Hoobastank - Hoobastank

This album is good for what it is...

Having heard the album THE REASON, and enjoying what I had heard for the most part, I decided to pick up this album, which I saw on the used rack. I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but for the most part, I do! You should know before you buy, though, that this album is by no means an ambitious art project, but instead a 39-minute collection of fast, catchy pop-metal tunes. That said, this album does seem almost TOO long, and the simple heavy-guitar-with-angsty-vocals formula becomes almost overused.

For the most part, though, the band pulls their highly-generic stunt off well. "Crawling in the Dark" is one of my all-time favorite album openers and really starts things off with a bang. From there, every song follows much the same formula, some tracks being catchier than others (my favorites of the deeper cuts are "Let You Know" with its atmospheric verses and sing-along chorus, and "Ready for You" which has a metallic, soaring chorus that I couldn't stop listening to for days). The only track where anything sounds noticeably different is "To Be With You" in which the instruments take on a darkly sensual tone and lead vocalist Doug Robb croons with longing for his loved one (the vocals are a bit amusing because of their awkwardness).

Should you buy it? Depends. If you liked THE REASON and want more (or want something noticeably heavier) then go ahead and check out this album out. Otherwise, if you're not a huge fan of "Crawling in the Dark" or of what you've heard from Hoobastank in general, then don't bother. This album is definitely one of those records that is catchy but that you could easily live without ever having heard much of. June 28, 2008

Love It

I've been listening to Hoobastank for a couple of years but only owned "The Reason" until recently. I picked up "Every Man For Himself" about four months ago and nearly melted it from listening to it so much. A couple of weeks ago, I got an email recommendation from Amazon for Hooba's self titled first album. I listened to the samples and decided to buy it. Fortunately I was able to pick up "Hoobastank" and the "Let it Out" DVD for $12 used. I am so glad I did. This CD has moved to the top of my list of favs. It is all I have listened to for the last two weeks.

I love all of their songs on all three of their albums. Each album has the Hooba signature but each one has its own flavor. This CD has a lot more drive to it; much heavier feel Every song kicks butt. I can totally relate to the lyrics. I have become a total Hoobafreak! October 17, 2007

It's entertaining, at least...

First of all, I'm a listener of many genres, whether it be Queen, AC/DC, Linkin Park, or even Eminem, Jay-Z, and Destiny's Child. Mind you, I don't like every work produced by an artist so essentially I just pick out which songs I think are cool and listen to them, so I can't really be lumped into any particular clique.

Now then, the first time I listened to Hoobastank was not from a thirty-second demo or hearing them over the radio. Rather, it was through the video game Elite Beat Agents that I first heard "Without A Fight" and thought to myself, "Hey! This band sounds pretty cool. I'll have to check them out." Well, two weeks came and went and after some convincing I decided to give their first self-titled album a whirl.

FYI, I only rated this album three stars because I haven't listened to the whole album (or many of their works. In fact, I'm pretty much new to this whole "world of music" thing) as I'm unnaturally mesmerized by "Crawling in the Dark", so I'll update this once I actually get through it all. They're nothing to terribly excited about if you're looking for something innovative. Just your average punk/nu-metal/whatever-it's-called-nowadays band but you can just tell that they're on to something when you listen to songs such as the two I mentioned earlier. Really, they're a great band but certainly nothing new to the music market.

In fact, the major reason they get such a bad rap is because they're NOT anything new or special. In fact, their post-grunge styled lyrics almost remind me of Linkin Park and SUM 41 with their overuse of the words "You", "Me", "We"...the list goes on. It's also really frustraing when people compare new-wave bands to older ones like AC/DC, Black Sabbath, or whatever it happens to be. Really, how can you compare something from thirty-something-odd years ago to a musical genre that isn't even half as old as that? It makes no sense at all. It's discouraging really and if people could only get that through their thick heads and narrow-minded views music wouldn't be so controversial.

If you're looking for something new then avoid Hoobastank at all costs. You'll just end up in the masses moaning and whining about how nothing these days is new and original; that everything is a remake of this or a spin-off of that. If you just enjoy listening to the music that you do and are looking for more of it, give Hoobastank a whirl and enjoy it with the rest of us that appreciate what they have to offer. September 28, 2007

Highly addictive refreshing rock and roll

After purchasing and loving 'The Reason', I went out and tracked down this debut album from Hoobastank. I imediately fell in love with it after one listen and found myself listening to it many times again. While not quite as good as the follow up, this CD still gets good rotation in my CD collection. Standout tracks are 'Crawling In The Dark', 'Running Away', 'Pieces' and my fave Hoobastank song 'To Be With You'.

The songs are short, but the new brand of refreshing punk/rock is addictive and while so many bands of the same mould come and go, I get the feeling Hoobastank may hang around for awhile.

December 3, 2006

There's much more for us to see

Hoobastank's major label debut, Hoobastank, has remained their best major release in my mind. The Reason was great until they more or less sold out by playing up The Reason (single not CD). Every Man For Himself is good, if a little familiar, with few standout tracks. So while this self titled affair is a little too poppy at times I still enjoy revisiting it from time to time.

I was a fan from the first time I heard Crawling In The Dark so of course I'm a bit more privy to this release than any others (except Basketball Shorts). But 5 years later I still think this is a completely solid rock CD. From the hard edged tracks such as Remember Me, Pieces, and Better to great downplayed rock tunes like Running Away, Let You Know, and Hello Again, this CD is proof that mainstream isn't always a bad thing.

I see people throwing around comparisons to Incubus, and while I've heard the two bands are friends, aside from a few subtle influences in the guitars and vocals I don't see it. Doug has a very distinctive voice, one that seems tailor made for a band like this, and Dan's guitar work, while definitely not jaw dropping, is by all means passable, even churning out a few memorable parts. As for Chris and Markku on bass and drums, they're more or less just there, not bad but nothing to write home about.

My favorite songs are Remember Me, Better, Up And Gone, Too Little Too Late, and Hello Again. Hoobastank isn't lacking in the catchiness department but even after two more CDs I still think they need some work in the originality department. They have distinctive music and all but you just know they're holding something back. So whenever they go all out and make the record they were destined to I'm sure I'll stop comparing each CD they release to this one. But until then this will remain my favorite major label release from the boys. September 2, 2006

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