Hives "let gorillas choose set list"

The Hives are playing some sort of festival at a zoo, and according to NME.com are letting the animals choose which songs they'll play:

Speaking to NME.COM, The Hives' singer Pelle Almqvist said he was letting the zoo's animals influence his choice of setlist for the gig.

"We're a bit scared that the gorillas will start a riot if we don't play the right songs," he explained. "We've never played a zoo before you know? Once we played at a festival in (hometown of) Fagersta in a field and their were cows there. Did they like our music? Well cows are pretty chilled out generally aren't they? So yes, I think so."

Given that the Zoo Thousand and Eight festival at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park also features Chas and Dave, we shouldn't expect The Hives would need to worry about what the animals think of their set; they'll clearly be at the other stage.

Formerly modish band hope "unexpected" producer will make them modish again

The Hives, who, to be frank, we have trouble calling to mind when we hear their name nowadays - oh, yeah, suits, right? - are attempting to reignite interest by choosing an "unexpected" producer.

We know what you're thinking: Is this really an unexpected choice of producer, or have they merely done something like hook up with Pharrell Williams?

The latter, I'm afraid:

In a statement singer Howlin Pelle wrote: "This new album has been recorded all over the world because we thought it was time to have other people involved besides ourselves and our closest friends. The lion's share of this new album was recorded in Mississippi with producer Dennis Herring. We also met producer Pharrell Williams in Japan a while ago. He told us: 'We should record together,' and 'something bass guitar-based.' We ended up spending some time in Miami making music with him. Some of his music will end up on the Hives' new record."

So, "the lions share" was done in Mississippi, and "some time" was spent in Miami - and this constitutes "all over the world"?

Spin magazine's band of the year

They've plumped for the Strokes, which we think is kind of interesting; we wonder if that's a compromise between The White Stripes and The Vines.

The Hives, apparently, are being given live act of the year, which seems to be the consolation prize they're picking up in all the end-of-years. In a way, I feel a bit sorry for them - if they'd gotten their asses into gear 18 months earlier, they'd have been able to look like the godfathers of the new craft rock scene; as it is, they seem to have been filed in most people's minds as slightly better dressed scenesters.

Spin thinks the best single since last Christmas is Eminem's Cleaning Out My Closet, which is arguable - surely it's merely the rap Candle In The Wind?