On Discovering "The Black Keys"

The Gods of Blues Rock

If I were to name you some of my favorite rock artists of all time, they would include (just to name a few) Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Obviously, the full list would include the likes of Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and whole slew of others. But, what distinguishes Cream and Hendrix from other artists is how much I enjoy listening to their music.

Both of these artists have created bodies of work that I can always come back to. Every time I fire up a track I've listened to a hundred times before, I can't help but get caught up in the display of raw talent bequeathed to me through a fairly large, consistent body of work.

Inconsistency

But what about since then? I wasn't even born when Cream and Hendrix were in their prime (I don't count Cream's reunion tour). I just can't think of many "go to" bands that are as consistent and enjoyable to listen to.

Don't get me wrong. I've heard plenty of good music that has come out since then. I've heard plenty of great--even phenomenal--music that traverses indie, folk, rock, and blues in ways I'd have never imagined before. All of these other bands surely have their places in music history, but . . . something has been lacking.

I'm not enjoying it.

The Detroit Revival?

Take The White Stripes for example. Jack White clearly sold his soul to the devil in order to generate that much sound from his guitar. Yet, despite the exhibition of talent, I've only really enjoyed a handful of tracks on each album ("Ball and Biscuit" on Elephant still blows me away). And unfortunately, even the best tracks are overshadowed by a cloud of rubbish songs with jilted transitions and mediocre filler. I'm left feeling that the music itself is fleeting.

(I know this is sacrilege, but I'll admit to it: 20% of the stuff Zeppelin put out is borderline unlistenable. That number is probably higher with The Who, which is a band I can't quite learn to love).

Tempo Tempo Tempo!

These days, the yardstick by which we measure talent on the electric guitar is how fast you can up the tempo. And sure if you up the tempo enough you'll get something like The Strokes, whose sound I love. Nevertheless, I really do miss the way Soundgarden generated a wall of sound that made you feel like you were trudging through mud.

The push to play faster and faster has had harmful effects, I think. I wonder if bands, in an attempt to remain marketable, feel the need to constantly reinvent themselves on every album. Despite all their talk about stripping the music to its essential elements and only using three instruments at a time, the tracks on every new White Stripes album seem woefully undercooked. Sure the music is still great, but I get the feeling that they're so busy evolving that they've overlooked some great niche sound. I suppose a niche is a bad thing these days.

Reinvention is overrated.

The only artist I think of that can consistently pull off reinventing himself is Beck Hansen. But despite all of his avant-garde flavor of rock, even Beck knows a good thing when he hears it. His slower, folksy, country-twang has matured on Mutations and Sea Change.

Sometimes I wonder what Jimi Hendrix would have sounded like if he had been alive another twenty years. Would he have been a die-hard rocker like Neil Young and stuck to his roots? Would he have evolved like Eric Clapton? Would he be puttering along, almost irrelevantly, like Tom Petty?

A Discovery

If I had to name a band whose music I have enjoyed the most in the last decade, I'd be hard pressed to give you the name of anybody but The Black Keys.

That's right. The Black Keys.

I don't remember when I first listened to The Black Keys. It must have been after I moved to California, though it is quite hard to imagine not having listened to their music before then.

The band consists of Dan Auerbach (on guitar and vocals) and Patrick Carney (on drums). On your first listen, you can easily imagine this brand of blues-rock wafting through the Mississippi Delta, but this duo is from Akron, Ohio. They officially started just five years ago, but from the sound of Auerbach's voice, you'd think he was at it for a few decades.

Out of the Bog

The Black Keys are an anachronism. Their sound is distant and swampy. The vocals are distorted, bluesy, and guttural. I'm a complete sucker for it; I can't get enough.

And what's even more interesting is that the band doesn't really consider itself a blues band. There's a great interview by Patrick Corcoran that makes some very interesting comparisons to Wu Tang that I would never have thought of.

Under the Radar

Inexplicably, Pitchfork has given most of their albums lukewarm reviews. The review for Magic Potion notes specifically that the band doesn't add something 'new' to this album. And in reading those reviews, it occurred to me: Pitchfork IS the epitome of the culture of tempo. Every week, they give me a list of new artists they think are absolutely amazing (and for the most part, they make decent picks). But like fickle critics, they won't appreciate the same sound in the next album because its no longer novel.

Maybe that's what I like the most about The Black Keys. They've found their hook and are content at letting the sound develop and move at their own pace. Their albums do sound alike. But while some thought Magic Potion didn't really offer anything "new," it succeeded in deepening a consistent body of work. It it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Auerbach and Carney seem much more committed than Jack and Meg White to stick to their roots and explore sound through (albeit repetitive) wildly infectious riffs. And the fact that Patrick Carney knows how to play the drums is an added plus. Each track is full of soul. It doesn't just sound cool, but it feels as though the music has an emotional depth that is missing in even the best tracks by their contemporaries.

Enough With The Bad-Asses Already

Imagine if you met Jimi Hendrix. Sure he would be way cooler than you were, but I just don't get the feeling that he'd be an asshole about it. Incidentally, I'm not sure if he'd be sober enough to figure out I was in the room, but it's clear that Jimi wasn't an asshole.

Similarly, you don't the feeling that Auerbach and Carney are giving the finger to everyone as they play their unique brand of rock-and-roll (you know, like the way Neil Young does). Nor do you get the feeling that they'd be flipping you off even if they weren't playing music (you know, like the way Iggy and The Stooges probably would).

The point is this. They're not playing rock and roll out of spite. They're not playing because its a chic retro thing to do. This duo just seems to have a genuine affection for the music--and it shows.

Auerbach and Carney's sense of humour shines through. Give a look at this video for "Your Touch."

Of course, the video takes the cliche of dying in a barrage of gunfire on its head. The high point is a great exchange between the two discussing the gunfire:

Auerbach: So, how do you feel . . . about being dead?

Carney: I dunno. My neck hurts.

_____

Carney: You didn't look that cool out there.

Auerbach: Well, at least I died doing what I love. You know, lip-syncing. I love that shit.

I'm sick of bad-asses. These guys are hilarious.

A Recommendation

It's only through The Black Keys that I've discovered a legendary (and unknown) blues singer named Junior Kimbrough. He'd been recording since the 1960's and died in 1998. The Black Keys have done an amazing cover album with a half dozen of his songs. The album, named "Chulahoma" pays homage to an artist I have, unfortunately, just discovered.

I strongly urge you to give a listen to the album. I recommend My Mind is Ramblin'.

You can also listen to The Black Keys on Rhapsody (Free) here.

Let me know what you think.