The fourth Island release is a do or die for alternative hard rockers Hoobastank. Their first two records yielded hit after hit, climaxing with the smash single, "The Reason", in 2004, which made it to #2 on the BillBoard Top100 - quite an achievement these days for a rock band. But in 2006 the uneven "Every Man for Himself" fizzled quick, threatening to jettison Hoobastank from the charts forever. So "For(N)ever" has to be killer.
It is evident the band is aware of their predicament, as the lead singer Doug Robb reflects on the blistering opener, "Yesterday I've learned from, tomorrow is uncertain; so why can't I just make my turn today?" "My Turn" marks a nice return to the classic Hoobastank formula of hard, yet melodic, alternative rock. There is a renewed sense of energy and hunger for their chart-topping days to return. So Hoobastank follow all the right corporate steps: they dumbed down the lyrics, included a large share of syrupy ballads, and wrote some by-the-book melodies. The good news is that for the most part this works in making for a decent hard rock experience, even if the lyrics are trivial and bland.
Highlights among the meaty rockers include "My Turn", "Who The Hell Am I?", and "All About You". I also enjoyed the refreshing piano-driven track, "Tears Of Yesterday". There are a couple guilty pleasures - "So Close, So Far" and "You're The One" - both grand ballads that are blatant attempts to repeat what "The Reason" did for them 5 years ago. As if two atempts to repeat "The Reason" weren't enough, there is yet another weaker clone ballad to follow ("You Need To Be Here").
The verdict: Doug Robb sounds at his best, the others in the band are tight, and guitar tone choices are perfect. I applaud the effort here and think the record is far better than its predecessor. But I'm afraid "For(N)ever" is not going to be the triumph the band needed - it has several good hits, but they had to knock the ball out of the park with every song.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 4, 6, 9
Hoobastank on MySpace. Official site.
Check out the video for "My Turn"
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