Features
The Black Keys: “A Throwback to the ’70s”
Simply put, The Black Keys are blues rock at its best (at least if we’re talking about the 2000s and not the early 1970s). The band, which is actually a duo, formed about nine years ago in Akron, Ohio and features vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. Amazingly, the duo has already released five studio records and two EPs since getting together, their debut being 2002’s The Big Come Up.
The Skinny: Simply put, The Black Keys are blues rock at its best (at least if we’re talking about the 2000s and not the early 1970s). The band, which is actually a duo, formed about nine years ago in Akron, Ohio and features vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. Amazingly, the duo has already released five studio records and two EPs since getting together, their debut being 2002’s The Big Come Up. The Black Keys are often compared to another blues-rock duo The White Stripes because of their similarities in sound and musical influences.
While the band has been together for quite some time now, they did not begin to really grab much mainstream attention until the 2008 release of their fifth record Attack & Release. The record was not only commercially successful but also received much critical acclaim for its no nonsense, stripped down approach to blues rock. The success of Attack & Release was fuelled by the hit singles “Strange Times” and “I Got Mine.”
The duo has managed to keep busy since the release of Attack & Release with lots of touring as well as a rap/rock infused side project called Blakroc which released its debut record at the end of 2009. The project features various contributions from hip hop artists including Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA, Raekwon and Ludacris. In addition, the guys have had time to write and record the sixth Black Keys record titled Brothers and set to be released on May 18th.
The song writing and musicianship of the group is exceptional and they’ve received praise from the likes of Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and even Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. The Black Keys are definitely a band worth checking out if you enjoy blues based rock with a tinge of ‘90s alternative influence. [ END ]
Genres: Rock, Blues, Alternative, Blues Rock, Indie, Indie Rock
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