The Black Keys, my favorite "new" band...

jackman · « **on:** 9 May 2011, 04:50 pm »

Hey, I know these guys have been around for a while and I've liked their music but the latest album kicks butt. I love their sound and, although I'm a White Stripes fan, these guys make me forget the White Stripes ever existed. They are (IMHO) one million times better than the White Stripes.

Dan Auerbach has one of the best voices in Rock and the BK's sound is raw and insanely cool. Here is a great version of Sinister Kid from youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvl-pmclfNk

Okay, I could hot resist, here is the big hit from the same album, performed in a studio. Akron, OH's favorite sons...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9c4hmgThag&feature=related

Oh, forgot to mention. They are not a two piece band on some of the new stuff, they have a bass player and a keyboard player. The sound is fuller but there is lots of their great 2 piece stuff out there.

jackman · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 May 2011, 04:59 pm »

Sorry, I could not resist, here is another good one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umBp7zULyvI

nullspace · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 May 2011, 05:19 pm »

If you get a chance to see them live, make sure you go. They put on a great, if a bit brief, show.

John

launche · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 May 2011, 05:23 pm »

Now this is something we can agree on. Just happened upon them myself. I wish they used a bit less distorted guitars so their sound would be more timeless. They seem so good as to not need that gimmick so much.

jackman · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 May 2011, 05:29 pm »

Quote from: launche on 9 May 2011, 05:23 pm

Now this is something we can agree on. Just happened upon them myself. I wish they used a bit less distorted guitars so their sound would be more timeless. They seem so good as to not need that gimmick so much.

I think the distortion is part of their sound. On the first clip I posted, the guitar is perfect (IMO) and I love their sound. If you like something a bit less distorted, Dan Auerbach's solo stuff is awesome. I like it as much as the BK's music. Here is a clip of his big song. Also, check out Trouble Weighs a Ton. Really good stuff from an amazingly talented dude. I can't get enough of these guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krgfAb1Fw_o&feature=related

Tyson · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 May 2011, 05:30 pm »

Yes, great band. I think of them as sort of the unruly grandkids of led zep.

jackman · « **Reply #6 on:** 9 May 2011, 05:51 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 9 May 2011, 05:30 pm

Yes, great band. I think of them as sort of the unruly grandkids of led zep.

Two blues oriented bands and I like the analogy. I love the BK's rawness because it's something missing from most over produced, sanitized popular music these days. I always looked at Led Zep as the unruly grandkids of guys like Willie Dixon.

While Zep will be remembered for laying down the foundation for hard Rock, I always loved their bluesy numbers like Traveling Riverside, I Can't Quit You, Since I've Been Loving You, You Shook Me, etc. It would not be fair to compare any Rock band to Led Zepplin (except the Beatles, etc.) in terms of their greatness and musical influence but it's good to see that Rock and Roll is alive and well in America!

It's good to see guys like this do well. The Black Keys paid their dues for years and, unlike popular acts like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, etc., these guys are not a marketing creation. The drummer is also a trip. He's insane (oh, wait that's all drummers I'm thinking about) and a perfect fit for the loose nature of the BK's sound. Dan A's excellent musicianship is very understated but his voice and guitar chops are undeniable.

PSB Guy · « **Reply #7 on:** 9 May 2011, 06:42 pm »

Quote from: jackman on 9 May 2011, 04:50 pm

Hey, I know these guys have been around for a while and I've liked their music but the latest album kicks butt. I love their sound and, although I'm a White Stripes fan, these guys make me forget the White Stripes ever existed. They are (IMHO) one million times better than the White Stripes.

Dan Auerbach has one of the best voices in Rock and the BK's sound is raw and insanely cool. Here is a great version of Sinister Kid from youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvl-pmclfNk

Okay, I could hot resist, here is the big hit from the same album, performed in a studio. Akron, OH's favorite sons...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9c4hmgThag&feature=related

Oh, forgot to mention. They are not a two piece band on some of the new stuff, they have a bass player and a keyboard player. The sound is fuller but there is lots of their great 2 piece stuff out there.

Totally agree. I just discovered them myself a few months ago. It's nice to see a band with chops like this nowadays, a breath of fresh air. The Big Come Up, their first, is fast becoming one of my favorite albums.

Cornelis

brother love · « **Reply #8 on:** 9 May 2011, 06:54 pm »

I really enjoy this dynamic duo! I own Rubber Factory, Attack & Release, Brothers. They all get heavy rotation in my CD players (although some of their tunes are getting wore out in TV commercials these days).

I just checked my local used disc store this past weekend looking for some of their other releases to scarf up. No luck.

I got to part ways w/ you on this comment though ...

Quote from: jackman on 9 May 2011, 04:50 pm

I love their sound and, although I'm a White Stripes fan, these guys make me forget the White Stripes ever existed. They are (IMHO) one million times better than the White Stripes.

I still like the White Stripes better. Jack White is THE man in my book. So sorry they disbanded recently.

JoshK · « **Reply #9 on:** 9 May 2011, 07:08 pm »

i dig the distortion! but then i am a child of distortion.

i don't care much for the second song (the hit), its not really my cup of tea, but i like the rest.

i still prefer the earlier white stripes to any bk, but some of the bk's stuff is close.

sts9fan · « **Reply #10 on:** 9 May 2011, 07:11 pm »

I want MORE distortion!!!! I like it dirty and distorted!
Stick to pre A&R and you are all set. I am not really jazzed with what Dangermouse did to their sound. That said I like Brothers better then A&R.

rockadanny · « **Reply #11 on:** 9 May 2011, 07:18 pm »

sts9fan - if it is distortion you seek of a raw, electric, bluesy kind performed by two person band then check out this CD ...

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Roots-Bassholes/dp/B000001Z3X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1304968521&sr=8-2

jackman · « **Reply #12 on:** 9 May 2011, 07:23 pm »

I can understand the love for the WS's. These guys have a different sound, but it's good to see Dan playing the Supro Airline guitar just like Jack White is known to play.

Even though the vintage market has gone crazy, there was a time not long ago when you could still pick one of these up pretty cheap. They are creaping up in value ($2k or so for a good one) and I'm disappointed because I passed on some nice ones for next to nothing. All the buttons, plastic body, crazy bridges, etc. They are goofier than Dano's but in the hands of cool guitarists like JW and DA, they are somehow cool.

I'm also glad the BK's are no longer exclusively a two piece band. The bass and keyboards let Dan focus on guitar melody and the songs are more complete as a result. When they played Chicago, they did whole band songs and then kicked the rest of the band off stage for some 2 piece rawness. Cool stuff.

baumer · « **Reply #13 on:** 9 May 2011, 07:50 pm »

With the demise of one of my favorite bands, the Flat Duo Jets, many years ago, I'd been walking around in a haze. The gritty, raw, dirty sound of my fav. two-piece was not to be replaced by anything. I felt a deep loneliness that could only be cured by 20 year-old scotch, thai food and French film noir.

As if a ray of sunshine had been sent from above I discovered the Black Keys a few years ago. It was "Thickfreakness" that brought me back from the edge. The smoky, bluesy grit was back in a big way.

I've now been known to fart rainbows

nonoise · « **Reply #14 on:** 9 May 2011, 08:11 pm »

Can't get enough of them either. Caught on to them about 2 months ago with their release
'Brothers'. What a CD. At first I thought there was very limited headroom in the recording
but as my system opened up (still relatively new: cables new as well) I realized it was just
lots of distortion from that Delta, bluesy tradition that I grew up with as a kid. Throw in some
Tom Waits, Allman Bros., and anyone else you care to name and the end result is best rock CD of the year, IMO. They simply rock like no other. As much as I liked the White Stripes, I couldn't take too much of them. The Black Keys I can listen to all day, every day.

nullspace · « **Reply #15 on:** 9 May 2011, 08:15 pm »

Quote from: sts9fan on 9 May 2011, 07:11 pm

Stick to pre A&R and you are all set. I am not really jazzed with what Dangermouse did to their sound. That said I like Brothers better then A&R.

I'll admit to lacking discernment and being a bit of a homer -- they could crap in a jewel case and I'd still pay $12 for it...

That said, Attack & Relase plus their subsequent solo efforts definitely mark a bit of change in direction. I like Brothers quite a bit, but I like their album of Junior Kimbrough covers, Chulahoma, probably best of all their albums.

I'll also add that, all in all, Dangermouse didn't really drag the Black Keys that far afield. Not like Owen Morris did for the hometown band, Marah. 'Float Away With the Friday Night Gods' isn't even recognizable as the Bielanko brothers...

JoshK · « **Reply #16 on:** 9 May 2011, 08:19 pm »

you guys might also check out north mississippi allstars. similar dirty blues rock. but as always a bit different.

jackman · « **Reply #17 on:** 9 May 2011, 09:52 pm »

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm looking forward to checking some of this stuff out. Couldn't put my finger on what I liked best about the Black Keys and it occured to me...these guys bust out the Funk! They are funkier some of the other 2 piece bands in the past. Looking forward to checking out some of their obscure stuff.

Cheers,

J

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 May 2011, 06:17 am »

Hey...Jack...try this...

Moreland & Arbuckle - "Flood"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzThMhqyUWM

Matty_J · « **Reply #19 on:** 10 May 2011, 11:52 pm »

Do they have a heavier sounding album compared to the rest? I don't own anything yet, but have liked what I've heard...