I am thoroughly creeped out. Having recently seen the Backstreet Boys' new music video for "Just Want You to Know," I find something innately disturbing about a group of contemporary, albeit questionably talented, men prancing around as some sort of '80s hair band. From Nick Carter's trace of a moustache shadowing his upper lip to the grungier version of Kevin Richards making out with a fan of the fictional group Sphynkter, the video leaves me, and I'm sure several others, wondering if this is really what it appears to be — is Backstreet back (again)? Could this really be a comeback and if so, it's not going to fly, right?

Comebacks are about as common to the contemporary music scene as my presence in Steep & Brew is on any given day (and ask any of the S&B employees — I live there). The ebb and flow of bands achieving fame and then, often in one fell swoop, losing it is one of consistency and a facet of the music world fans can always count on. A band's fall from public grace is almost always accompanied by a comeback — or at least a grasping attempt of one. The brotherly trio that forms Hanson, for example, is releasing Best of Hanson: Live and Electric in October, with a subsequent touring stint for its support, in what one can only assume is a feeble attempt to keep their heads above the vast body of water that is popular music.

This isn't to say that some musicians never achieve successful comeback status. With A Bigger Bang, The Rolling Stones prove they've still got it. U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb showcased the band at an energy level characteristic of their earliest works. Although "Vertigo" was more than overplayed, Atomic Bomb showed a strong U2 and was a perfect album to cushion the band's recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Green Day proved major comeback triumph with American Idiot, the band's first album since International Superhits in 2001 and a decade after 1994's Dookie. With American Idiot garnering immeasurable amounts of praise, Green Day has defined themselves as a band that has come back to the music scene with a vengeance. Skirting the feared title of "has-been," Green Day has rediscovered its place in the contemporary music world, a place that seems to be stationary, to the delight of new and old fans.

So what is it that makes a comeback a good one? And what about musicians that never need a comeback, the ones who are always a present force in the industry? What gives a band staying power? Most comebacks are needed because a band or musician failed to provide a solid effort with a sophomore album. Sure, the debut CD can be great, but it's often in a group's second attempt that true talent is finally seen. Take two sophomore hits of the summer, Fall Out Boy's From Under the Cork Tree and The All-American Rejects' Move Along. Both albums are sophomore efforts that trump the preceding record, thanks to maturation of both lyrics and sound. Eve 6's Horrorscope, released in 2000, offered a slew of tracks exhibiting a maturity not necessarily seen on their self-titled debut, released in 1996. Although both albums present fantastic musical offerings, listeners can't deny the growth heard in the components of the band's sophomore album. When a musical group can hit the mark just as well with their second album as they did with their first, they can be more secure in avoiding status as a "one hit (or album) wonder."

Second albums often show some sort of maturity, but real staying power can be found in an artist's ability to change and grow, responding to the musicality of the current point in time and reflecting what art philosophers call the religious perception of an age, or reflection of an era's ideals and beliefs. Bob Dylan, for example, is one of those artists. Morphing from a single young acoustic singer/songwriter with a voice used by the politically and socially active to an electric performer backed up by an energized band, Dylan never stopped moving forward and growing with the music scene he was so integrally a part of. Whether singing, "I'm on the pavement/ thinking about the government" or, "It may be the devil or it may be the Lord/ but you're gonna have to serve somebody," Bob Dylan challenged himself, changing his style and continuing to impress fans while drawing in new listeners.

In a similar way, but maybe on a smaller scale, Blink-182 showed growth and dare I say it, maturity with their 2003 self-titled album. Straying from the angry, borderline vulgar punk songs, Blink showed a different side of themselves, proving their status as artists who progressively change and grow.

Likewise, Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba is planning to deviate from his tried-and-true emo tendencies with the creation of a new album, set for release early next year. As told to Rolling Stone magazine, Carrabba said of his new album: "People who were already Dashboard fans probably would have liked those songs. And people who weren't would have had the same complaints as ever."

The decisions of Bob Dylan, Blink-182, Chris Carrabba and countless other musicians willing to stretch their necks out for the good of musical growth are often not met without opposition. While performing an electric set in 1966, Bob Dylan's non-acoustic offerings were met with dissatisfaction from the audience, expressed by upset folk fans through booing and shouts of "Judas!" Blink-182 also managed to cause a stir with their musical changes. "Violence" and "Stockholm Syndrome" are definitely different from the beloved "Happy Holidays, You Bastard" and "Dysentery Gary." Dashboard Confessional is almost guaranteed at least a handful of griping emo listeners wishing the follow-up to A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar was a lot more like the heart wrenching emotional Dashboard offerings of the past. Without criticism, though, bands venturing into new musical territory would never tackle the job of constantly growing, surprising and impressing. Change is where music gets the chance to progress and move forward. Without it, the melodic world as we know it would remain stagnant.

With all that being said, some songs and artists are meant to stay in a certain musical state. Such is the case with true one hit wonders. It would be hard, for example, for us to accept something other than "Baby Got Back" from Sir Mix-a-Lot because his one hit wonder has become the staple of almost any dance party, drunken night or ridiculous song mix.

Going back to the music video that started this whole thought process, it is my strong and sound belief that the Backstreet Boys have no business being back. The group that once held a special spot in the hearts of teenage girls everywhere should stay as they were — a boy band good for karaoke nights and not much else. If Nick, Brian, Kevin, A.J. and Howie want to make a considerable comeback to today's music scene, they should ditch the '80s garb and go for something that really shows their musical talent — if, in fact, they ever had any to begin with.

Laura Stanelle is a sophomore hoping to be a journalism major. She currently has Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" on repeat, hoping to get the god-awful "Just Want You to Know" out of her head. Any questions or comments can be sent to her at [email protected].