaking garage rock. While sharing with its peers a preoccupation with the '60s, D.O.L.L. goes to great lengths to offer a record that not only sounds thoroughly modern (electronic effects crackle through songs like "Trapped In" and "I Walk on Broken Glass"), but is built on sparkling melodies ("Need to Get Some" and the title track), making it anything but ordinary. --Aidin Vaziri