If you were to describe The Black Keys sound to someone, you might suggest they are essentially a riff-driven blues rock band. There’s a popular perception of the band as a dynamic duo of visceral electric guitar and pounding back beat.
Whilst that might have been true of their early recordings, people forget The Black Keys sound is much more than this. Blakroc has certainly muddied the waters further.
Some of the band’s more memorable tunes are arguably down tempo, slow-burning heartfelt songs.
The Big Come Up had no discernible slow songs on it. Attack and Release had four tracks. The energy of youth has given way to some subtlety of age.
It will be interesting to see on the next album ‘Brothers’ whether the trend continues.
The slower songs really highlight the range and texture of Dan’s voice. The guitar work is necessarily more emotive. The beat lopes along along rather than drives the song. Dan and Pat are seemingly guided by those they have been inspired by and leave their attitude on these songs.
Arguably, improved production techniques, outside ideas and instrumental experimentation have allowed the slower songs to breathe on albums. Hopefully, in time some of these songs will be able to represented and developed more fully in a live context on the next tour.
Just think about what a contrast some of these tunes (for example, You’re The One) are to some of the better known four to the floor tunes like I Got Mine or Thickfreakness.
What’s interesting about the style of these songs is that although the tempo may be slower they don’t necessarily have to be quieter. Some of the songs if anything are ‘heavier’, the Chulahoma tracks are certainly indicative of this.
It’s often been said but The Black Keys can indeed take their music anywhere they wish to be led by it – something not all bands could easily stake a claim to. These slower tempo songs are proof of that.
The album features a cover of Jerry Butler’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.
Billboard reports the album is highlighted by ‘Next Girl’, a Zeppelin-y blast of fuzzed-out guitar, and ‘Howlin’ for You’, which features a “da da da” chant and a drum beat akin to Gary Glitter’s glam-rock classic ‘Rock and Roll (Part Two)’.
A 12″ single ‘Howling For You’ will be released on Record Store Day in the USA on 17 April 2010.
Quotes from their press release:
Pat Carney:
Dan [Auerbach, fellow band member] and I grew up a lot as individuals and musicians prior to making this album. Our relationship was tested in many ways but at the end of the day, we’re brothers, and I think these songs reflect that.
Dan Auerbach:
We like spooky sounds…like Alice Coltrane, where a dark groove is laid down. That’s the headspace we tried to get into for this record
Pat on Tchad Blake mixing the album:
We are big fans of Tchad Blake. The way he approaches mixing is the same way we approach making music. Respecting the past while being in the present. The mixes he did for us on Blakroc impressed us so much we knew he had to mix Brothers.
Official track listing:
01 Everlasting Light
02 Next Girl
03 Tighten Up
04 Howlin’ for You
05 She’s Long Gone
06 Black Mud
07 The Only One
08 Too Afraid to Love You
09 Ten Cent Pistol
10 Sinister Kid
11 The Go Getter
12 I’m Not the One
13 Unknown Brother
14 Never Gonna Give You Up
15 These Days
Back in 2003 when many fans were seeing The Black Keys live for the first time, few took a video camera along. Chris Johnson was an exception. As bands passed through his hometown of Minneapolis he made the effort. Now days the video/camera phone is as ubiquitous as the raised lighter used to be at gigs.
Chris Johnson was and is a fan of The Black Keys, the blues and outsider music. It’s that interest which by increments led him to set up the Deep Blues Festival in 2007. Sadly, it was recently announced that the festival would not continue past this years January 2010 event. Hopefully someone else will pick up the baton and carry it forward.
The live videos Chris took of The Black Keys now are part of a rare archive of early shows. The Black Keys Fan Lounge recently asked Chris about those shows and the taping.
Do you recall the first time you ever heard The Black Keys and the impression it made on you?
The first time I heard of the Black Keys was on the Fat Possum Records website on their June 24, 2003, newsletter. This is what I read:
Last Monday (June 16th), MTV began introducing the Black Eyed Peas but playing the Black Keys video Set You Free instead.
This is exactly opposite of what life on the Fat Possum planet has taught me to expect. On our planet they might announce a R.L. video, then play a little Matchbox20, and three days later apologize for not announcing Matchbox20’s properly. Or worse, --our artist would die seconds before his music appears on all those American televisions. I appreciate the force was behind this and only wish I had better understanding of how it worked. The Keys 5 week tour with Beck comes to close on June 28th. They will return to the West Coast and headline a short tour of their own, before heading to the U.K and Australia. You can see the video that cause the stir, follow this link.
I watched the video several times and haven’t quite been the same ever since. I checked their tour dates and saw they were coming through the midwest in Oct ‘03 and planned to travel to a few shows.
Most fans back in 2003 weren’t so onto it to have a camera at hand at a gig as they are today, how come you started videoing? Was it for a personal record or some other plan?
The band website said that audience recordings were allowed, so I bought some microphones and a sony minidisc recorder. I recorded audio at the Omaha NE show 10-29-03 and the Iowa City IA show 10-30-03. I talked to Dan and Pat at each show and asked them if I could record video in Minneapolis for 10-31-03. I was just a fan that wanted to share this music with others. I burned dozens of cdrs to send out. I also started trading recordings with other tapers and collectors. I met a lot of people through trading.
I’ve attended and recorded dozens of Black Keys shows. I sent copies of all my recordings to Pat and Dan. They even released a song, Work Me, from a recording I made in Boston 11-16-05 on the single You’re The One.
Do you have additional footage of this 2003 show that you haven’t published?
I have that complete show on video and a few others. In early 2004, they changed their recording policy to audio only. There was someone selling a dvd of the 12-31-03 Beachland Ballroom show, and that caused the policy change. The TX promo dvd with Rubber Factory was about to come out. Of course, they’ve since come out with two commercial releases of live dvds.
I’ve certainly been in support of all non-commercial recording and sharing of live performances. For the most part, I think this is positive for the bands and the fans. I can also understand the arguments against it. With the growth of youtube and other video websites and the increase in recording equipment, it’s certainly a challenge to try to prohibit it.
The 2004 show it looks like you were filming from the side of the stage or just right down the front? If from the side obviously you had met the band and they were keen for you to video?
I asked Pat and Dan before that Madison WI show if they would mind if I shot video again. I told them it was non-commercial and just for free trading and sharing. With their permission, I was there in the front row with the camera. I don’t know if keen is the best word to describe their approval. They just knew me as a fan, and I wouldn’t be trying to sell the recordings.
You might be interested to know that Dan used to record too. I have a few dvds of video he shot of some blues bands.
The 2004 show version of ‘Busted’ is a bit of a classic. What song do you think best sums up the band’s performance, attitude or style?
The energy of their live shows is particularly appealing to me. Very little banter or time wasted between songs. They just push through the whole performance. I guess my personal favorite live song would be Set You Free.
To my knowledge The Black Keys never played the Deep Blues Festival, correct?
I certainly asked every year and made offers. My intentions for the fest were simply to put these outsider bands in front of a larger audience. Having a band like the Black Keys involved would have been a huge draw. Too bad it never came together.
Before The Black Keys’ new album is released in April 2010, it’s maybe worth looking back at two live snapshots of The Black Keys when they had a live hook up with the studios of 89.9FM KCRW Radio, Southern California’s leading National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate, on the Morning Becomes Eclectic show in 2003 and 2008.
These live in studio performances really capture the band with something to prove. The audience listening at the time is probably hearing many of these tracks for the first time. The years between recording adds to the understanding of the growth of the recorded sound and band’s development.
Fans will enjoy the subtle differences between the album and these live versions.
The recordings are more than just a live set though, both include an interview with host Nick Harcourt. As ever, listening to an interview is so much better than reading one. The 2003 interview is so fresh and unaffected about their early influences, not to mention Pat’s ubiquitous dry humour. The 2008 interview is quite insightful about the recording process for the ‘Attack and Release’ album.
On July 25, 2003, The Black Keys had just finished opening for Beck when they were recorded. The seminal ‘Thickfreakness’ album had only been released a few months earlier. The recorded sound is really raw and fuzzed out. The 2008 recording is much better in sound quality. The rarely played cover of ‘She Said, She Said’ by The Beatles off The Big Come Up album is a treat to hear.
On March 31, 2008, The Black Keys were previewing new tracks from the ‘Attack and Release’ album but also playing some favourites. There’s an interesting version of ‘Girl Is On My Mind’ thrown in. The recording of the Captain Beefheart track ‘Here I Am, I Always Am’ they were playing live at the time is a real beauty and rarity.
Enough chatter, the music speaks for itself, turn it up…
As The Black Keys have apparently crossed-over to new audiences (or have audiences crossed over to them?) with the Blakroc project, it’s seemingly given fans further licence to mash up tracks.
Do you have a mash up of a Blakroc or The Black Keys’ track? Make contact to be featured here.
Of course, there’s the old favorite of Mr Dibbs “Fight For Air” mash up of tracks on the ‘Attack and Release’ album from 2008:
I can totaly respect their right to ask for the link removed, good move doing so. i mean over the years i have always tryed to find the leaks (who can blame me) but even if i downloaded the whole album off the internet before it came out (i never have) i would still buy the album it's better quality and of course i want to support the keys. However ther […]
There is this new pic on TBK myspace of Pat and Dan jamming at Dan's studio. Looks to be some sort of Japanese guitar or a Sears/Teisco type. Just curious if anyone knew what it was. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=3451033&albumID=3439630&imageID=75337913 […]
Squier Classic Vibe Custom Telecaster It was the best in the price range I think, plays extremely well, sounds amazing, and it looks a little like dans! […]
A very short but interesting video i found of Dan "jamming" with Edan and Mos Def. Here's hoping that Edan is on the next Blakroc album. He's a lyrical and musical genius. For those interested, check out his albums 'Primitive Plus', 'Beauty and the Beat' and his new one 'Echo Party'. Dan actually highly recom […]
