Origin Vol. 1

Before the Hives' recent invasion, Sweden’s contribution to rock'n'roll was often dismissed with snickers about ABBA and Roxette. But The Soundtrack Of Our Lives has been making wild psychedelic rock since the mid-'90s, and its U.S. major label debut is a worthy addition to the band's legacy. A little tighter than Soundtrack’s sprawling previous efforts, Origin leans hard on the pillars of British Invasion rock: “Transcendental Suicide” stomps like vintage Who, “Heading For A Breakdown” roughs up some pretty Beatlesque melodies, and the collision of snarling riffs and boogie-woogie piano on “Mother One Track Mind” conjures the Stones at their most sinister. Inevitably, the distillation of these influences can’t help sounding like fellow classic rock fetishists Oasis, but it's a helluva lot better than covering "Dancing Queen."