El Camino

The Black Keys

It’s hard to believe that only 19 months ago The Black Keys, as talented as they were, was just another band that you’d read in the small print on a festival poster. They were one of those bands you always enjoyed, but were never quite blown away by. The mainstream music world felt the same way. They were entertaining, but after 5 studio albums they hadn’t yet made it big and it looked as though (as with most musical acts) that this far into their careers they had reached their peak.

Along came Brothers, last year’s mega-hit album that launched Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney into rock superstardom. Radio hits, Grammy Awards, headlining festival gigs, SNL performances, and commercials soon followed.

A mere 19 months later the duo have released their seventh LP, El Camino. And they haven’t missed a beat. Where Brothers gave us a good crop of blues-rock anthems and slow burners, El Camino is a 38-minute, balls-to-the-walls, rip-roaring album that never lets up. Every last song is bursting with pure rock and roll energy all the way through, beginning with the brash and fierce “Lonely Boy”, and finishing with the smooth guitars of “Mind Eraser.” Other stand out tracks include the glam-tastic “Gold on the Ceiling”(which channels its inner “Howlin’ for You”), the acoustic “Little Black Submarines” with a power finish, the seductive “Run Right Back”, and the terrific “Stop Stop”, which sounds like Deep Purple in their prime.

I give a lot of credit to producer Danger Mouse who took the sound The Black Keys captured on Brothers and perfected it here. He’s been working with the duo since 2008, having produced their album Attack & Release and 2010’s breakthrough single “Tighten Up.” Danger Mouse knows what The Black Keys are capable of and he utilizes their sound perfectly.

For the majority of their early years the crux of The Black Keys’ sound has been Auerbach on guitar and vocals and Carney behind the drum kit. All others were secondary. At the end of the day that’s what their sound will always boil down to, but here they expand more on that sound with some solid bass lines, flashy keyboards, and beautiful backing vocals. This adds so much versatility to a stellar album that wouldn’t sound out of place at a 1970s record store or a 2003 hipster club.

I’m often very skeptical about bands releasing new material so soon after a hit album, especially when it’s their breakthrough album like Brothers was for The Black Keys. Needless to say, Dan and Pat did not let their fans down with El Camino. It’s every bit as good as Brothers and should be played as loud as possible to get the full affect of one of the years best albums.

Recommended tracks: “Lonely Boy”, “Gold on the Ceiling”, “Run Right Back”