Nickelback
Here And Now

If it's not the end of the line, there are really just a few stops left. Everyone has realized that Chad Kroeger's band has taken a well-oriented path towards catchy and immediate melodies, and indeed the present "Here And Now" confirms their adaptation path to the market. However, this time the result doesn't seem sufficient enough to earn a passing grade like the previous albums, which, although heavily diluted, still managed to offer a handful of well-made pieces.

The album indeed presents the now-classic Nickelback peculiarities, such as the classic fast and gritty opening track (in this instance "This Means War") that leads into more melodic tracks, which are generally the singles used to commercialize the album. In this case, the task of bait (for clueless fish) falls to two songs that don't have much to say, the now worn-out and outdated rock of "Bottoms Up" (I could make a list of how many songs by the band this piece reminds me of) and the pop ballad "When We Stand Together", which comfortably rests on a chorus à la Ricky Martin and will soon invade radio, TV, and even some trendy venues that, in between a Lady Gaga and Kanye West track, might enjoy the support of the Canadian quartet. The song itself is a pleasant and honest pop piece, but prolonged listening (beyond 3-4 plays) is not recommended. Aware of the turn taken by the album, they try to raise the bar with the frantic "Midnight Queen", one of the few rock episodes of the record, but it's now evident that pieces like this are like a kind of filler in a block of Swiss cheese. As usual, there's a slow atmospheric piece, and the well-packaged "Lullaby" is a prime candidate as a potential single, albeit a bit boring and predictable.

The album continues with few noteworthy insights, among the same old chord progressions of "Kiss It Goodbye," the decent "Holding On To Heaven" and "Everything I Wanna Do," the latter with an alternative rock twist, a body so foreign to the album that it almost irritates with its hypocrisy.

To conclude, in my opinion, there's really little to salvage for the band, which after being buried by millions of dollars from Roadrunner and selling 50 million records worldwide, should seriously consider disbanding and perhaps let Kroeger proceed in a predictable solo project. With his increasingly platinum, straight, and lacquered blonde hair, he could continue to sell off his voice, which, all things considered, is one of the few positive notes of the present album, undoubtedly the worst of their career. The cover depicting a city intersection illuminated with a clock striking 11:20 PM, in my opinion, also marks their end line.

Goodbye, but not really. Rating 5.