Hoobastank

(Island Def Jam)
by Scott Hefflon

Terrible name, decent band… Skating the fine line between nü metal and hard alternative radio rock (or whatever), I guess the question is, are ya gonna try to appeal to the dumbass knuckledraggers and make a lot of money, or are ya gonna push yer power ballad and go for the radio market and the teen chicks and make A LOT of money? Like Linkin Park or Adema, Hoobastank will appeal to teens, and, well, they look like Teen Beat hunks and they come across as all “gosh, shucks, we’re just here to play music” in the bio, but as the CD plays on and on, they veer distinctly toward bright prog rock pop more than the kinda moody opener “Crawling in the Dark” might’ve hinted. OK, they went for the real money, and shit, good luck to ’em. But I don’t feel the need to evaluate the song credibility of Hansen, Saves the Day, or any other boy band cuz they’ve already made it clear that the music is secondary to the photoshoots.
(www.hoobastank.com)