The Black Keys sound fresh and groovy
Ramsey Kincannon
News Editor
After a mellow turn for The Black Keys with 2010s “Brothers,” Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney bring back the aggression of earlier releases with recently-released “El Camino.” Working for the first time in Auerbach’s new Nashville studio, the release showcases a variety of arena-ready riffs, Pat Carney’s pulse-like drum mashing and Dan Auerbach’s soulful croon in new, creative ways.
While “Brothers” was extremely well-received by fans and critics alike, it felt like The Black Keys took their foot off the pedal, leading the album to be slow, languid and a little tedious to work through many of the 15 tracks. On “El Camino,” the tracklist is trimmed down to eleven songs, clocking in at 38 minutes (17 minutes shorter). Despite the shorter album length, the ideas are full of yearning — Dan Auerbach is ready to love, and the danceable rhythms are evident throughout much of the album. In a way, it’s similar to “Some Girls,” the classic album from The Rolling Stones, which married the blues and glam-rock soul. The album opens with an aggressive riff and it doesn’t really let up (aside from a brief acoustic snippet on “Little Black Submarines”) until the close of the album. “Lonely Boy,” the album’s current single, is the album in a microcosm. It’s dancy, catchy and most of all, fun.
In another interesting change from “Brothers,” Danger Mouse, a talented songwriter/producer with an impressive resume (Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells, and “The Grey Album”) is enlisted to provide another sonic layer. While he had been heavily relied on in 2008’s “Attack and Release,” his musical embellishments (a synth part here, some piano there…) are back with a vengeance on “El Camino.” His presence is definitely felt on songs like the aforementioned “Lonely Boy,” “Gold on the Ceiling,” “Little Black Submarines” and “Sister,” all of which are definite highlights of the album.
The album does have a few speed bumps, though. “Dead and Gone” wastes a lot of the momentum that “Lonely Boy” brings, “Money Maker” crunches along but doesn’t really have an end destination, and in an album full of interesting ideas, “Mind Eraser” closes the album but is pretty dull. The Black Keys have often been criticized for being formulaic (a friend often asks me if I’m listening to that one Black Keys song, referencing their similar sounding style), and I’m not sure if this album soundly defeats that criticism.
Nevertheless, “El Camino” is a fun ride. By replacing the introverted moodiness of “Brothers” with a funky swagger, The Black Keys sound fresh and groovy. It’s not quite as good as “Rubber Factory,” unquestionably the group’s best album, but it marks an improvement from “Brothers” and should be viewed as a better, glitzier “Attack and Release.” Alas, they’ve completely graduated from playing the venues that would have best showcased their sound and have moved on to playing basketball stadiums (and hopefully a Super Bowl halftime show in the near future), so tickets to see the live act will cost a pretty penny. They’ve moved on from their Akron roots, too, their tour as announced doesn’t include a stop at their hometown.