From their excellent El Camino.
Showing posts with label The Black Keys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Black Keys. Show all posts
Monday, February 6, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
PLAYLIST: Angry Breakup Jams
So the opening track off of Cloud Nothings' excellent new LP Attack on Memory has got us thinking... What are some great angry break-up songs? Well, check out "No Future/No Past" and others below and stream the playlist above.
1.) "No Future/No Past" - Cloud Nothings (Attack on Memory)
Dylan Baldi is angry as this guitar tweaker builds into it's euphoric ending.
2.) "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" - Radiohead (In Rainbows)
So what if it was just a first date. If Thom Yorke is angry you fucked up.
3.) "Post Break Up Sex" - The Vaccines (What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?)
More lighthearted, but it fits.
4.) "Somebody That I Used to Know" - Gotye (Making Mirrors)
Ashton might use this to get over Demi.
5.) "Little Black Submarines" - The Black Keys (El Camino)
"a broken heart is blind."
6.) "Our Riotous Defects" - of Montreal (False Priest)
Who the fuck kills a beta fish?
7.) 'Tribulations" - LCD Soundsystem (LCD Soundsystem)
Get over it bitch.
8.) "Cheerleader" - St. Vincent (Strange Mercy)
For the ladies.
9.) "Next Girl" - The Black Keys (Brothers)
Multiple TBK songs would fit on this list.
10.) "The Rat" - The Walkmen (Bows + Arrows)
You rat.
11.) "MoneyGrabber" - Fitz & the Tantrums (Pickin' Up the Pieces)
Funky anger.
12.) "Rearviewmirror" - Pearl Jam (Vs.)
The most intense song on this list probably.
13.) "Vomit" - Girls (Father, Son, Holy Ghost)
http://bible.cc/proverbs/26-11.htm
14.) "Take It Or Leave It" - The Strokes (Is This It)
When the Strokes were innocent and Julian was still vulnerable.
15.) "Girls Like You" - The Naked and Famous (Passive Me, Aggressive You)
Lovely back and forth. Both for the ladies and the gents.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
REVIEW: The Black Keys - El Camino
Grade: 90% (A-)
There have been rumors that the Black Keys broke up for a little while before 2008's Attack and Release. Apparently drummer Patrick Carney's wife/girlfriend was fed up with the band and it caused strife and a short break up. This helped Carney realize what he really cares about… His band, not his wife/girlfriend. They broke up and the band was back. Again, this is all rumors. Rumors.
Since then however, the Black Keys have put out three excellent albums for their genre of bluesy grunge rock. Attack & Release found critical acclaim from indie rock magazines and websites while Brothers earned the band a Grammy. 2011's El Camino is the perfect combination of the two albums. From the opening riff of "Lonely Boy" (which is just as grimy as when we first heard it back in October) through the ten fatiguing tracks that follow, the duo combines the classic rock feel of Attack & Release with the verge of pop hits Brothers gave us.
The keyboard workings on "Gold on the Ceiling" take the lead in the chorus but Dan Auerbach still slays the guitar in between verses. The band has taken the addition of this keyboard and a second guitar/bass from Brothers and used it to their advantage while still maintaining the core of their sound with just Auerbach on lead and Carney on the drums on tracks like "Money Maker."
The fact that these core values remain the same makes this a Black Keys album to both look back at their previous work and also propel them into the future. Auerbach has realized he can still look like the true guitar hero that he truly is by showing his solos off after an ascending chorus and Carney has mixed his garage style percussion with the rhythm and blues that producer Danger Mouse has clearly introduced him too. All the while, the lyrics of the songs are still as soft as they can be in front of this badass sounding instrumentals.
While every track is solid in it's own way, "Little Black Submarines" is easily the standout. Simply put: when I first played it for friends, they had the audacity to compare it to "Stairway of Heaven." But this track isn't a lengthy epic. Instead, it is just over four minutes of something we haven't really heard from Auerbach and Carney before. However, I can see where they see the comparison. Why? Because the track comes out of left field when the boys slow it down with an acoustic guitar for the opening. Auerbach sounds like a coffee singer-songwriter singing, "everybody knows that a broken heart is blind," instead of the badass guitar slayer that he is before Patrick slides in with an accompanying rhythm in the second verse. While the first two minutes are certainly pretty, just after the two minute mark you get exactly what you want from the Keys. Auerbach slides in with the electric and mayhem breaks loose as you can picture Carney towering over his drum set banging away. Auerbach sings on with slick riffs and repeats the previously stated lyric, but this time with more emphasis. Not so much anger, but perseverance. The mind blowing solo that follows only solidifies this as one of the duo's top songs. It's contrast is what makes it great and what makes it different is it's smooth transition.
In classic Black Keys fashion, no tracks extend past four and a half minutes. These guys know how to take every idea they have and compact it into three plus minutes of powerful blues rock. I don't need to tell you how sick Auerbach is shredding his guitar because that's to be expected. I also don't need to tell you that Patrick Carney delivers a groovy beat on every track because that's also to be expected. What I will tell you is that this flurry of good releases from the duo is very exciting and leaves us with even higher expectations for their next cut. That is, as long as neither of them get into a relationship that could jeopardize the band. Because this music is way to good to let go of.
Monday, January 9, 2012
TOURS: The Black Keys Extend Their Tour
The new West Coast dates are included below via Pitchfork.
01-24 Lille, France - Zenith
01-25 Paris, France - Zenith
01-27 Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
01-28 Berlin, Germany - Arena
01-30 Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
01-31 Zurich, Switzerland - Maag Hall
02-01 Eindhoven, Holland - Klokgebouw
02-03 Nottingham, England - Capital FM Arena
02-04 Edinburgh, Scotland - Corn Exchange
02-06-07 Manchester, England - O2 Apollo
02-09-10-11 London, England - Alexandra Palace
03-02 Cincinnati, OH - U.S. Bank Arena
03-03 Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
03-04 Columbus, OH - Jerome Schottenstein Center
03-06 Portland, ME - Cumberland Co. Civic Center
03-07 Boston, MA - TD Garden
03-09 Washington, DC - Verizon Center
03-10 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
03-12 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
03-13 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
03-14 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
03-16 Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
03-18 Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
03-19 Chicago, IL - United Center
03-20 Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
03-22 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
03-23 Norfolk, VA - Constant Convocation Center 03-24 Charlotte, NC - Bojangles Arena
04-24 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
04-25 Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
04-27 St. Louis, MO - Chaifetz Arena
04-28 Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
04-30 Denver, CO - 1stbank Center
05-02 Salt Lake City, UT - Maverick Center
05-04 Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
05-05 Sacramento, CA - Power Balance Pavilion
05-07 Portland, OR - Rose Garden
05-08 Seattle, WA - Key Arena
05-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Rogers Arena
05-11 Calgary, Alberta - Saddledome
05-12 Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
05-14 Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
05-15 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
05-16 Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center
Saturday, November 26, 2011
REVIEW: The Black Keys - "Run Right Back"
Grade: 82% (B-)
The Black Keys aren't going for the pop scene with their first two releases from their upcoming LP El Camino (out December 6th). While their 2010 release Brothers garnished large pop-success, the first release from El Camino, "Lonely Boy," is a straightforward punch you in the mouth track. Meanwhile, on the second release, "Run Right Back," Dan Auerbach layers guitars on top of each other while Patrick Carney maintains a steady rhythm with his rather simplistic drum beats. Auerbach covers basic chords with a high and childish lead riff that only he could get away with. However, he even adds on another, darker and more affected guitar riff which acts as the song's bassline of some sorts… Even though it already has one. The album's producer, Danger Mouse, does a great job of synching these four guitar sounds into one cohesive unit running through the song. The vocals are worked just as they are in any other Black Keys song and Auerbach continues to sing about his love life in a biker-bar kind of way. Carney takes a simple take on this track, although he does get a chance to break out when the song slows down about three-fourths of the way through. There is no giant hook to draw in the casual listener; rather, this song is enjoyed by someone with a keen ear for what the duo is trying to do with both their music and their attitude towards making it.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
DOWNLOAD/STREAM: The Black Keys - "Run Right Back"
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
NEWS: Tennis Announce New Album
As a follow up to this year's Cape Dory, Tennis will release their second album Young and Old on February 14th of next year. The album was recorded and produced in Nashville by The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney (via Pitchfork).
You can listen to the newest single "Origins" below, which will be released on December 6th alongside a self-produced track "Deep in the Woods."
Thursday, October 27, 2011
VIDEO: The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"
The boys aren't satisfied with their MTV Music Video Award... even if it was botched. They come right back with this video which is, in it's own right, pretty out there.
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El Camino is due out December 6th, and you can pre-order it at wannabuyavan.com. "Lonely Boy" will be released as a single on Record Store Day: Black Friday (November 25th).
TRACK REVIEW: The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"
Grade: 91% (A-)
2008 doesn't seem like it was really that long ago. Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold sported his grizzly northwestern beard while his band climbed into the indie buzzband sphere with it's self-titled debut. Jim James (AKA Yim Yames) of My Morning Jacket rocked the southern guitar slasher look with his long mane and beard as his band's funkiest album to date gained Top 10 Album of the Year recognition. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver used his facial hair to stay warm in the Wisconsin winter as his self-released debut blew up on the internet. And Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys went above the rest, streaming his full head of hair down to his shoulders alongside his biker style beard as if his band's album Attack & Release didn't posterize him as a badass enough. Each band has since released a follow up to their 2008 LP's in the past year, with the Black Keys' El Camino coming this December after 2010's Grammy Winning Brothers. Auerbach's face however, is the only one completely shaven.
What does his smooth face mean about his music? Apparently nothing. Auerbach continues to sing lyrics of a bleeding heart and still manages to be the complete badass that he is on the guitar, just as he was with a full beard back in '08. The straightforward and direct lyrics overdubbed with classic TBK vocal distortions on "Lonely Boy" refer one back to some of their earlier work. The opening hazy guitar reverb is strikingly familiar to that of the title track of their earlier Thickfreakness. This leads into an opening guitar riff that sounds as if it was taken off of a Limp Bizkit album which offers an opening for Patrick Carney's simplest and freshest drum kit opening to date. Funky guitar riffs continue as Auerbach jumps up a key to a higher note leading into the increasingly distorted chorus with backing vocals. This is back to the stripped down, in your face, drum/guitar action that we know The Black Keys can punch you with. The beard is back, figuratively, and maybe realistically. Let this song kick your ass a couple of times before you figure it out.
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The Black Keys' newest LP El Camino is out December 6th. Pre-order it at the website wannabuyavan.com and check out their preview video for the album below.
"Lonely Boy" will be released as a single along with another new track called "Run Right Back" on Record Store Day: Black Friday (November 25th). Check out the video for "Lonely Boy" here.
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