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Member since:23.07.2009
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Dark Horse is the 2008 album release from Canadian rock band Nickelback. It is their 6th album, the other 5 being: Curb (1996) The State (1998) Silver Side Up (2001) The Long Road (2003) All the Right Reasons (2005)
Now, Nickelback tends to be one of those groups people know they've heard of, but can't think of many, if any of their songs. Nickelback's best know tracks, at least in England are How you Remind Me (released in 2001 from their Silver Side Up album), Photograph and Rock Star (released 2005 and 2006 respectively, both from their All the Right Reasons album).
A very very quick history of the band as this is a review of the album, not the band. Nickelback is composed of four men, two of whom are brothers. There is Chad Kroeger – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Ryan Peake – lead guitar, backing vocals Mike Kroeger – bass guitas Daniel Adair – drums, backing vocals. The band formed in 1995,
though the line-up has changed a little since (the third Kroeger brother left and was replaced by Adair on drums). Nickelback are much more successful than I realised, being the 11th best selling music act of the 2000s!
On to Dark Horse...
This album cost me about £7 from Amazon, and is still available for a similar price new, less if you go for a used copy. I'm a huge Nickelback fan and so was very happy to pay this, if you're not sure they're your cup of tea I'd recommend listening to a track or two first.
The album has 11 tracks. With a total running time of 45 minutes 40 this is a fairly short album (judged more against current standards where you tend to get an hour's worth of music for your money). The tracks are (I've put an S next to the ones which were released as singles): -Something in your mouth S -Burn it to the Ground S -Gotta be Somebody S -I'd Come for You S -Next Go Round -Just to Get High -Never Gonna Be Alone S -Shakin' Hands -S.E.X. -If Today was your last day S -This Afternoon
I have heard several people moaning about the content of this album, saying it's 'dirty' and that Nickelback just like to shock with their lyrics. I have to say, I disagree. Yes, ok, they have got some 'dirty' tracks, but they're a rock band, and that's very common in rock, and their lyrics are no worse (and I think a lot better than many) than a huge number of other rock bands for shock tactics. S.E.X has the most explicit lyrics of this album, but when you're listening to it it's not too obvious.
So, how does this album compare to their previous offerings? I've got all the Nickelback albums save Curb, and I admit that there is a definite similarity across the albums, but I find it more to be a basic formula that works, then several of the tracks on each album are either adaptations of this formula, or begin to stray from it. This is true of Dark Horse, but on Dark Horse Nickelback seem to be trying out a slightly more ballad-y style. They have stuck with their typical rock formula for S.E.X. Next Go Round is of the same ilk. Shakin' Hands is quite typical in that it has very amusing but also close to the bone lyrics – this song is about gold digging and has my favourite line 'she's done everyone once and everyone knows, gotta get a little dirty when you're digging for gold'; it's written in a very satirical manner and I see it more as a mickey-take of rap songs than as a 'dirty' rock song.
I think in some ways Nickelback have grown up a little on this album. They've mellowed out a little, and although I can't see any of the tracks reaching the anthem-status which Rockstar achieved, I do think that the album has some very strong tracks.
I don't like the fact that six of the eleven tracks have been released as singles, to me this is too high a proportion. I hope that Never Gonna Be Alone is the last single from this album and they start to release some new stuff again soon.
For those of us who like to sing along to our favourite tracks, the CD leaflet has the lyrics to all of the tracks. This does mean that the space can't then be given over to information about the tracks or the band, but that's very much a matter of taste, personally I like songs as songs and to have the lyrics, I'm not really one for analysing music.
If you like your music rocky, but not too heavy, this is a great choice. I don't think that the content is too explicit for children, and I know that many of my students (ages 9-13) have the album so their parents clearly agree with me.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Previously the preserve of young teenagers and hard rock fans, Nickelback have managed to ... more
propel themselves into the mainstream, capitalising on their success with 'Dark Horse'. The band's 2008 single 'Rock Star' afforded the band renewed public intere...
Advantages: Quite catchy tracks, something for everyone some good guitar riffs etc. Disadvantages: Some tracks not memorable, the mix of track types may make it seem like they lack real direction
IzzyS 14.04.2009 (14.04.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Dark Horse - Nickelback
Advantages: Quite catchy tracks, something for everyone some good guitar riffs etc. Disadvantages: Some tracks not memorable, the mix of track types may make it seem like they lack real direction
IzzyS 14.04.2009 (14.04.2009)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Dark Horse - Nickelback
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