Brothers

I just got the new Black Keys album a bit early (retails on May 18th in the US) and I gotta say: After listening to their other most recent album "Attack & Release" I was expecting more of the same... the glorious blues rocky same, but I was surprised (both pleasantly and not so) at the differences.

The first song (and what I assume will be a single) "Everlasting Light" starts with a kind of poppy base and drum line that would feel at home in a funky Passion Pit song gives way to distorted falsetto Dan Auerbach vocals that... also feel a little Passion-Pitty. You can see, now, why I was so thrown when first listening, but hell... I like Passion Pit so it was fun. I was worried, however, that the rest of the album would also be a departure from what I tend to expect from the traditional blues jamming duo.

The kind of experimental, less raw instrumentals feel equally at home in the next song "Next Girl" as well, but it feels more like the Black Keys. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this more synthy transition in their style. It does seem to be in vogue these days (see: Contra - Vampire Weekend, LP - Discovery, et all) and they HAVE kind of been easing their listener-base into the feel with Attack & Release being produced by Danger Mouse and Blakroc featuring Black Keys hip-hop loops.

Interestingly enough, the change to the more relevant, post-production-heavy, style that The Black Keys seem to have latched onto for this album doesn't always produce tracks that feel at home next to the likes of Broken Bells. The penultimate track "Never Gonna Give You Up" (you aren't getting Rick Roll'd I promise) feels like it was released by a soulful 4 piece from the 60's. It's a kind of eclectic feel, but I do like it.

While this change in style doesn't pervade the album as much as it does on the first track, it is still there on the rest of the album. I will always love "Magic Potion" for the unadulterated ROCK there, but I guess this is how the Black Keys are evolving sonically. While its different, it is by no means bad. In fact its more delicious Black Keys stylings, and that is something I will always be happy to see.

~JM

P.s. If the leaked album art I saw is truly the album art (pictured above) I love the shit out of the Black Keys even more