Evolution is key to the success of any band. Today's music fan expects their favorite bands to grow musically from album to album, and there might not be a better example of constant growth in today's music landscape than The Black Keys. The Akron based duo consisting of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney started to gain a cult following with their debut album, 2002's The Big Come Up (which includes an awesome cover of The Beatles' "She Said She Said", a risky undertaking for any band, particularly on a debut album), and that following only grew with their subsequent releases, particularly 2008's Attack and Release. Cult quickly became mainstream with 2010's Brothers, which included the Grammy-winning "Tighten Up". Fresh off the success of Brothers, the band released El Camino at the end of 2011 and that launched them into the stratosphere. The album won the Grammy for Best Rock Album, with frontman Auerbach also picking up the coveted Producer of the Year Grammy, and The Black Keys became the kings of millennial rock. With the release of each album, the band's sound became more refined, and they went from being a two piece outfit to adding a bass player and a keyboardist (unofficially). With their latest album Turn Blue, the band proves one thing: evolution in music does not necessarily mean moving into the future, it can also mean looking to the past.
(Hit the jump for our thoughts on Turn Blue)
There is one common theme on Turn Blue and that’s the fact that, at times, love can really suck. We’ve all been there, you think a certain someone could be “the one” only for those feelings not to be reciprocated and you end up down in the dumps for a while. When this happens to someone, music can be a welcome shoulder to lean on, and Dan Auerbach certainly knows this from experience. It was reported in February of 2013 that he and his wife were going through a divorce. It seems that this album, released a little over a year later, symbolizes Auerbach's experiences and feelings from this separation. Musically, the majority of the songs sound as if they came from the psychedelic rock era of the 1960's and 70's. This album will remind some of the great bands of that era, such as, Pink Floyd and The Doors.
The album’s opener “Weight of Love” screams Pink Floyd. It contains a long, slow introduction similar to “Breathe”, but also contains the iconic guitar wailing of “Time” (both off of Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon). The lyrics tell the tale of a relationship that started off well but did not end that way. The line "I used to think darlin', you never did nothin', but you were always up to something" follows the all too known path of a doomed relationship.
The title track “Turn Blue” is written from the perspective
of someone who is in the depths of the canyon that is being broken up with by
someone you really loved. “When
the music is done and the lights are low, I will remember the times when love
would really glow. I could dream ahead before my world turn blue, and the light
inside would only shine for you.”
The first taste of this album we got was with the its first single “Fever”. Whereas “Turn Blue” is about the low point of love, the
“Fever” being described here is love as a whole and all that comes with it. The
line “You used to be a blessing, but fever’s got me stressing. Realize I have
been played, but fever let me play the game” pretty much sums up the beginning
and ending of a bad relationship, and the lengths someone will go to when under love's spell. It's definitely a break from the early music of the band in that it starts with a powerful bass line and is mostly driven by a keyboard melody (something that started on El Camino, but wasn't truly noticed until now).
“Bullet in the Brain” is another Floyd-esque song. This song
seems to question why a certain relationship went wrong. “Hearts began to
burst, the diamond turned to dust. You made me talk the pain all out of me."
“It’s Up To You Now” definitely shares some elements with
classic tracks from The Doors at the beginning, but then turns with a very Santana-like guitar solo before returning to that Doors
sound at the end. The lyrics to this song seem to get pretty personal. "You smoke cigarettes and you act like a clown If you want, it's up to you now." It sounds as if the message of this song is "I don't care what you do, you're not my problem anymore."
“10 Lovers” is driven by a heavy bass line and
synthesized keyboard melody. Another break up song, but this one throws in the
wrinkle of a child also getting hurt. Auerbach and his ex-wife do have a young daughter together named Sadie. He seems to be sending her a message with this track. “If I find another love, they must be
forever true. ‘Cause if someone breaks this heart, your old man right here is
through”.
The album’s final track, “Gotta Get Away” is pretty
self-explanatory. It’s about putting all that heartbreak in the rearview mirror
and hitting the road. Musically, it is a break from the rest of the album and has more of a traditional Southern Rock sound, with CCR and Bob Seger coming to mind. This song is also a favorite of this blog due to the
mention of our favorite city. “My rent’s down, got used up on gasoline, what I
need, what I need. Atlanta, GA by the end of the day. I’m one away, that’s what
I say.”
Overall, Turn Blue is extremely solid, both lyrically and musically. It tells the story of a man that was burned by love and seems to be him working through it via song. While it might not be as impressive as El Camino or Brothers, it continues the trend of The Black Keys making well written and thoughtful music that listeners will have no problem relating to. The real fun will be when the band comes to Philips Arena in Atlanta on December 11 with opening act St. Vincent (one of the best one-two combos at an arena show in a long time). As expected, You Ought to Hear This will be there (in the pit) and we're immensely looking forward to it.
S Rating: 85
B Rating: 81
R Rating: 84
Overall: 83.3
Overall: 83.3
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