Nickelback is the band of the decade

[CMPunk]

I'm a fan...they put on a hell of a concert

[pylon]

Walll of text on its way....

For the record, I think Nickelback sucks. But not for the same reasons most people do. It is "cool" to hate Nickelback, and that is why a good majority of people do.

I think they suck because their music sucks on a technical level. Anyone with a decent amount of musical aptitude who took a few years of guitar lessons or drum lessons could reasonably replicate the sound (save the vocals that is a little more unique) and put together a tribute band. As a reasonably bad guitarist I can lay out some pretty believable Nickelback riffs that sound great with the right amount of effects.

To me the judge of a great band is the challenge of the music, the complexity, the layering of sound. There are some equally popular bands that are awesome. RHCP, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, and in my honest opinion, the Band Of The Century...... Iron Maiden who are immensely popular globally, not as much in North America.

I have been trying to master the bass lines from Maidens Phantom of the Opera and Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner for ten freakin years, yet I can look at some Nickelback tab, and figure out the Riffs in 10 minutes on the guitar which isn't even my primary instrument. Don't even start on Rush and what Geddy Lee can do with a bass guitar. Most 80's metal and prog rock bands had true virtuoso musicians in them. They weren't pretty, and filled with 'angst' but man could they shred. The music was about the sound. The guitar solo is truly a lost art in modern rock (there still are some pretty decent metal guitarists) because music moved away from music and over to image.

I got my 20 year old nephew, who is attending the Manhattan school of music and is what you would consider highly educated in all things music (grade 10 conservatory piano grad, and winner of pretty much every Kiwanis category he every entered for vocals) hooked on Maiden because he loved the 'complexity' of the music. He said had he grew up in the 70 and 80's he wouldn't be pursuing an operatic career, he would be trying to front the next Samson, or Diamond Head.

Anyways, it is highly subjective. If you have never picked up a guitar.... sure, AC/DC, Nickleback, and Green Day might sound great, and there is nothing wrong with that. If it gets your toes tapping, fill your boots. Heck I love KISS, and they are as easy cheesy meat and potatoes as it gets..... its more about the spectacle with them. However, if you appreciate music from the playing side of it... you likely would agree, that Nickleback sucks.

[algernon]

The ugly guy's voice is sooooo grating. Cobain was original, although his singing was a little hard to stomach at times. When you have a loser like krogre copying him, it is unbearable. nickleb#ck is the wrestling of popular music. Garbage. How many other big name acts get chased off stage so often?

I love in the famous youtube vid "Nicleback gets hit with ROCKS", when they mercifully stop playing, and krogre asks: "are they any niclback fans in Portugal?!?" to which the crowd responds with crickets, answering his question for him. Then you see his hair rise up in impact after somebody drills him in the bean with a rock.
Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! Portugal has taste! Footis Caraiou, indeed.

[PyramidsofMars]

man, you gotta love all the responses which basically end up being 'YOU'RE SUCH A SNOB' posts.

What's this nonsense about only a handful of bands being able to be genuinely good and 'entertaining', whatever the hell that means?

it's not like your only two options are freakin' Nickelback or an obscure noise band, there's loads of good music out there that's also pop music. It's like when you bash a Roland Emmerich film and you get responses like 'man, it's entertainment, you don't understand, you're all into art films and all that'. Seriously, wtf? Again, it's not a choice between 2012 and Last Year at Marienbad, there's loads of stuff in the middle that is both not completely and utterly damned incompetent and 'entertaining', offering value to both music fans and those who are looking for good pop/rock tunes.

Here are some great albums from the past two decades that are neither freakin' Nickelback nor freakin' Metal Machine Music:

Ruby Vroom- Soul Coughing
13- Blur
Twice Removed- Sloan
Bossanova- Pixies
Mass Romantic- The New Pornographers
This is Hardcore- Pulp
Different Class- Pulp
Stankonia- Outkast
Gentlemen- The Afghan Whigs
Day for Night- The Tragically Hip

and that's just what randomly came to mind right away.

[badradio]

Originally Posted by calgaryred

Nickelback band of the decade? Wow was music that bad in the last ten years?

Yes it was, and I probably agree that they should be the band of the decade, with coldplay 2nd... why? because it's a snapshot of the last 10 years... stupid people liking stupid music...

[badradio]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

What exactly is wrong with Nickleback anyways?

I'm not an English major by any means, and yes their stuff can be pretty simple. But at least its understandable. When I used to listen to a lot of rock music back in the early 90's (Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, etc), oftentimes I would have no idea what they're singing about. Maybe it's too deep for my understanding.

And that is what is lost in todays music... there is no intrigue, there is no room for interpretation... it's all literal and horrid... even pop music in the 80's had some kind of artistic factor... You could even break it down to Nickelbacks first album to there latest... They did have room for interpretation, but changed to what sold records, maybe a good business move, throw out their credibility from then on... They've become to literal and commercial, but idiots buy that up because they can 'relate' to it... Is it art imitating life? or is it life imitating art? Coldplay, not so much, not that I'm a fan, but that's why they don't get number one and represent a decade of idiots.