Hoobastank - Hoobastank
On behalf of the sweat-drenched kids in the mosh pit, I welcome rock music back to the mainstream level. Hoobastank, the newest squad to join the music scene, is the perfect example of cloning in the music industry. These Incubus wannabes have finally gotten their break into the pop world that we live in today. They have successfully achieved a number one hit with �Crawling in the Dark� and hope to score such success with their next single �Running Away�. This team of post-grunge rockers has been working on their sound since 1994. Their self-titled major label debut displays all sides of their talent from the hard, aggressive sounds of �Pieces� to their soft side in �Losing My Grip�. As much as Hoobastank attempts to be like their old junior high buddies Incubus, vocalist Douglas Robb would lose drastically in a lyrical and vocal battle against Incubus vocalist Brandon Boyd. However, the guitar work on this project is crafty but not the most creative work on the market today. Guitarist Dan Estrin does, however, produce nice pop-rock guitar riffs and hooks that will definitely make this band a TRL fave for the duration of this album. Nonetheless, I have found myself singing their catchy choruses and humming their skillful melodies. This band reminds me of an immature, pop driven Incubus. However, after the butt-rock mullet period in the late seventies and the big hair era in the eighties, rock music has finally surfaced amongst the collection of boy bands that has vastly populated MTV and radio the past few years. Moreover, their CD is a very well produced. At times the harmonies are very much related to that of 311. I am quite excited to see bands like Hoobastank dominating the pop world; however, I would not have picked this band to lead the way. For those hard-core Incubus fans that are fond of the SCIENCE or even the Make Your Self album, I suggest that you stay away from these Incubus doubles. You will probably hate what you hear. For those of you that are just now joining the Incubus bandwagon, give this record a spin. You might find yourself liking what you hear and want to support these So-Cal boys. I would not say that Hoobastank has done anything new for rock music or music in general for that matter, but they are attempting to keep alive the dying art of rock music. All in all I would say that I like this album. It will never be one of my favorite albums but it is a good disc that is worthy of listening.
-AW
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� 2001