| Product Summary | | Label: Universal Music Group | | UPC: 00602498608814 | | Release Date: 12/9/2003 | | Buy.com Sku: 60621562 | | Item#: M9V6G9 | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 26050 | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
(P) 2003 The Island Def Jam Music Group
(C) 2003 The Island Def Jam Music Group
| Hoobastank is back with 12 new songs that remind us all why they're one of the best acts around. There's plenty of hard-ass rock on The Reason, from the torrential guitar and lofty hook of "Just One" to the blast of "Same Direction" and the near-epic "Disappear," there's a lot to rock about. As for the softer side, there's the sweeping grandeur of the title track, which features a circular guitar arpeggio and Robb's soaring vocal line, it's an apology cum love song that they don't make too many of these days. They also recorded a version of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," which didn't make the record. They were originally asked to cover it for Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo "It's not something we want to be known for, but we're holding it for something good. Maybe for the sequel...Deuce Bigalow, Electric Boogaloo."
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser. | | Hoobastank: Douglas Robb (vocals); Dan Estrin (guitar); Markku Lappalainen (bass); Chris Hesse (drums). | | Recorded at Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, California; Sparky Dark Studio, Calabasas, California. | | This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser. | | Hoobastank's second full-length release finds the oddly named band honing their hard-rock hooks. On THE REASON, the group recalls a poppier Tool without the dark, brooding qualities or experimental edge. Douglas Robb's introspective, angst-ridden lyrics complement his plaintive vocals, and the band ably backs him up with tight guitar riffs and a solid rhythmic foundation. Clearly Robb has a lot to get off his chest with this set of songs--he wonders "What Happened to Us?" and decides that "I'm the only one that understands me." And on "Let It Out," Hoobastank rocks through an anthemic call for release. Although the instrumentation and arrangements are generally straightforward, some electronic and acoustic flourishes open up Hoobastank's sonic landscapes to wider vistas. |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 12/09/2003 | | Original Release Date : 2003 | | Catalog ID : 0001488 | | Label : Island Records (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00602498608814 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Blender 7 of 10
Hoobastank are pretty smart for a group of hard-rock crybabies with a horrible name. The California quartet's lack of pretension and less-than-turgid beats ("Escape" even gallops like Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone") make every song on The Reason sound like a future airwaves monolith worthy of following their hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away" onto a catalog-churning best-of. This consistency doesn't make them anything more than anonymous radio angst merchants, but these odes to frustration are infinitely more tolerable than most; thankfully, singer Douglas Robb can emote without sounding like a violent donkey. It's too early to know whether these guys are this decade's Journey (not an insult!), but they're contenders. - Anthony Miccio
Rolling Stone 6 of 10
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
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Production |  4 | | Performance | 4 | | Composition | 4 | | Overall Satisfaction | 4 |
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4 of 5 Worth your time Monday, November 07, 2005
sand-da-man from Chicago, Illinois
I heard this album before I ever learned anything about the band. Good thing. If I had known that the members of Hoobastank were from Agoura, California I probably would have avoided them: not too much original music is generated under the Hollywood rainbow. But these guys are an exception. The vocalist is a real winner who sings with emotion and sincerity. The songs are not that sophisticated in structure but don't need to be. They are crafted to deliver a clear message, and that's ultimately what it's all about in music or any other art. There's little pretense in the lyrics and the themes are solid. The sound may smack a bit of pop (despite the band's claim to the alternative genre), but no matter. The material is distinct an original enough. To be sure, my favorite selection is the title song "Reason," a real study in song-writing perfection---- sentimental lament, ushered in by a steady simple beat, culminating in an irresistable, anthem chorus--- but the remaining tracks, not as elegant, are rhythmically appealing while making their statements. This is a good-sounding CD- no matter where the band's from our how long they've been around..
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