Here at The Black Keys Fan Lounge we’re interested in giving equal time to Dan and Pat. Lately everyone’s been focusing on Dan Auerbach’s ‘Keep It Hid’ solo record. Largely unrecognised, Pat Carney has his own wealth of past and present music projects including the group ‘10% Animal‘, his un-released MySpace solo recordings and the recent Art Spiegelman short film soundtrack.
In this guest post Merlyn looks at the music of The Black Keys’ Pat Carney that fans should talk about more.
10% Animal
When I approached this post I obviously found it quite hard to listen to 10% Animal without comparing it to the later Black Keys and judging it on its own merit. I nevertheless did draw some interesting comparisons between the two. First and foremost I think Patrick had a lot more to do with the overall sound of Attack and Release than maybe first thought. Pat may be playing guitar in 10% Animal, and taking on singing duties, but the subtleties of electronic use here is akin to Attack and Release. Pat’s definitely refining his craft here.
“Ten Percent Awesome” – the first track listed on the 10% Animal MySpace site, is such a combination of things. What’s visible here is that Pat is great at melting certain genres and blending them. This track almost hides his affection for hip hop whilst keeping in tow his love for 60′s garage. Think about it like a Sonics LP being spun by Beck and you might understand what’s coming across here.
Pat has this awkward ability to sound innocent. Nothing more, nothing less. If you listen to “I Wanna Be A Baby” you’ll see he’s been able to convey the idea that that statement is true, and he just wants his girlfriend back. Cheated out of a pinky promise. There is a lot of childlike qualities in the overall sound of 10% Animal – especially with some of moods conveyed within the music. The nasally delivery of his voice does get lost amongst some of the music. The draw back here is that it could be seen as having quite a limited appeal.
The last track “Asian Haze” does approach a some what mature stance toward things, but that gets lost when the song is cut short.
This collection of demos is quite interesting to listen to – a must for all diehard Black Keys fans. It’s not the kind of thing I would be listening to a lot of normally but that doesn’t stop me being a new fan of 10% Animal.
Patrick Carney MySpace recordings
Pat’s solo MySpace is all things of an unreleased nature. This stuff can definately cock its head back and stand firmly on its hind legs.
“Age of the Degenerate” is one such track. Full of the idiosyncrasies you would expect. Throughout this track is an eternal reference to Wu-Tang Clan – sustained but variably hidden from the song, a continuously held tape loop. Minimalism kept nice and clean. The name of the track also confers meaning to the song as well, in keeping with the theme he certainly explores.
Other tracks such as “Escape from Newark” and “Deprogram Me” are definitely in keeping with the broadly degenerate theme. Pat is subtle with his time changes – keeping things at a certain pace, altering the aesthetic of the atsmospheric soundscape slowly. It’s all very clever and considered.
The song “Titled” is very delicate. Well textured and very moody. The use of what appears to be cello (he seems to be proud owning one, declaring in a blog post on his MySpace – “So I bought a Cello”), gives this song heart and a voice to speak it with.
Patrick Carney Soundtracks Art Spiegelman Commercial
This is more like it. Esoteric at all stops. Pat is definitely embellishing himself here. Distorting any sort of take on what’s expected of him. This is one of those things you hear and either connect with straight away – or it can just isolate you completely. Dark sultry moods kept in line with the narrative of the video. Think black velvet cloth only thicker.
It’s a complete departure from his 10% Animal commentary – maybe a gap in years of recording his own stuff has only bettered his intuition for music. Pat seems to have embraced his influences and connected. This, in my view, is what Pat needs to be making. I really hope this equates to some sort of release for him. Audacity has prevailed.
Drummer
Not so much a solo project as it is a collaborative effort with other Ohio bands’ drummers. Pat plays bass in this new band project, surprisingly enough, called Drummer. Check out the Drummer band MySpace. Gigs and an album on Pat’s Audio Eagle label beckon.
Conclusion:
Pat seems to describe his music with a few little genre tags – Concrete / Acousmatic / Tape music / Minimalist. Pats definitely hits the nail on the head here. The outcome of his somewhat ‘sparse’ recorded works, has done enough to clarify a fews things for me:
1. In any sense of the word Pat can definitely compose good music on his own.
2. He is pivotal to the sound of The Black Keys. The moods conveyed in his tunes are reflected in those of the ‘Keys.
3. He’s not just a drummer!
Time now for you to explore the hidden gems of Patrick Carney.
The Art Spiegelman movie with Pat Carney soundtrack
Related posts:
- Patrick Carney vs Animal from the Muppets
- Dan Auerbach Solo Album
- Dan Auerbach Solo Australian Tour Dates 2009
- Interview with Patrick Carney from The Black Keys – Part 2
- Drum Battle: Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) vs Questlove (The Roots)
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