"You know all those bands that try to rip off Pearl Jam? Imagine a band trying to rip off them. That's Nickelback."
-- random redditor
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| After listening to this downer of a Nickelback album, I want to cry too! |
Oh, lord, this is where the downward spiral really begins! Well, not the Nine Inch Nails' album The Downward Spiral. That would've been preferable.
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| "Downward Spiral" could also describe everything after The State |
I know I'm probably the target audience for this album, I'm a big grunge fan; I listen to guys like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney all the time. If anyone were going to like this album, it'd be me. But grunge had a lot of diversity in compositions. Nevermind had Teen Spirit, but also Polly. Soundgarden's album Badmotorfinger had a ton of shifts from Jesus Christ Pose to New Damage to Face Pollution.
The problem with Nickelback is that the song structures are all the same, and the guitar instrumentation is all heavy strumming. Even other post-grunge bands like Hoobastank tried to infuse their music with more diverse compositions.
This album is also continuing with the heavy metal genre too. In my opinion, metal is supposed to sound like you're kicking ass. Badmotorfinger or Rage Against the Machine would fit this beautifully. These albums and bands work because they're not focused solely on being dark. Silver Side Up is not that. This album is this oppressive, dark monstrosity that isn't much fun to listen to. Every moment I listened to it, I felt my mood drop-- and it wasn't just from listening to Nickelback. I almost feel dirty listening to this.
A lot of fans pointed to this album as the point when Nickelback sold out. And I think a lot of the reason is that songwriting was done different here. After The State was released in 1999, Kroger began extensively analyzing pop songs to figure out why they worked. Anything from lyrics to subject matter to instrumentation were analyzed exhaustively. The problem was that all the songs on the album are written and constructed similarly, which compounds their “same sound” problem they already had on the other albums. So the songs are kind of sterile and same-y as a result.
Sometimes, I think a Nickelback bingo game would make for an excellent addition to listening to any of their albums. After all, a lot of the same issues crop up in their work. And hey, if it makes listening to Nickelback more bearable, I'll do it!
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| The free space is "the same song ten times" |
The over production is really starting to become apparent to me, too. Curb was nice because they didn't have the money to over-polish it, but now they compress all the crunch and punch out of the mix. However, I'm sure at least some of the muddiness I hear is due to the fact that I listened to a YouTube rip instead of a CD.
Track 1: Never Again
The instrumentation is kind of boring, though just like most Nickelback songs you certainly pay more attention to the lyrics. Kroeger had began to make an effort to write stories with his songs instead (I'm looking at you, Photograph!), and this is no doubt his attempt to do so.
The subject matter for this story is domestic abuse. Great way to cheer us up, Nickelback! I've always wanted to hear a story about... what?! Not that domestic abuse isn't important stuff, but as an album opener? Yikes!
Track 2: How You Remind Me
One of the big radio singles, I remember this being all over the place back when I started listening to radio in 2004. I also remember Green Day's American Idiot being all over the place too... I wish I could listen to that one instead! But I digress; even though I'm sure it's terrible, it holds a lot of nostalgic value to me.
Of course, that doesn't mean I can't still criticize it for being a little nondescript. Kroeger was just writing a song to tell a story, but the details are vague enough that I question whether the events of the song really happened. As an aside, Kroeger's Canadian accent on the word “Sorry,” is the only way he can rhyme it with “story”
Track 3: Woke Up This Morning
Kind of a slog, I'm really understanding why people say that all Nickelback songs sound the same. I didn't used to understand this criticism but I'm becoming all too aware. Even the solo is pretty weak.
Lyrics are about Kroeger being in love with a woman, and read
"Now I know why, I hide my love from you some days"
Considering that you were willing to tear a man's eyes out on “Just Four” because some guy looked funny at a girl, I think you're making the right choices, Kroeger. Maybe it's progress!
Track 4: Too Bad
Another slog of a song. It's too bad I have to listen to this!
According to Wikipedia, the song is about Kroeger's father abandoning him at age two. It seems to be about as cheerful a subject as the first track about domestic abuse. And you wonder why I feel my mood drop when I listen to Nickelback!
Track 5: Just For
I wish they would have kept the fast pace of the intro guitars, a fast song would have sounded good on this record. But it's becoming apparent that Nickelback only have one mode, and it's mid-tempo heavy strumming.
If you're getting deja vu with this track title, that's because this song was also on the debut. Normally bands do this to show how far they've progressed, but I can honestly say that it didn't get any better, nor did Kroger become any less of a Creepy Denny's Stalker. This song almost manages to make me feel worse than I did listening to it last time, which is an achievement of sorts. I still need therapy after looking at those lyrics from last time, so lets move on!
Track 6: Hollywood
This must've been after Kroger tried analyzing pop songs, because everything is sounding the same. The synthetic-sounding robo voice is a weird touch to put into an alt-metal album, metal's supposed to be kind of raw. A reverse-echo effect on the vocals would have been fine here. It just seems over produced for a metal album. I'm beginning to think I should have reviewed Limp Bizkit; at least they're a more animated level of bad!
Track 7: Money Bought
More Pixies-style dynamics. The verses are quiet, and the chorus lays on the guitars really loud. The guitar tone here is kind of static-y while the guitars are mixed to the point of drowning some of the backing instruments out.
The lyrics are about a rich girl whose companions and friends come just from her parents' money. Then the chorus is about how terrible it is that she only has her money for her friends. Rich people problems? And just based on a surface reading of the lyrics, this girl also hangs out in bars to pick up on men. It's kind of unique for a Nickelback song because Kroeger isn't much of a creep here-- mainly because he's not the one hitting on her. I guess all the other guys hitting on her makes up for Kroeger's surprising lack of creepy?
Why did I spend so much time analyzing this song? There nothing of value here... I wish my money bought me a way to forget this song!
Track 8: Where Do I Hide
I have to say, this album seems to be doing the same thing over and over: It's roughly the same tempo, the same heavy guitars, the same everything on repeat over and over. You know, I just have to ask... is Nickelback one of the circles of Hell?
Track 9: Hangnail
This album blurs together so much that it's tough to tell where one track ends and another begins. I didn't even realize a new track began until I looked at the YouTube player. The best albums make every song sound different from one another, but by having every song sound like sonic deja vu, it kills any desire for me to listen to it again.
The opening is at least a little promising, but Nickelback squander it with more heavy strumming. And I can't think of anything less inherently "metal" than a goddamn hangnail!
Track 10: Good Times Gone
The good times went when I decided it would be funny to listen to a terrible album. I am currently questioning my rationale for actually listening to Nickelback...
The song itself is kind of bluesy and twangy, so it at least feels different than the rest of the album. Once again, the best part of any Nickelback listening experience is the end-- because then you're not listening to Nickelback.
Outro...
To conclude, Nickelback are sacrificing originality to make hits. Analyzing and understanding pop music is fine, but doing it to the extent they did makes it feel like I'm listening to small variations of the same few songs. I may really need that bingo board!
If you'll excuse me, I have to go listen to a Bad Religion album to keep sane! I'll see you next time when I review more Nickelback.... God help me!
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