Hoobastank - Every Man For Himself
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 See Larger Image | Every Man for Himself Artist : Hoobastank List Price : $13.98 USD Your Price : $13.98 USD ProductGroup: Music Release Date : 2006-05-16 Studio : Island Label : Island Avg. Customer Rating : (72 reviews)
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Reviews Customer Reviews for Every Man For Himself Pretty good Rating: I'd prefer to give this album 3.5/5 stars, but it's more deserving of 4 than 3. When I first bought this album I was very impressed by it and played it a lot. The songs are well-made, reasonably varied, and Hoobastank also sound more original than before ("Born to Lead," "Inside of You"). It may not have a unique feel to it like The Reason did, but it's no worse of an album, even if none of its tracks can match "Out of Control" or "Same Direction." I wouldn't want to give this album 4/5 stars because after listening to it for a while (around 40 times) I haven't really wanted to listen to it again... It's not one that quickly got tiresome, but it's also not one that gets better over time. Still, this album is more likely expand their audience than diminish it.
Customer Reviews for Every Man For Himself Cd A good listen, but only if you're already a fan... Rating: With the purchase of this album, I can officially declare myself a Hoobastank fan. Having bought Hoobastank's first two (and more popular) albums, and having liked them, I made the decision to give this one a whirl. Although I like what I've heard, please note that nothing on here will be particularly fresh-sounding for anyone not already familiar with this band.
The prime reason for the above statement, perhaps, is that nothing on this album is very catchy or outstanding. None of the thirteen tracks really stand out from the rest of the songs on the album (like "Crawling in the Dark" or "The Reason" do on the band's other releases). The music on this album is generally more experimental and varied, including tracks that are generally mellower in tone (think of Linkin Park's MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT); the band probably crafted this album in the attempt to produce another ballad-hit like "The Reason". The track with which this is most obviously attempted is "If I Were You", which is catchy but lacks the passionate energy found in "The Reason".
A huge round of applause for guitarist/composer Dan Estrin, who attempts all sorts of new tricks on this album. The heavier songs have a more danceable bounce to them (see "Inside of You" or "Born to Lead"), and the ballad tracks contain keyboards and well-placed string arrangements to really emphasize the tone of many tracks (see "The First of Me" or "If Only"). He really swings for the fences with the seven-minute closer "More Than a Memory", which includes flute, accordion, and soft acoustic guitar. By the end of the track, you'll be bobbing your head with your eyes closed dreamily. The album's main weakness, however, is Doug Robb's banal lyrics, which actually seem to be more blatantly literal than anything even on Hoobastank's debut. The exact same lyrical path about self-determination, for example, is present on "Born to Lead", "The First of Me", and "Without a Fight". Estrin gives Robb some surprisingly rich material to work with, but instead of becoming deeper in thought, Robb chooses to make his lyrics ill-conceived and tries (and fails) to use differing emotions to get his point across.
Buy this album only if you're a Hoobastank fan who has enjoyed the first two Hoobastank albums and is ready to step up to a new level. Otherwise, this album is very weak in terms of catchiness and attractiveness to a new audience and is not worth considering.
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