If anyone can prove that rock isn't dead, it is unquestionably The Black Keys. With The White Stripes dissolved and the veneer on The Strokes slowly peeling away, music fans can take solace in the gritty, garage-birthed blues rock of The Black Keys, a charged sound which can touch both your soul and the top of the Billboard 200. Remaining relatively dormant in both their critical appeal and financial success since their debut album in 2002, The Black Keys exploded into the contemporary consciousness when their sixth studio album Brothers (2010) won two Grammy awards, including Best Alternative Music Album. Now, as the rock duo graces the covers of Rolling Stone and fills sold-out arenas, its newest album El Camino, released this past December, continues the momentum The Black Keys have built throughout the past decade.
Re-enlisting the help of Danger Mouse to produce El Camino, The Black Keys chose to stray away from the slower, frustration-induced love power ballads which made Brothers a success. Instead, the band cranks up the volume and lets you know from the get-go that it is taking charge. "Lonely Boy," the first song on the album as well as the album's first single, starts off with an enticing and unforgettable guitar riff by vocalist and lead guitarist Dan Auerbach. Soon after, drummer Patrick Carney's entrance injects the song with another dose of life, and it takes off like a fighter jet on a mission. If reading about The Black Keys isn't enough to entice you, check out the viral music video to "Lonely Boy." The video, shot in one take, features a 48-year-old man rocking out and lip-syncing to the song, clearly illustrating why The Black Keys' album is so successful: You have to dance to it. Whether you're at a large concert or a party of one, it seems next to impossible to resist rocking out to Auerbach's soulful howling and Carney's rhythmic drumming.
While "Lonely Boy" clearly steals the show on El Camino, the album as a whole is an aural delicacy. The anthemic "Gold on the Ceiling" features yet another catchy riff with an even catchier chorus, whereas "Run Right Back" tugs at heartstrings as much as it does Auerbach's six-string guitar. The band has proved through El Camino that it has perfected the recipe for its ideal sound, mixing garage, blues and rock'n'roll in exactly the right proportions. Whatever The Black Keys are doing to find their sound on El Camino, it's working spectacularly.
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