Rock music is not the biggest thing in the mainstream these days but it definitely isn’t due to a lack of talent, and The Black Keys are definitely at the forefront of the biggest acts of the genre that demonstrate that’s not the problem. Their latest album, Turn Blue, was produced by DJ Danger Mouse and from my assessment, it definitely lives up to the hype and it is indeed one of the best releases so far that will undoubtedly appear on our year-end list of the best albums of 2014.
The album starts with “Weight Of Love,” which felt like it would’ve worked just as well if the all-instrumental first half would’ve been left alone as an intro; that’s not to say the second half with lyrics doesn’t sound great. “In Time” is a great song that sounds like if The Dap Kings had reworked “Tighten Up,” featuring that sort of Jazzy feel we all fell for back when Amy Winehouse first broke. The following two songs, “Turn Blue” and “Fever,” had already been released over the last few weeks. The title track is Blues through and through, with a “space-y” finish. “Fever” brings the energy back up with a Disco flair that makes you want to dance to a groovy song about a love lost.
“Year In Review” is a decent track but it feels more like it was simply tucked in at the middle of the album to lead in to better songs to come. “Bullet In The Brain” is definitely a song meant to be heard through headphones, especially in the dark, to better disconnect yourself from the world and fully appreciate all that’s hidden (musically) beneath the lyrics; it’s also the song that features the most obvious influence of Danger Mouse’s touch. “It’s Up To You Now” brings to mind The Doors, featuring an organ-like guitar riff and a primal drum beat that instantly takes you to the 60’s before getting all heavy on ya.
Things slow back down again via “Waiting On Words,” featuring a melody worthy of an arena/stadium full of hands equipped with lighters swaying in the air from side to side. This one brings to mind the Brothers deep cut that I sometimes obsess over, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” but much moodier. “10 Lovers” has an excellent bass-line that keeps your head bopping, while the acoustic guitar is a good switch at this point of the album from the fuzz-driven songs we throughout Turn Blue. “In Our Prime” is a real powerhouse of a song; the organ gives it the weight necessary to make you feel like you’re truly experiencing the message this song is trying to offer you and Dan Auerbach’s guitar work is simply masterful. Turn Blue ends surprisingly with a Southern Rock-like track in “Gotta Get Away,” which sounds like it was taken straight out of a 70’s radio playlist whose focus was all on easy-to-remember choruses that gets everyone in the car singing along and makes you wish you owned a cowbell.
To make it simple for you to understand, this album is everything you want from a release by The Black Keys. It gets you grooving, it makes you want to bust out a guitar with your fuzziest of fuzzy guitar pedals and jam, it reminds you just how devastating love can be one minute and then shows you it can also be a great thing the next, but most of all, it serves as a friendly reminder of what great things can be accomplished with some guitars and a set of drums.
Dopeness Factor
4.5
Key tracks: “Weight Of Love,” “In Time,” “Fever,” “Bullet In The Brain,” “Waiting On Words,” “In Our Prime,” “Gotta Get Away”
