Track Listing

1. My Turn
2. I Don't Think I Love You
3. So Close, So Far
4. All About You
5. The Letter
6. Tears Of Yesterday
7. Sick of Hanging On
8. You're The One
9. Who The Hell Am I?
10. You Need To Be Here
11. Gone Gone Gone

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37799 in Music
• Released on: 2009-01-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Album Description
2009 album from the Alterna-Rock heroes, produced by Howard Benson who is best known for his work with My Chemical Romance, Daughtry, Reliant K and Flyleaf. When a band has as much success as Hoobastank, the motivation to top itself must come from within. That renewed desire can be heard from the very first notes of "My Turn," the first single from Fornever, which marks a return to the Rock roots of their first two releases, the platinum-plus self-titled debut and the two-million-plus-selling The Reason. With Fornever, Hoobastank have gotten in touch with what originally motivated them, which has made them stronger than ever. Hoobastank is Fornever.

About the Artist
"Yesterday I've learned from/Tomorrow is uncertain/So why can't I just/Make my turn today." "My Turn"

When a band has as much success as Hoobastank, the motivation to top itself must come from within. That renewed desire can be heard from the very first notes of "My Turn," the first single from the group's fourth Island Def Jam Music Group album, Fornever, which marks a return to the rock roots of their first two releases, the platinum-plus self-titled debut and the two-million-plus-selling The Reason.

"My Turn," a self-motivational anthem that marks the band's return to the airwaves, was Top 5 Most Added at Active Rock and #6 at Alternative even before its official impact with an alphabet soup of the country's leading stations putting it in their rotation.

"We're very hungry this time," says vocalist/songwriter Doug Robb of the band, which came together in 1994, when he joined with a pair of his Agoura Hills high school classmates, Dan Estrin on guitar and Chris Hesse on drums. "Maybe there is a chip on our shoulder, because we have that fire in the belly again. We're ready to do whatever we have to in order to get back to where we want to be. Even if we won't come out and say so."

Fornever was once again produced by longtime collaborator Howard Benson, who helmed the band's last two albums, 2006's gold-certified Every Man for Himself and 2004's two-million-plus selling The Reason. The latter earned three Grammy nominations, including Best Rock Album as well as Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for the title track, an international smash which went to #1 at Modern Rock, Adult Top 40 and Top 40 Mainstream and #2 on the Hot 100. The song was featured on the final episode of Friends, where it was heard by an audience of tens of millions, as well as on The OC. In fact, the song was so huge, it tended to overshadow the band itself. The band's self-titled debut, released in 2001, was also a million-seller, producing a pair of Top 40 Mainstream hits in "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away."

"We've accomplished everything we've ever dreamed about, including platinum albums, touring the world and getting nominated for awards," says guitarist/songwriter Dan Estrin. "But getting a chance to do it all again is really exciting. We all have brand-new eyes and ears going into this, as well as an appreciation for what we've been through."

Fornever, an album Robb describes as "about either the best aspects of relationships...or the worst. It's either `I love you' or `I hate you,' and `What am I doing here?' captures that return to the band's bold, post-grunge, hard-edged sound. "My Turn," inspired by a poem written by Doug's older brother, is an ode to everyman or woman, someone who has worked all their life and is just looking to get the rewards they deserve, like the band itself.

"Don't Think I Love You" starts with Dan's piercing blues riffs, a tale Doug describes as dealing with a couple growing apart because one partner suddenly realizes the other has changed beyond recognition. "So Close So Far" was inspired by watching the war in Iraq on television, and imagining the anguish of being separated from your loved one, fighting in a foreign country. "You're the One," a song Robb wrote about proposing to his now-wife, started with a chord fingering Estrin never used before, a song inspired by some of the guitarist's current listening faves, such as U2, Coldplay and Portishead. Another potential single is "The Letter," which may end up becoming a duet in some future form, while "All About You" is already a live favorite. "Tears of Yesterday," with a string arrangement by Beck's father, composer David Campbell, is the curveball in the batch, based on Estrin's piano riff, which he claims was inspired by his love of "quirky, cheesy '80s television sitcom themes like Bosom Buddies."

"The biggest difference is our mental attitude," says Robb of recording the album. "The five years of constantly recording and touring honestly killed us. We were absolutely burnt. We had gone through a lot of band turmoil on our last album. We had to get our heads back to where they needed to be for the writing process on this record."

"A successful band is like a puzzle where the right pieces have to fit together," says Dan. "And our pieces weren't fitting properly. We were beginning to take our success for granted."

Taking almost 18 months off, Hoobastank went through a pair of management changes, and a few false starts before starting work in earnest on their fourth album.

"We just needed a break," agrees drummer Chris Hesse. "When we came back, we were interested in being a band and playing music together."

"It was a reeeeeeeeally long process," says Doug about writing the songs for Fornever. "Nothing sounded or felt right at first. Maybe we were too relaxed, too self-satisfied with the last album. On this one, we wanted Howard to police us more, be more opinionated, force us to come up with our best stuff. We fought with him tooth and nail on The Reason, and those turned out to be positive, creative arguments which made the songs better."

"It took a bit longer, but at the end of the day, what we came up with was worth it," says Dan. "With time, the stuff got heavier and heavier."

"Dan has a kind of love-hate relationship with Howard," explains Doug. "But I think we all respect one another, which is what matters."

"We did what was necessary for each song," nods Dan. "If it turned out to be a heavy song, that was great. If it's a slower, mid-tempo ballad, then that's what we did."

With Fornever's in-your-face aggression and multi-layered songs, Hoobastank are playing to their fan base, not those fair-weather followers who flocked to "The Reason."

"It's like a make-or-break record for us," says Hesse, describing the group's urgency. "We approached it as if it were our last."

"I just know what we're capable of, when we're not being lazy," says Dan. "If all our pistons are working, we can do a lot of really good things in the future. Our tires may need a little air, but once they're pumped up, it's going to be sick. I'm confident in what we have the potential to do and what we will do."

"At some point, you kind of have to check your ego at the door," agrees Doug. "We've let go of any false illusions or swagger. We're just grateful our true fans have remained with us."

With Fornever, Hoobastank have gotten in touch with what originally motivated them, which has made them stronger than ever.

"It's not all as novel as it used to be," adds Chris. "But this point in our career is definitely something new. I don't know if I've ever been this happy with an album. I'm more excited and proud than I've been since our first album."

Hoobastank is Fornever.

Customer Reviews

Definitely NOT The Reason.
Geez, who the heck remembers Hoobastank these days? They haven't had a really big hit since The Reason way back in 2003, and their last CD was lukewarm at best in terms of popularity. Most people didn't even know they were still making music.

Well, I did.

I'm a huge fan of Agoura Hills bands (which includes Linkin Park), and have been following Hoobastank since "Crawling in the Dark" back in 2001. They've maintained a similar sound throughout all their CDs, namely a particular kind of chord progression that solidly defines their sound. So, with that said, you'll easily be able to tell this is a Hoobastank album and not some imitator. It's very..."them".

However, it seems like the band is trying really, really hard to distance themselves from "The Reason", the song that basically labeled them as pop-rock for a few years, and move back into their post-grunge roots. You won't find any songs on here sounding like "The Reason", "Moving Forward", "If Only", "More Than a Memory", etc. Which, for me, is actually a downer since I love Doug Robb's voice on the softer songs. No, he's essentially yelling or wailing on every song in some form or another.

"My Turn" starts the record off with a decent hard-rocker akin to "Same Direction" or "Born to Lead". "I Don't Think I Love You" showcases a variety of vocal and guitar talents, with a laid-back groove, a driving beat, and equal parts yelling, grating and high-note wailing. "Slow Close, So Far" has a slower beat and a softer tone, referencing people watching the Iraq war on TV and looking for their loved ones in uniform. "All About You" is straight-up hard rock. If you liked "Without a Fight" you'll like this. "The Letter" and "Tears of Yesterday" are both slower rock songs, and could pass for singles easily. The latter has Doug singing in a non-yelling tone, but not quite to the crooning level he's had in past ballads. "Sick of Hanging On" is actually almost on the verge of metal, especially the hard-edged guitar riffs and less melodic chorus. "You're the One" is a nice ballad, though still harder than past affairs. The last 3 tracks, "Who the Hell Am I", "You Need to Be Here" and "Gone Gone Gone" almost make me think of country rock, especially the first. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but slow heavy drum beats and fast-paced vocals aren't exactly a staple of past albums. "You Need to Be Here" is my personal favorite, showcasing a slow beat, classic Hoobastank chord progression (think "Stay the Same") and some of Doug's softer vocals.

Overall, after 2 total listens my impression is that I need to have these songs grow on me, much in the same way that Every Man for Himself did. I'll still say my favorite album is EMfH: sure it was a little different but there were a LOT of standout songs showcasing not only beautiful vocals but excellent lyrics as well. For(N)ever, for now, seems almost like a step backward in terms of evolution for this band, bringing it back to the hard-edged songs of The Reason and the original Self-Titled. They've gone back to their roots, and I applaud them for making music for their hardcore fans first and bandwagon consumers second. I, personally however, prefer Every Man for Himself at the moment.

Hoobastank are "Sick Of Hanging On" and need another hit. And it shows.
Almost three years after releasing their third album -- the eclectic but unfortunate commercial bomb that was "Every Man For Himself" -- the three men that make up Hoobastank (who apparently still haven't welcomed a bassist into the official band) return with "For(N)ever," an album that attempts to cash in on past acheivements while simultaneously breaking new ground. But a lot has happened since Hoobastank last left a mark on the music scene, none more devastating to their career than the fact that the world of popular music has simply forgotten about them. That doesn't seem to be slowing down their game, though, as their fourth album is chock full of fluffy, heart-on-the-sleeve pop-rock tunes that seem primarily aimed at modern rock radio, if not the Top 40 charts. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

As anyone who gave it a fair chance could tell you, "Every Man For Himself" was quite a bold album. It was poppier than any of Hoobastank's previous releases, but at the same time, darker and more mature. So to be served up what is essentially an updated clone of "The Reason" is quite disappointing. "For(N)ever" does little to stray from the formula that made the band a hit in the first place, and although some new sounds are tinkered with, it's nowhere near as ambitious as it's predeccessor. Fans of the first two albums will most likely love fare like "My Turn," "All About You" and "Gone, Gone, Gone," all of which feature the passively aggressive sound of their first album. It seems, though, that every other song has been written as an attempt to get the band's career back on track. "Tears Of Yesterday" -- while one of the more impressive songs on the album -- aims to be this year's hard-rock/pop crossover hit. Think "The Reason" only more upbeat and not as sappy. "So Close, So Far" is another one of the ballads that sticks out, sure to be a hit, but elsewhere, the cheese has been piled on in the form of the vomit-inducing "You're The One" and the slightly less offensive, but still meager "You Need To Be Here." "Sick Of Hanging On," coming across as a more aggressive "Make Yourself"-era Incubus and the lightly-Alice In Chains influenced "Who The Hell Am I?" help to bring some energy to the table, but can't save a sinking ship.

It's not that "For(N)ever" is a bad album, though. Aside from a few songs, it's perfectly listenable, but nothing more. It's a step down from the progression they've made through the years, and nowhere near as good or addictive as their first two major label affairs. It's short running time doesn't allow for much variety or enough "great" songs. You have to wonder why a band like "Hoobastank" would release their new album in January. Maybe had they spent a little more time filling the album with some better songs and dropping the ones that are obviously b-side material, the results would have made for one great summer album. Promoted enough, it could be a pop-hit, but it's doubtful.

Short In Time, Long On Energy
It's difficult to lay your dollars down for any album these days, especially when you get under 40 minutes of music, so my rating of 4 stars doesn't include a recommendation to buy this CD. But while you may not be getting a lot of bang for your buck here, you're still getting a lot of bang...as far as the music goes.

Don't expect any songs like "The Reason", because there aren't any. This is pretty much straight-ahead hard driving rock, and it's difficult to pick favorites because the songs are all on about the same footing. The guitars are hard and edgy, Doug Robbs vocals get pushed to the limit on most songs, and there are only a few songs where he uses his 'non'-edgy voice.

Collaborater/producer Howard Benson is back, and while there are signs of "commercialized" production (mainly, a smattering of the vocal special effects that seem to be so popular these days), this is mainly a guitar record. Sure, you get your three or four slower songs, but even those have an edgy character to them...there's only one song close to a true ballad, "You're The One", but songs like "Don't Think I Love You" and "So Close, So Far" are also laid back, and "Tears Of Yesterday" does away with distortion for the most part. But that doesn't mean the songs aren't very good. There's a good flow to this album...nothing really jumps out at you by being so different from the others. The intros are varied, but in most cases by the time you get to the chorus the songs are rocking pretty hard.

Other than the already released "My Turn", it's possible to see rock radio airplay out of all off the slightly slower songs, and "The Letter" has mainstream radio written all over it. So while this is definitely hard rock for most songs, catchy choruses are still there for every song. And if you don't like the more "commercial" songs, the end of the album has a few songs bordering on heavy metal at times (Gone, Gone, Gone).

So while I won't say "Go out and buy it", if you have a chance to hear this somewhere, you may find yourself thinking it's good enough to pick up...despite how short it is.