After the mainstream success of The Black Keys’ 2010 release Brothers, I was a bit worried about what direction the band would take for their inevitable follow-up. The Black Keys I fell in love with was the two-piece, hard-rocking blues band who made flawless, toe-tapping albums like Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory. Not to bash Brothers; it was one of the best albums of 2010, and while it was definitely a departure from their earlier sound, it only took me a few listens before I absolutely loved every track on it. The main difference between early Keys and post-Attack and Release Keys is simple; the old stuff is only Dan and Pat, and the newer stuff features bass, more guitars and backing vocals. Their much anticipated follow-up El Camino is finally here, and while it’s different than Keys albums of the past, I still can’t help but love it.
The album opens with the already popular single “Lonely Boy”, which is easily the catchiest song on the record, and arguably the best. Right from the get-go it’s made clear that this is not a return to their old two-piece band ways, but rather a continuation of the full band elements that began with Attack & Release and carried them to the top of the charts on Brothers. The chorus features backing vocals, as do a majority of songs on the album, and the presence of the full band is undeniable. “Dead and Gone” opens with a prominent bass line and features yet another catchy chorus, which is which (yet another) indicator that this is not the Keys of yesteryear. The third track “Gold on the Ceiling” is, yup, you guessed, catchy as hell and full of background vocals. There seems to be a pattern emerging here; compared to my personal favorite Keys album Thickfreakness, except for the Auerbach’s distinct vocals, El Camino sounds like a record from a completely different band. Producer Danger Mouse, who previously only produced the mega-hit Tighten Up for the boys, produced this entire album, and his influence bleeds through.
The Black Keys have put out an album so infectious and catchy that I dare call it…pop. The next track “Little Black Submarines” plays like a lost Led Zeppelin B-Side; a slow build acoustic intro that leads to a hell of an electric breakdown. The rest of the album is pretty much more of the same, “Money Maker”, “Run Right Back”, “Sister”, “Hell of a Season”, “Stop Stop”, “Nova Baby” and “Mind Eraser” are honestly all great tracks in my opinion, each featuring varying degrees of catchiness and memorable riffs. The Black Keys used to be defined by their lo-fi, dirty, blues-y sound that they received by recording their albums in unique places, like drummer Pat Carney’s basement in Akron, OH on Thickfreakness or an abandon tire factory on the aptly titled Rubber Factory. The Black Keys of 2011 are a much more polished and produced bunch, and while I still would like to see the boys return to their roots and drop the full band eventually, I really have nothing but positive things to say about El Camino. While I wasn’t completely sold on my first listen, after playing it over and over again all week I’ve already committed the entire album to memory and have never skipped a track, which is the true test of greatness for any album.
Despite the fact that I acknowledge that this is not the band I fell in love with way back in 2006, I’m shockingly okay with this new direction. It’d be easier for me to brush off this album as Dan and Pat “selling out” and marketing to a larger audience, but, at least in my opinion, the music they’re putting out is still better than that of any other comparable rock band.This is the bands seventh album in 10 years, and I hope they continue to release material as frequently in the future; I’m very curious as to what lies ahead. El Camino may not necessarily be a step forward, but it’s a solid 40 minutes of rock ‘n roll that has already grown on me with each listen. Considering The Black Keys are headlining United Center this spring as opposed to the Aragon where I saw them last year, I’d say the rest of America tends to agree.
