Nickelback is arguably the most polarizing band on the planet. So as rockers across the country prepare to welcome (or ridicule) the band's new album, CTVNews.ca decided to make the case for -- and against -- Canada's biggest rock export.
Read the live debate on Nickelback here.
The case for Nickelback, the pride of Canadian rock
With the release of Nickelback's seventh album, the band's naysayers (and they are legion) are once again sharpening their knives.
For sure, they love to skewer the band for its bombast, its no-holds-barred riffage and its proclivity to pen lyrics that combine the low-brow narration of country music with the sleaze of sub-grade party metal.
In short, the anti-Nickelback set loves to judge the band on the same criteria that one might critique Radiohead or Feist or Arcade Fire.
But by doing so, these holier-than-thou music snobs (see Josh Visser's review below) miss out on one of the great musical joys of a generation. And isn't music supposed to be fun?
Personally, I confronted this conflict in 1998, when I saw Nickelback perform at Vancouver's now-defunct Starfish Room.
The quartet was still a minor club act at the time, but the show was sick: the band was tight, the tunes were hooky and the whole package had the punch of an arena show.
Part of my defence of Nickelback has to do with regional pride: though the band calls Vancouver home, they were birthed in small-town Alberta, much like myself.
In some ways, the band has become the musical equivalent of the New West: the brash, nouveau-riche, SUV-driving, continent-conquering, belt-buckle-wearing attitude that has made Alberta the Texas of the north.
But let's hold off on the theorizing and talk about the tunes.
"Bottoms Up" slams in a way that bands used to rock before Nirvana made self-pity the default setting for modern rock, while opening track "This Means War" hits as hard as anything the band has done.
Lyrically, these tunes are best enjoyed with your tongue lodged firmly in your cheek (or in a bottle of booze).
Take "Gotta Get Me Some," which features the line: "I bought a couple rounds and I got the feelin' she could really handle alcohol."
Sounds like a keeper, Chad!
But guess what? When I dial in Nickelback, I'm not looking for self-analysis or political correctness or global moralizing. I'm looking to party.
Meanwhile, on "Trying Not To Love You," the band employs the same formula as "This is How You Remind Me." It might be tired out, but it will probably be another huge hit, because it's got a soaring, syrupy chorus and a simple, sing-along vocal.
Nickelback may be a tacky, gas-guzzling, over-produced behemoth, but hey, it's one hell of ride.
-- Jered Stuffco is a life-long Van Halen fan
The very, very strong case against Nickelback
My colleague has been defending the indefensible -- the latest in hipster chic. With music fragmented into a million little pieces and indie music "usurped" by Feist-loving soccer moms, what's the most punk rock move a critic can make? Hail Nickelback.
Unfortunately, it falls to me to speak for the masses, who have decided that Nickelback needs to be thrown to the lions.
"Here and Now" is not going to change any opinions. I would say it's meat-and-potatoes rock, but as an Islander (P.E.I.) I love meat and potatoes. In actuality, it's cafeteria meatloaf, uniform to its bland grey core.
It sounds so clichéd that it's beyond criticism.
Sure, there's drinking, there's driving (knowing Chad Kroeger, maybe both), there's misogynistic sex, there's hooks, oh good God, there's Nickelback.
Track by track:
This Means War: Remember when Def Leppard remade themselves as a legitimate hard rock band with 1996's "Slang"? Well, I do. This is how Nickelback reminds me of "Slang."
Bottoms Up: If I had to pick the best song on this album, this is it.
When We Stand Together: All pop stars feel the need to write a song about bringing the world together in peace. Really it's an excuse to put Nelson Mandela's face on a screen at a stadium show. Shame on you, Nickelback!
Midnight Queen: Say what you will about Kroeger, at least he's consistent with slipping in icky oral sex references. "She's going to lick my pistol clean," Kroeger croons, in what seems like a poor excuse for proper firearm maintenance.
Gotta Get Some: Hard to think that this song was written for any other reason than to be listened to in the back of a pickup truck.
Lullaby: Sounds like Coldplay. (Is Coldplay the new Nickelback or is it the other way around?)
Kiss it Goodbye: Why do I feel like I need a shower? Kroeger sings about moving to New York (for the cocaine) or to California (for the marijuana). Sums up the East Coast verses West Coast dynamic nicely, actually.
Trying Not to Love You: The power ballad was invented in 1988 with Poison's "Every Rose has a Thorn" as a crass attempt at hit-making. "Trying Not to Love You" is a power ballad.
Holding onto Heaven: Nickleback have clearly stopped given'r, only partway through the album.
Everything I Wanna Do: Ryan Peake makes his guitar do a pretty nifty squeal at the 2:32 mark of this song, and I love a good guitar solo.
Don't Ever Let It End: Too easy.
-- Josh Visser once busted his wrist in a mosh pit at a metal show.
Jered Stuffco and Josh Visser will square off over the new Nickelback album in a live chat at 7 p.m. ET tonight. Join in and have your say.
