The Black Keys – Turn Blue
4/5
Once again, The Black Keys are back with their raw, rock-duo sound.
Unlike their previous releases, Turn Blue starts off slow, with the powerful tune “Weight of Love”, featuring an explosive guitar solo by Dan Auerbach. This 7-minute track sets the tone for the rest of the album, with a heavy psychedelic rock influence and subtle, background hints of electronica (this probably has something to do with Danger Mouse producing the album).
It is definitely a refreshing spin on traditional Black Keys, showing they are still capable of making solid rock tunes without their staple style of lo-fi garage rock.
Auerbach admitted that the album was not intended for radio play, and favoured heavily toward personal sound systems and “headphone play” (make sure to give it a try, or else you’ll miss layers of music and sound that expand the album even further). As well, the album was written during Auerbach’s divorce, bringing a more emotional and personal aspect to the recordings.
The album is different – “good” different. Listen to it in full here.
