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What is left to say about The Black Keys that you probably don’t already know? Their last release, El Camino continued to propel them further into the limelight that Brothers brought on. After thirteen years, these two gentlemen have seven studio releases under their belt and Turn Blue marks for their eighth. With that kind of catalogue comes high expectations that this band has seemed to demolish in the past, but can they do it again?
“Weight of Love,” seems to open with an unsteady answer to that question, as the duo starts very slowly, easing into their way into the song in a bit of a psychedelic style to match the album artwork. Once they’ve meandered around for a while, they get to the track and Dan Auerbach’s harsh vocals push their way gently into the mix. It’s a soft and gentle open, which, for this record is an indication of a step back from the rip-roaring tunes that the band has made popular.
While you may be under the impression that the title of the record, Turn Blue, refers to a shift deeper into the bluesy sound that they’ve revived in their own fashion, but to me, I hear this title referring to the downtrodden lyrics and slightly beaten down feeling in the overall sound mix. Whereas past tunes seemed to be on the offensive, taking on a commanding, rock-n-roll sound, even the faster paced numbers don’t pack quite the punch that you’re used to, though this isn’t a bad direction all the time for the band. Take “Fever” for example, one of the snappier numbers on the album—the main sound comes from a synth riff and bass line that will have you getting down with the band, but it’s not the rocking that you’ve come to know. Same goes with “10 Lovers” a little later on; it’s a “down and out” track, but sometimes those are fun to jam along with.
Turn Blue, albeit a little long, has some tracks that you want to listen to in your car with the windows down and the sound turned all the way up as you drive through the countryside or even sit in traffic—it’s more of the commiserating feeling you get when you listen rather than the content. While I don’t know how many new fans this album will gain the longstanding duo, it’s got songs you’ll be skipping around to, though I’m not sure it will be enough for some old fans of The Black Keys.
This new jam called “Back With You Again in the World” by Spider Bags caught my ear today and I wanted to share it with you guys. It’s a fun rock tune that reminds me of The Men with a sweet Springsteen style saxophone which creates a vintage sounding number. I dig the straightforwardness and the fun that these guys appear to be having while making this music.
