“This is what it’s all about . . .”
This past Monday marked the release of Nickelback’s latest and greatest “Here and Now.” The seventh studio album from the internationally infamous Canadian group. I myself am a massive fan of their work and have proceeded to give this collection of awesomeness numerous playthroughs since its release. From the perspective of a loyal admirer, Nickelback once again prove reliable and stick to what they do best: Rock hard but let the good times roll. From the viewpoint of an average, everyday music man, this album offers nothing new in terms of approach. All the songs are comparable to their previous work, for better or worse. You’ve got your half-time show vibe (“Bottoms Up”) all the way to Taylor Swift-ing about young love (“Don’t Ever Let It End”). It’s always impressive how effortlessly Chad Kroeger and Co. shift from mega to melodic. For every rocker on this album, there’s always a few heartfelt numbers sure to follow. As artificial and insincere as the emotions have always been radiating from such enormously successful international/mainstream acts like Nickelback, the fact still remains that these guys at least know how to do what they do and do it right. While I’ll be holding off for another time to do a full review of this soon-to-be multi-platinum release, I’ll at least leave you guys with a few SIYM picks that I find worth checking out for those you not sold yet on grabbing the entire record.
Kiss It Goodbye (Most fun song Nickelback has ever done. Catchy as hell and the beat is undeniably groovy. A tongue-in-cheek sentiment towards Hollywood and what it really means to take on the “real world” in search of stardom.)
Lullaby (I expected another “Far Away” and ended up experiencing one of the most emotionally charged rockers this band has ever attempted. Big production and heart-on-sleeve lyrics give us a great listen for fans and haters alike to sign along to.)
-Fifth Fleet Out-
