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From the blue collar town of Akron, OH The Black Keys have returned with their eighth studio set titled Turn Blue. The follow up to 2011's El Camino finds the blues rock duo continuing to strictly adhere to their raw and grimy blend of blues and indie rhythms that have made them a hot commodity as of late, and ensures that they remain at the top of the music heap where they squarely belong.
We kick things off with "Weight of Love", a nearly 7 minute long opus that finds frontman Dan Auerbach and drummer Pat Carney clearly focused and ready to drudge ahead with a strong classic rock influence permeating the outset of the song and features delicately placed melodies throughout that coincide well with Dan's organically laced vocals. The title track provides some delectable melodies conjured up by producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse who helmed the last 4 Black Keys efforts including this one and is also a successful musician in his own right with Broken Bells featuring James Mercer of The Shins. The first single "Fever" is my favorite track off the album, a frenetic listening experience coupled with the band's signature blues element maimed all throughout and hearing Dan's familiar vocal refrain working its way through the tunnels of the song brings about a remarkable feeling of comfort and warmth, knowing you're going to get a quality and thorough listening experience as a the result of it. "Bullet In The Brain" is a more downtempo number than the other musical creations, but still packs a powerful punch nonetheless and gets us ready for the second half of the effort with great fervor and anticipation.
The second half charges out of the gate with "It's Up To You Now", featuring some outstanding drum work from Pat that will leave you totally floored and speechless, and seeing how it sounds stacked upon layer after layer of instrumentation leads to one of the most impressively constructed tunes laid out on the disc. "Waiting On Words" is another exemplary effort that really signifies the deep musical bond between Dan and Pat that is manifesting itself and blossoming even deeper right before our very eyes into something purely magical and transcendent. We finish up the final two tracks on the disc with "In Our Prime", a piano laced effort that really nails it and hits it right out of the park with thoughtful musical precision setting the stage for the final track, "Gotta Get Away" a supremely and impeccably produced effort has an extremely consistent melody all the way throughout and is flawless in terms of its effect on the listener and the ability it possesses to wrap the whole album up neatly and succinctly. The Black Keys have never ceased to amaze me with each album they put out and their flawless and electric musical presence have left me constantly gasping for air as I can't seem to contain myself and ask the question, "How can music be this good?"
All in all, a supreme and delectable musical effort from the Black Keys, a band who are clearly in their prime and have no reason to improve upon from their last effort because it's just as good and are one of the premiere acts in music today.
Score: 4.5/5
Track Listing:
Weight of Love
In Time
Turn Blue
Fever
Year In Review
Bullet In The Brain
It's Up To You Now
Waiting on Words
10 Lovers
In Our Prime
Gotta Get Away