Detroit vs Nickleback

[gearHed289]

I don't even believe them when they sing about wanting to get laid. ... Dave Grohl is one badass mofo and he put together a great band. I've alway considered the Foo's as his apology for Nirvana. 

Hilarious, and TRUE! 

I miss the old days when rock and blues players were accused of playing the devils music .

I have a problem with all these supportive parents. It used to be "Jr. wants to be in a rock band... AHH!!! Call the priest!". Nowadays, it's "here Jr., try this Flying V...". 

Nothing wrong with sexist lyrics, but do them with a little style, please.

What's wrong with being sexy? 

[Pilgrim]

Maybe they should bring back the 1910 Fruitgum Company.....

[uwe]

Maybe they should bring back the 1910 Fruitgum Company.....

An influential song, no less. Influential opening break, influential rhythm guitar sound.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

The venom against Niceklbag surprises me. Their music isn't any less well-made than a hundred other popular bands, it's not original, no, but then who is that sells out stadiums?

It's not a question of seminal orginality; it is a matter of application:

They are to the the original grunge scene what Bon Jovi is to Bruce Springsteen IMHO.

I don't get the grunge allegory. Nickelback is just bad, derivative, corporate rock. The grunge allusion in the article was just for a point of reference for people who haven't kept current on rock in 20 years. I think their true closest musical compatriots would be Kiss ...without the makeup ...in the early 80's... with Gene singing ballads ...and less talent.

[uwe]

Oh my, they are not the first band who have used the same chordal structure twice. Or a hundred times like John Lee Hooker.

Of course they have a stronge grunge influence. In their production, the bar chording guitars, the in-your-faceness, even harshness of their music, some of the melodies, the use of acoustic guitars, even Chad's neo-Nirvana haircut. When I first heard Nickelbag 10 years ago, I thought: "Ah, grunge has gone power pop." It was the resaon why I did not like them because at that point I still had issues with grunge, Nirvana, Soundgarden, it was all bad harmonic combinations to me, key-alien chords, minor where major should be, etc. It took me the better part of twenty years to get used to that form of music and I still wince at some harmonic changes to this day, I'm not very adventurous in that way, it's also the reason why I prefer Deep Purple over Led Zep, the former have an almost rigid harmonic concept, very much in the European classical vein while Zep had more harmonic freedom (which, however, did not appeal to me, you could never really tell just by listening whether their songs were in a major or a minor key, with DP it takes you seconds to realize that Woman from Tokyo - though the move form the E major riff to the verse in G major and F major is not according to the harmony rule book either - is major while Smoke on the Water is minor, never mind how the G# major in the chorus is a bit adventurous too).

We have a song, I even wrote it, where the chorus is in D major / F# minor / C major / A major. It was my conscious attempt to do something outside of traditional harmony sequence. To a grunger that must sound innocent enough, but to this day when I change from the F# minor to the C major, which is actually the diminished fifth (which was once forbidden to play in European classical church music as the "note of the devil") I hold my breath and think to myself "I hope this is going to work out now ...". I'm always expecting this big voice from the sky going: "Uwe, that C major does not belong there and you know it, play either a B minor or a C# minor there for Chrissssakes, but C major is wrong, wrong wrong!"  

When I played the same harmonic sequence D major / F# minor / C major / A major to my Britpop bandmates a few years back their immediate comment was: "sounds grungy there ...".  

I've even gone as far as buying the new remastered version of Nirvana's Nevermind in an earnest attempt to understand the appeal of their music 20 years after the fact. I'm still learning ...

And to get back on the subjéct, Nickelbag are far more conventional in their harmonies than either Nirvana or Soundgarden, but they still have the odd grunge chord in there sometimes. They are not Journey "Don't stop Believin'" you know.