The Best of 2010, Pt. 1: Your flame has not faded
Normally when a band gets the most critical and commercial success its ever had after completely overhauling its sound they’re also dogged by accusations of “selling out.” For the Black Keys it wasn’t so much that they sold out in 2010 as the rest of the world FINALLY bought-in.
The blues rock duo from Akron, Ohio has been working for a decade now and while they’ve seen steadily growing recognition and success since 2004’s Rubber Factory they hit their zenith in 2010. Brothers sold 73,000 copies in its first week, their biggest debut yet. The highlight of the year, according to a year-end interview in Spin, came in Chicago in August when they played to 50,000 clamouring fans in Grant Park. I could have told you that much; having been lucky enough to see that set I was definitely surprised to see how many people adore their new material in particular.
And why shouldn’t they? Brothers may break new ground for the band but it’s also a completely solid album from back to front, devoid of any filler. The stylistic shift happening here is far from subtle: the stripped-down drum and guitar duo they’ve built their career on is, for the first time, supported by a full band including bass and keyboards.
The change may have been inevitable. Singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach’s 2009 solo album, Keep It Hid, laid the groundwork by incorporating those same elements with terrific results. It was an album that showed more than ever how his songwriting influences are more inspiration than source material; he can do anything with his guitar and voice and make it sound innate and natural.
Brothers is a further extension of that and of the band’s growing comfort inside of a proper studio. Each track is clean, full, and present. The constant accompaniment on nearly every track of bass, keyboards, and electric piano feel so comfortable and well-integrated it’s almost hard to believe they haven’t been there all along throughout the Keys’ entire discography.
The bulk of the band’s sound, however, continues to rest on Auerbach’s multi-tracked wall of guitar and his crafty vocals. Drummer Patrick Carney shows more restraint than ever here as well, not so much taking a back seat as softening his attack in order to give the beat more nuance than ever. Combined with a fuzzy bass tone, the bottom end is hypnotic and propulsive throughout, cymbals only breaking the locked grooves when absolutely necessary.
Of course the centerpiece is hit single, “Tighten Up.” Channeling a little Andrew Bird with its opening whistle it’s an immediately infectious number that owes as much to its sinewy guitar hook and it’s back-end half-time stomp as Auerbach’s ever-more soulful crooning. It’s somewhere in between the falsetto of opener “Everlasting Light,” “Sinister Kid”’s subtle menace, or the plaintive regret of closer “These Days” and stands as further proof that his voice has come quite far since their early days.
Doing press last year Auerbach confirmed that the band had been working with and for Ike Turner, writing songs for what I guess you’d call a “comeback” album. His death dissolved the project and the Keys used some of the songs created in those sessions on their previous LP. But Auerbach also says the experience gave him a new perspective on songwriting, creating more stories as opposed to personal tales. Songs like the touching “Unknown Brother” with its narrative of a lost child or “Ten Cent Pistol” with its timeless, “She shot me down,” narrative suggest he’s found fertile lyrical ground in his imagination.
But why is everything coming up gold for the Black Keys in 2010? You could argue it’s a matter of their work falling into the hands of the right tastemakers at the right time, resulting in the inclusion of their songs on soundtracks for hit movies Twilight and Zombieland, but that’s nothing new. Going back to 2008 they’ve been featured on Hung, School Of Rock, I Love You, Man, Black Snake Moan, Eastbound and Down, Big Love, and numerous other tv shows, video games, and commercials. But bands like the Weakerthans know having a song playing over the closing credits of a hit movie doesn’t necessarily mean instant fame and fortune.
Regardless of the source, the renewed attention comes at a most welcome time as the Keys are firing on all cylinders creatively, easily making this one of the most solid and unimpeachable albums of 2010. Best of all the promise a change in style presents, regardless of how subtle, is a good omen for continued creative longevity — something I expect we can all be thankful for.
the Black Keys - Next Girl [3:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download the Black Keys - Ten Cent Pistol [4:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadBuy music and other merch from the Black Keys’ web store or hit up iTunes for rich, creamy digital goodness.
