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Let’s step back and break down the elements of this cover, shall we?
• Half an infinity sign, and another one in the band’s logo;
• Outfits that seem to change depending on whether or not they’re covered by the aforementioned infinity sign;
• No real rhyme or reason as to what the “changed” outfits mean (a sweater? a tie? perhaps hell is forced trips to the J. Crew Outlet?);
• A title that uses the old “one letter can change everything” trick.
So maybe this cover means that they’re frustrated with the runaway success of “The Reason” as opposed to, well, anything else in their catalog, and they feel like they’re trapped in “safe” alter egos from now until time? Or does it just mean that they want to get out of their contract with Island as quickly as possible, and are even willing to sacrifice anything resembling decent cover art as a means to that particular end? Or am I giving this band way too much benefit of the doubt by assuming that it had anything resembling big ideas in the first place?
Hoobastank – For(n)ever [AbsolutePunk]
one thing we can be sure of is that they’ll (n)ever have to worry about another band topping them for worst band name in the history of things that can be named, (n)ever.
It looks to me like the half-infinity sign is more of a hook, pulling the lead singer away – a sign that maybe he’ll leave his fugly bandmates and go solo?
What was that I heard about 2009 being a better year than 2008? This is not a very good start.
I haven’t gotten around to writing about their latest single yet but “My Turn” is awful in a hilariously entertaining way.
My Tur(d)n
@Al Shipley: I think that was a last-ditch effort to play the “hey, we still rock!” card to Modern/Active Rock stations.
There’s only 3–who’s missing? Did the drummer drop out?
I’m sad that I know this, but the infinity sign has always been a part of their logo (or at least for quite some time).
They should go back to playing ska. I mean, people don’t really listen to ska anymore, but do people even listen to Hoobastank?
More people have probably eaten their menu item from Denny’s than those who bought their last album…
@Christopher R. Weingarten: FTW. So puerile, but so funny…
I went to a hoobastank concert once, it was one of my first concerts, and to this day I have yet to understand what exactly was running through my head when I decided to go to that..
Bad is an understatement.
I recall an interview with them once where they explained where their terrible name came from:
It was apparently their jokey, mush-mouthed (perhaps…urbanized, shall we say?) way of asking “Who’s Butt Stinks?” or more succinctly asking, “who farted?”
Which seems appropriate since I ask that question every time I hear one of their radio-friendly queefs.
They’ll never outlast “The Reason.” They should just give up and become the new Goo Goo Dolls, alt-rock balladeers.