Hoobastank: Doug Robb (vocals); Dan Estrin (guitar); Markuu Lappalainen (bass); Chris Hesse (drums). <p>Additional personnel: Jim Wirt (piano). <p>Recorded at 4th Street Recording, Santa Monica, California and Village Recorder, Los Angeles, California. <p>With opening gigs for the newly famous (Alien Ant Farm, Incubus) and the firmly established (Live), Hoobastank have had the envious opportunity to generate buzz and anticipation for their self-titled major label debut. Don't be put off by the goofy name; while it might be overtly campy, it's certainly original and makes for a catchy logo, cleverly incorporating Wallis' famous symbol for infinity. HOOBASTANK boasts palatable, hook-laden hard rock in the spirit of bands such as Papa Roach and 311. The band keeps it simple with guitar/bass/drum/vocals, seeing no need to add pretentious strings or synthesizers to their stage-ready sound. <p>As for their songs, a connecting thread of broken relationships (both romantic and otherwise) permeates the lyrics, especially "Give It Back" and "Running Away." The soft then heavy "Up And Gone" speaks to innocence lost, while the ballad-worthy "To Be With You" offers a glimmer of hope in the predominant darkness and confusion. Musically, HOOBASTANK embodies all the elements of the post grunge scene. "Pieces" has rap metal verses coupled with dissonant tritone riffing which breaks away to piles of vocal harmonies in the choruses. The song that truly defines the Hoobastank sound is the aggro-pop anthem "Crawling In The Dark," a single that will have hard rock fans clamoring for this CD.