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(of 5)Have you ever heard that song "How You Remind Me"? Well, I'm sure the answer to that must be yes unless you were under a rock for the last two years. I remember when I heard it for the first time. My response was simply, "This one is gonna make them huge." I was right. My response to hearing The Long Road in its entirety was simply, "This one is going to ruin them completely." I'm pretty sure I'm right on this one too.
Nickelback has run into a problem in its formulaic rock-and-roll method. They sold their trademark sound to Theory of a Deadman and Default and other people just flat out copied them. Now there is absolutely nothing original about them, not that there was much before. But Silver Side Up had more going for it than just a "sound." It was a genuinely catchy album with great hooks and solid riffs. How You Remind Me was great and so was Too Bad, Never Again and a few others. But that's where the Long Road becomes painful. It is completely lacking in all of the things that made their last release "good."
To get into a little more detail, let's take a look at the new set. The album starts with the high-tempo mosher Flat on the Floor. While this is hardly my idea of a "good" song, I can listen to it without thinking that maybe God is trying to punish me for something. That kind of material is saved for the second half of this record. The second track is Do This Anymore which would fit in perfectly on Silver Side Up sans the keyboard/synth sound effects. Again, a tolerable track with a solid riff. Then comes the lead single, Someday. Does anyone else feel that the mix on this track sounds like it is aimed more at Z-95 than X-FM? It's like they were purposely trying for the crossover popularity that they got with Hero from the Spiderman soundtrack. It's too bad they did since the song is alright and with a proper mix could have been a solid rock song and not crappy Z filler.
The next song deserves a new paragraph since it is the only track on the disc I would give 5/5 stars. The song catches some of the magic they had with the last album. A solid riff, passionate lyrics and a soaring chorus that cries out...
Could someone deliver us? And send us some kind of sign So close to giving up Cause faith is so hard to find
After hitting the high-point, the album crashes through the floorboards and has to be put on life support. It flickers a little during Because of You but soon fades even then due to the repetitiveness of the tune. Figured You Out should have been called, "Ode to a Blowjob."
I like your pants around your feet I like the dirt that's on your knees And I like the way you still say please While you're looking up at me
This one really crosses the line of good taste in my humble opinion. While one of the lines, "I like the wine stains on your dress" thankfully wasn't what I thought it was the first time through. (We've had enough Bill Clinton references for a lifetime.)
The last stand of this album occurs during the excellent cover of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)." I can't help but rock out during this one. ;-) Call it a guilty pleasure.
Crap. No that's a little unspecific. Think of every rock band on the radio... there... like that!
Don't buy it. This one will be in the discount bin soon enough if you have to get it.