There is no denying it: the Canadian hard rockers of Nickelback have dominated the radio and mainstream rock scene for upward of eight years, and in that time they have done more than simply attain fame and wealth beyond imagination. They have also led a certain feel-good, high-fiving, booty-slapping dynasty in rock music that many have endearingly dubbed "Cock Rock." The premise is simple: make music that is seriously FUN. Well get ready, 'cause Nickelback has just dropped another steaming pile of "fun" for your ears.
Dark Horse, album No. 6 from Nickelback, sees the band taking its craft to a new level that can only be described in two ways: bold and irony-tastic. The band shows boldness by the truckload, opening the album with a title like "Something in Your Mouth," which shows the band shining like it never has before with greasy riffs galore, antiquated '80s synths, and lyrics that should qualify Chad Kroeger for Mensa membership. Yes, fun runs rampant through this outing, with top-notch tunes like "Shaking Hands" with its manly "HEY"s and the fist-pumping energy of "S.E.X.," both of which prove Kroeger to be one of the most clever frontmen in rock music. The sexual innuendo in the former track is almost too witty: "She'd take your money make it twice as hot as anyone can / She didn't make it this far by just shaking hands" (how did she then?). Also, the way he turns sex into an acronym in the following song is just plain brilliant. "S is for the simple need / E is for the ecstasy / X is just to mark the spot 'cause that's the one you really want!"
The band happens to rock out pretty hard on this record, thus, out of concern for the listener's wellbeing, the band courteously provides some nice little rest stops like "I'd Come For You" and "Never Gonna Be Alone," which offer the listener ample time to use the bathroom, prepare a cup of noodles, or perhaps take a brief nap. It's really on softer cuts like the first single, "Gotta Be Somebody," and "This Afternoon," however, where the band's ironic prowess gets to fully shine. If an uber-successful group that brings you a hit song about wanting to be a rock star and also names its sixth album Dark Horse was not ironic enough for you, how about a single that sees this band's lead singer plaintively searching for meaning in his dreary, pathetic life of wealth, beer, and ladies? Sounds great to me, particularly through the hernia-like smoothness of Kroeger's pipes.
So what does all this amount to? Only what is unequivocally the group's most recent album to date! This is exactly the record you've been expecting to hear from Nickelback.
F+ (Not for fail; for fan-friggen-tastic, or maybe just fun!)
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