This cd is throughly average. However, I feel a need to review it since the only other review is a shill review for the Pixies. I don't like the Pixies, and none of my other friends who like Hoobastank like the Pixies. So, from a big fan of Hoobastank's self-titled release comes this review:
"The Reason" is a huge step down from Hoobastank's self-titled release, which featured only one lame ballad, and it was never released for the radio. This album featured two lame ballads--sadly, they both made it to the radio. I'm not going to bother reviewing this song by song, since they sound so similar to each other--a major drawback to this album--sometimes you have to check iTunes to find out which song you are listening to.
However, there are quite a few good songs. "Same Direction" is a pretty cool opening track. The lyrics deal with his need to find a meaning to life--this song is almost a sequel to "Crawling in the Dark" (their best song until "The First of Me" off their newest album cam out.) The lyrics are discouraging, "I'm not ever going to know if I'm right or wrong, cause all along, we've been going in the same direction." but philosophical, and it nice to hear them singing about something besides relationships. The music is pretty fun for this song, and while the drumming for Hoobastank is never spectacular, it is clearly above average on this song. Doug also shows nice ability to switch between yelling and singing well quickly.
Following this is the best track on the album, "Out Of Control" A very aggressive song for the band, the original version of this song had the lyrics all screamed. The final version is much better though, and while the chorus is repetitive, it is catchy. This one could get stuck in your head. This was the first radio release from the band, and they should have stopped with this one...
The next five songs all sound kind of similar to each other. They are all pretty average, except for "Just One" which is slightly above average. These songs could all have been singles, but they don't stand out at all from each other. They are all pretty simplistic in both composition and lyrically, and so these songs get tiring pretty quickly. However, they are much better than what follows...
"The Reason" is the song that killed this band for most of my friends. This shipwreck of a ballad is stupid and assinine. Repetitive and stupid lyrics that my cat could write, and the most boring piece of music written by Hoobastank ever.
"Let It Out" is very juvenile, but kind of fun. The next two tracks slow down and turn to a dark mood. They are nothing special, but they are listenable, unlike, "Disappear" which starts a now two-album trend of putting steaming crap at the end of albums. Oh god, what could be dumber lyrics than this sample, "Do you know, that everytime you're near Everybody else seems far away So can you come and make them disappear Make them disappear and we can stay."
Despite the high number of songs that get skipped when I listen to this album, I enjoy this album, particularly the first 3 tracks. Don't buy this album, unless you really liked their debut big-label self-titled effort. This is a large step down, but luckily, Every Man For Himself, their next album, improves slightly. However, this album is victim to a severe sophomore slump.
