cbmartinez
10-13-2004, 03:05 PM
Artist: Hoobastank
Album: Hoobastank
Label: Island
Genre: Rock/Alternative Rock/Post-Grunge
http://www.mymusic.com/covers/170p/430/436306.jpg
Douglas Robb- Vocals
Dan Estrin- Guitar
Markku Lappalanien- Bass
Chris Hesse- Drums
Review:
It seems like the most recent “fun” activity developed by music listeners is bashing bands. Well, I think everyone will agree when I say Hoobastank has been a main object of the insults. I’m not saying they don’t deserve some criticism, but people have gotten increasingly harsh with the band, especially with the single from their new CD, “The Reason.” I have both The Reason and the self-titled album and I believe my interest in Hoobastank began with a single known as “Crawling In The Dark.” The first time I heard “Crawling In The Dark,” I was blown away, as I’m sure other people, who may or may not want to believe it, were also. “Crawling In The Dark” is an energetic, rocking, fast song that starts off with a killer distorted picking line and explodes into a riff guaranteed to get you moving. Soon vocalist Doug Robb’s voice fills your ears, going from the whispered lines of the verse to the intense yells of the chorus and bridge. “Crawling In The Dark” was a fun song looking for nothing more to entertain. It wasn’t too flashy and featured some nice instrumental work. Doesn’t seem like a song that would get negative feedback, right? Well, to each his own I guess, because the song got a mixed reaction of good and bad. I was pleased with it and patiently awaited Hoobastank’s next single. “Running Away” was released about a month later. The song started with a catchy acoustic riff and moved to a powerful chorus with some nice backing vocals. After hearing “Running Away,” I was pretty much convinced that I wanted the CD. So when I finally got it for my birthday, I quickly gave it a listen. To make a long story short, I was under whelmed. Though I probably didn’t give it a thorough listen, the CD just didn’t impress me. With the exception of a few tracks, the songs just seemed generic. Well, about a year when my musical tastes and experiences had tripled, I decided to give it a listen. To my surprise, I found some material that I had missed the first time around. The CD was still less than amazing, but I noticed some other factors. The guitar and bass were actually played very well, especially the latter. Doug’s vocals were actually impressive, almost sounding like Daryl Palumbo (of Glassjaw) at points. Though Hoobastank are no rock gods, and sound terribly generic at points, Hoobastank is still a brave, fun and somewhat impressive venture into the rock scene.
Placed in between the singles at Track 2, is “Remember Me.” The track starts with some weird noises and flows into a soft verse of vocals, guitar effects and bass. The chorus and post-chorus are the best parts of the song, filled with beautiful backing vocal and guitar harmonies. “Remember Me” is a very fine track and the CD is off to a tremendous start. “Pieces,” my favorite track, comes in at Track 4. “Pieces” starts with a chaotic guitar line and Doug releases a soft scream, and is followed by one of the catchiest guitar lines on the CD. The song is a frantic mess that mixes melody and chaos into one hard-hitting powerhouse. The CD has yet to falter in my eyes. “Let You Know” starts off slow with weird guitar and prominent bass and drum beats. The chorus of “Let You Know” is catchy, but terribly generic. After four strong songs, the CD seems to slip a bit. But I still had faith as I skipped track. Thankfully, I was greeted with a powerful, driving guitar line. The verse of “Better” starts off right away with Doug’s quick vocals and Dan Estrin’s effect riddled guitar. The chorus is once a melodic collection of bass, backing vocals and guitar. The bridge has a nice little bass line, but the song winds up being reminiscent of some of the other songs. “Ready For You” starts off with feedback and transitions into a extremely poppy progression backed by Doug’s vocals. The chorus is the most melodic point on the CD, as Doug’s vocals, Dan and Markku’s backing vocals and guitar meld into one beautiful picture. “Ready For You” really exposes Doug’s vocal abilities and Hoobastank’s unique ability to create melodies. “Up And Gone” starts with an interesting bass line, Doug begins to sing somewhat cliché lyrics, and then lets out a Daryl Palumbo like scream. The chorus has some interesting guitar and vocal work, but “Up And Gone” just seems lost in the generic rock mess of modern music. Next is “Too Little Too Late,” which starts with clean guitar and then breaks into a nifty blend of bass and guitar. Once again, the song has it’s fine parts, but sounds a little too much like some of the other songs on the CD. I skipped to “Hello Again,” and was actually starting to expect more generic melodies and such. Luckily, “Hello Again,” mixes it up a bit with some catchy crunching riffs and interesting melodies. “To Be With You” also separates from simplicity, with its slow, weaving guitar, piano and bass, rhythmic drumming and beautiful vocals. “To Be With You” is a standout track and seems to give hope of the album regaining itself in it’s final moments. The song ends with Doug whispering, “with you.” The final track, “Give It Back,” keeps the flow the strong, and though Doug believes this is Hoobastank’s weakest track, I love it. Complete with fast, funky guitar and bass and quick vocals, “Give It Back” will get you moving. The song ends comically with one of the band members mocking rap. The album truly starts to regain itself with the final tracks.
Hoobastank is definitely not offering anything extraordinary or artsy. The music is traditional progressions and such, though both Markku and Dan are no doubt better than some of the other nu-metal guitarists in the scene now. The lyrics are not anything special, but Doug’s voice certainly is. Hoobastank is just an album that wants to get you moving and maybe even banging your head. And though the goal is accomplished with feverous vigor at points, the album ends up sounding generic. Many of the songs just lack originality. If you just want some straight up rock, I would suggest looking into this album. But if your looking for something that pushes the boundaries and defies the laws, your not going to find it here. Overall, Hoobastank is a confused project that aims to please, but gets lost in itself.
Suggested Songs: Crawling In The Dark, Pieces, To Be With You, Give It Back, Ready For You
Score: 2.8 out of 5
-Chris Baranowski
Album: Hoobastank
Label: Island
Genre: Rock/Alternative Rock/Post-Grunge
http://www.mymusic.com/covers/170p/430/436306.jpg
Douglas Robb- Vocals
Dan Estrin- Guitar
Markku Lappalanien- Bass
Chris Hesse- Drums
Review:
It seems like the most recent “fun” activity developed by music listeners is bashing bands. Well, I think everyone will agree when I say Hoobastank has been a main object of the insults. I’m not saying they don’t deserve some criticism, but people have gotten increasingly harsh with the band, especially with the single from their new CD, “The Reason.” I have both The Reason and the self-titled album and I believe my interest in Hoobastank began with a single known as “Crawling In The Dark.” The first time I heard “Crawling In The Dark,” I was blown away, as I’m sure other people, who may or may not want to believe it, were also. “Crawling In The Dark” is an energetic, rocking, fast song that starts off with a killer distorted picking line and explodes into a riff guaranteed to get you moving. Soon vocalist Doug Robb’s voice fills your ears, going from the whispered lines of the verse to the intense yells of the chorus and bridge. “Crawling In The Dark” was a fun song looking for nothing more to entertain. It wasn’t too flashy and featured some nice instrumental work. Doesn’t seem like a song that would get negative feedback, right? Well, to each his own I guess, because the song got a mixed reaction of good and bad. I was pleased with it and patiently awaited Hoobastank’s next single. “Running Away” was released about a month later. The song started with a catchy acoustic riff and moved to a powerful chorus with some nice backing vocals. After hearing “Running Away,” I was pretty much convinced that I wanted the CD. So when I finally got it for my birthday, I quickly gave it a listen. To make a long story short, I was under whelmed. Though I probably didn’t give it a thorough listen, the CD just didn’t impress me. With the exception of a few tracks, the songs just seemed generic. Well, about a year when my musical tastes and experiences had tripled, I decided to give it a listen. To my surprise, I found some material that I had missed the first time around. The CD was still less than amazing, but I noticed some other factors. The guitar and bass were actually played very well, especially the latter. Doug’s vocals were actually impressive, almost sounding like Daryl Palumbo (of Glassjaw) at points. Though Hoobastank are no rock gods, and sound terribly generic at points, Hoobastank is still a brave, fun and somewhat impressive venture into the rock scene.
Placed in between the singles at Track 2, is “Remember Me.” The track starts with some weird noises and flows into a soft verse of vocals, guitar effects and bass. The chorus and post-chorus are the best parts of the song, filled with beautiful backing vocal and guitar harmonies. “Remember Me” is a very fine track and the CD is off to a tremendous start. “Pieces,” my favorite track, comes in at Track 4. “Pieces” starts with a chaotic guitar line and Doug releases a soft scream, and is followed by one of the catchiest guitar lines on the CD. The song is a frantic mess that mixes melody and chaos into one hard-hitting powerhouse. The CD has yet to falter in my eyes. “Let You Know” starts off slow with weird guitar and prominent bass and drum beats. The chorus of “Let You Know” is catchy, but terribly generic. After four strong songs, the CD seems to slip a bit. But I still had faith as I skipped track. Thankfully, I was greeted with a powerful, driving guitar line. The verse of “Better” starts off right away with Doug’s quick vocals and Dan Estrin’s effect riddled guitar. The chorus is once a melodic collection of bass, backing vocals and guitar. The bridge has a nice little bass line, but the song winds up being reminiscent of some of the other songs. “Ready For You” starts off with feedback and transitions into a extremely poppy progression backed by Doug’s vocals. The chorus is the most melodic point on the CD, as Doug’s vocals, Dan and Markku’s backing vocals and guitar meld into one beautiful picture. “Ready For You” really exposes Doug’s vocal abilities and Hoobastank’s unique ability to create melodies. “Up And Gone” starts with an interesting bass line, Doug begins to sing somewhat cliché lyrics, and then lets out a Daryl Palumbo like scream. The chorus has some interesting guitar and vocal work, but “Up And Gone” just seems lost in the generic rock mess of modern music. Next is “Too Little Too Late,” which starts with clean guitar and then breaks into a nifty blend of bass and guitar. Once again, the song has it’s fine parts, but sounds a little too much like some of the other songs on the CD. I skipped to “Hello Again,” and was actually starting to expect more generic melodies and such. Luckily, “Hello Again,” mixes it up a bit with some catchy crunching riffs and interesting melodies. “To Be With You” also separates from simplicity, with its slow, weaving guitar, piano and bass, rhythmic drumming and beautiful vocals. “To Be With You” is a standout track and seems to give hope of the album regaining itself in it’s final moments. The song ends with Doug whispering, “with you.” The final track, “Give It Back,” keeps the flow the strong, and though Doug believes this is Hoobastank’s weakest track, I love it. Complete with fast, funky guitar and bass and quick vocals, “Give It Back” will get you moving. The song ends comically with one of the band members mocking rap. The album truly starts to regain itself with the final tracks.
Hoobastank is definitely not offering anything extraordinary or artsy. The music is traditional progressions and such, though both Markku and Dan are no doubt better than some of the other nu-metal guitarists in the scene now. The lyrics are not anything special, but Doug’s voice certainly is. Hoobastank is just an album that wants to get you moving and maybe even banging your head. And though the goal is accomplished with feverous vigor at points, the album ends up sounding generic. Many of the songs just lack originality. If you just want some straight up rock, I would suggest looking into this album. But if your looking for something that pushes the boundaries and defies the laws, your not going to find it here. Overall, Hoobastank is a confused project that aims to please, but gets lost in itself.
Suggested Songs: Crawling In The Dark, Pieces, To Be With You, Give It Back, Ready For You
Score: 2.8 out of 5
-Chris Baranowski