Artist: The Black KeysAlbum: Attack and ReleaseLabel: Nonesuch Records
The blues-rock duo The Black Keys has returned from a two year absence with its follow-up to 2006’s Magic Potion, entitled Attack and Release. Since its first release in 2002, this Akron, Ohio-based band has gained a reputation for churning out folksy minimalist rock at a feverish pace — to the tune of four albums in four years. The band draws comparisons to another twangy duo from the upper Midwest: The White Stripes.
And at times it seemed to be relegated to a seat in the White Stripes’ shadow, despite the fact that the two bands were carving out markedly different styles.
Luckily, in order to better differentiate themselves from their better-known black and red neighbors to the north, singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney recruited jack-of-all-trades super producer Danger Mouse to add his signature touch to the album. The result of the collaboration is a subtle expansion of The Black Keys’ signature garage rock with a shade of delta blues.
The album’s first single, entitled “Strange Times,” is a perfect display of the band’s newfound musical diversity. It begins as any good Keys song does, with a stiff beat and an infectious twangy guitar rift.
However, at the onset of the chorus, the music launches into a piano-supported ghostly swirl, the layered backing vocals lending further support to the chilling aura, before the song launches straight back to the simplistic rock for which we know The Black Keys best. The constant transition of styles adds a new dimension to the listening experience previously untapped by the band.
The record’s pace begins with slow burns, which build up to bass-thumping fuzz rock before retreating back into a lulled pace. The Black Keys accomplishes these transitions seamlessly, and without losing the listener’s attention. The two-part track, “Remember When,” is a perfect example of the mood swings the album brings. Side A of the song has a spacey nostalgic air to it, an aura unknown to previous Keys efforts. However, Side B shakes us from our daydream to rock us like only classic BK records can do.
Attack and Release is musical experimentation that unfolds right before listeners’ ears. The hip-hop inclinations of Danger Mouse spiral into a head-on collision with the down-home, bluesy feel of the Keys’ previous efforts. The result could have been disastrous, but instead it propelled the band skyward to eclipse the creative wall they threatened to slam into after Magic Potion.
