Review Summary: A Magnificent release from an outstanding band.
If there was any doubt as to if Nickelback at least strives to create quality music or not....well, that debate is over. I began this record actually prepared for and expecting an assault on both my ears and my sanity, however, what I got from
Here And Now was in some ways even worse than I imagined. By now, you've surely realized when I said "magnificent album" that I actually meant a God-forsaken piece of garbage that may be far too inferior to even use as a coaster. Nickelback once again stick to their formula of writing half their songs with special-ed level riffs , and the other half consisting of cheesy ballads that sound like 50 others they've already done. So, rather than subject you readers to a life-scarring track-by-track review, I'll spare you the misery and touch upon a few real gems of the album.
Nickelback released "Bottoms Up" as the first of two initial singles off the album. With sub par guitar riffs and child-like lyrics such as, "This is what it's all about, no one can slow us down, we ain't gonna stop until the clock runs out, Hell can't handle all of us, so get your bottles up," Chad Kroeger makes it clear he's targeting impressionable young partiers and adults who are horribly lost in life with this joke of a song. Chad succeeds with flying colors, because this is precisely the type of tune I would've appreciated in middle school while sipping on a couple beers that some friends and I rebelliously stole out of daddy's refrigerator.
Another song that caught my attention for all the wrong reasons was "Midnight Queen." If you somehow weren't aware, this band has a propensity for writing ridiculous songs involving anything sexual in nature. "Midnight Queen" is another attempt at creating a decent "heavy" track, but in similar fashion to "Bottoms Up," it fails miserably. The guitar riffs are laughable and the lyrics are even worse. Chad subtly tells us, "She's gonna be my midnight queen, Lock 'n' load and I'm ready to go, she's gonna lick my pistol clean, she's my little sex machine!" Furthermore, the vocal melody used to sing this is among the most annoying I've ever heard.
So the rock anthems leave a lot (and I mean a lot) to be desired, but the slower stuff must be better right? "When We Stand Together" is a vomit-inducing regurgitation of 2006's "If Everyone Cared" that focuses upon human cooperation. In 2006, it was bearable because it at least pushed a respectable message to the mainstream; in 2011, I'd rather listen to 50 Cent collaborating with Design the Skyline.
Now you may be thinking, "okay, I figured the album might be bad lyrically and conceptually, but what about the instrumentals? I mean, Nickelback has been around a long time, they must be getting better!" Great point. Conventional wisdom tells us that bands should progress, which most usually do for a few albums at least, but unfortunately for Nickelback, they actually regress. Again. Any guitar player who's been plucking along for 5-6 days should have no trouble working his or her way through this album.
All in all, this album is precisely what one should come to expect from this band- horrendously repetitive, atrociously predictable, and sickeningly cliché. Chad's lyrical work is so rudimentary and devoid of maturity that this album could easily be used to help teach basic English to immigrants. I will compliment the lyrics just for a moment though and point out that they can provide quality entertainment when used for comedic purposes. All in all, next time you overhear someone griping about how terrible this band is at everything, politely remind them that they're not terrible at everything; they're quite accomplished when it comes to devolving as musicians.
