Why I’ve always sorta lumped The Black Keys in with other duos I don’t really like, like The White Stripes, mainly (perhaps) because for the last few years it seems that there has been nothing but lumps of hype placed on this band (read: over-hyped). So, yeah, I’ve never written a single thing about this band until now. In fact, I’ve never listened to any of their records until this one (even though I recently viewed their live DVD). Which begs me to tell you what a dumbass I’ve been in regards to The Black Keys.
The Black Keys are a two-man blues-rock group from Akron, Ohio, featuring singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. Their latest album Attack And Release is actually quite a beast of a record. It was originally intended to be a collaboration between The Black Keys, Ike Turner, and Danger Mouse, but when Ike passed on in 2007, The Black Keys and Danger Mouse decided to see what might come of the sessions.
And while I’ve never heard any other records from The Black Keys, Attack And Release (to me at least) has shades of Danger Mouse’s production all over it. It almost sounds (at times) like a weirdly awesome blues-based non-Albarn version of what Gorillaz might sound like. There are still the big dirty blues riffs and pounding beats but it’s something a bit less home-spun with less of the raw teetering-on-the-edge madness. Danger Mouse’s production fattens and slickens up the sound and (surprisingly) it really really works well (especially on the slower, mellower songs). It almost makes me want to hear what this might have turned into if Turner would have finished the sessions. So yeah, Attack And Release (if I’d have listened earlier) might have made my best of ’08 list.
MP3 | The Black Keys – I Got Mine Attack And Release
MP3 | The Black Keys – Strange Times Attack And Release
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I have never really dug the White Stripes either. I’ll definitely check out the Black Keys. Thanks to your year end list I finally made it to The Gaslight Anthem, and I’m totally loving it.