‘Turn Blue’ is only a difficult album considering the sheer size and scale of what 2011’s ‘El Camino’ did for The Black Keys.
So, in seeking more to hop a little than leap lifetimes ahead, ‘Turn Blue’ is a real treat for the midnight blues, with trippy taints of psychedelia and a general exchange of songs for sexiness.
A tame and paced introduction to the album – all lazy, lethargic guitars screeching and crashing together – ‘Weight Of Love’ almost draws a picture of waves coming in and crashing down on the shores that grace every sunshine-stained land. Atmospheric, yes. Long and drawn-out, sure. Yet to the point and powerful, a steamroller of a sluggish track of rock’n’roll. That, however, is not to say psychedelic music has to be overcomplicated and overdone to the point that the opiate has worn off with the attention span of its audience. For in time a simplistic melody, acoustic guitars and baroque pianos are all the needed ingredients to create a world dangerously close to resembling the set of a 70’s cowboy movie. Falsetto voice switched on, layered harmonious sharpen the hooks that thanks to their catchiness make the opener entertaining, whirling and weird.
Regular collaborator Danger Mouse has certainly provided the pulse and potential for these songs to grow beyond guitar, voice and drums; a format associated predominantly with other duos such as The White Stripes, The Ting Tings, The Big Pink and Big Talk. Only The Black Keys hold the key to perfectly providing all the rhythm and blues a band needs to stay relevant and ready to twist the industry on its head. ‘Turn Blue’ and ‘Fever’ are tunes capable of soundtracking a sixties night out, squeals from a vintage organ kick the latter into action, the demented 1960s shakedown spiralling its way into minds, hearts and hips with a seductive force. This is the album’s first full on party number, rattling with riffs, booming with beats and building to a sticky, bubbling heat despite the chills indicated by the album’s cold and confident title.
‘Turn Blue’ is very much a sidestep from what might have been expected following the colossal rise of ‘El Camino’; it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they want to remain fresh in the face of bearded and broken bluesmen. A comment on Youtube spoke of The Black Keys turning into the Arctic Monkeys and the Arctic Monkeys turning into The Black Keys – an exchange of sounds spiked by the taste of America’s most worshipped cities that inject their songs with a retro spirit, focused on integrating vintage culture into the contemporary mainstream.
All the while experimental efforts interweave into melody, state of mind and randomness – as ‘Year In Review’ and ‘Bullet In The Brain’ would represent – hypnotizing and mesmerising with their ever-expanding diversity of duality, directness and high appeal.
We mustn’t forget it is a duo; just Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney playing along together, happy with whatever sound should strike itself from their fingertips. No matter how big they get, the image of them hitting, playing and partying in their Dad’s garage is always going to be there. Patrick’s opening, beefy drum racket is cut through with Dan’s voice riding sidecar along the meaty beats. “Smoke cigarettes and act like a clown if you want, it’s up to you now,” he offers on ‘It’s Up To You Now.’ Four songs in one, an anthology of cartoonish components working as one, turning wheel controlled by the power of two. The speeds shift and the sounds boom forward as creativity controls the mood of this outrageous tune.
Eight albums in, the gauntlet has consistently been laid down and surpassed by The Black Keys during an ever-evolving career. This time the challenge has never been greater, but in boasting the right heartbeat, horsepower and appropriate chord changes from major to minor, ‘Turn Blue’ is on its way to eclipsing all that even ‘El Camino’ swallowed up.
(Ryan Walker)