Hoobastank: The Reason : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The Reason, the second album by ill-named SoCal quartet Hoobastank, kicks off with the dark, almost emo "Same Direction," a driving rocker with a nicely scream- laden chorus. But in the next eleven cuts, most of the band's youthful spunk gets lost amid a lot of sludgy angst. "Lucky," a regular-dude ballad with a bright chorus ("You make me feel lucky as I can be") and cheesy string arrangements, sounds much darker than its sentiments imply, and quieter tracks such as "What Happened to Us?" are overrun with lyrics about emptiness and being misunderstood. Fugazi-esque guitars and memorable melodies occasionally poke through on The Reason's overbearing attack, reminding you of Hoobastank's promise; here's hoping chart success will brighten their outlook a bit.

CHRISTIAN HOARD
(RS 940, January 22, 2004)