Attack is most original Keys album yet

By Joel Schafer

Published April 15, 2008

There is a common trend amongst lo-fi, blues-rock duos: release several albums of uncompromising riff rock, and then expand your blues sound to different mediums in a quest to become more “artsy.” The Black Keys, like another well-known duo (who are clad in red and white), decided it was time to embellish their sound. Rather than make pretentious songs inspired by Irish jigs and Spanish conquests, guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney decided to move out of the basement, throw out the 4-tracks and hire some help.

From the moment a dignified, lovesick organ helps crescendo album opener “All You Ever Wanted,” it’s easy to tell something is different on Attack & Release. Is that? No it can’t be ... high-end production? Not just high-end production, actually, but Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley) took on producing responsibilities, which is always of paramount quality. The partnership stems from a botched Ike Turner project (which was ceased by his untimely death) in which both The Keys and D.M. were meant to participate. The idea sounds very unnatural, but due to the amount of empty space the band has always left open in their recordings, Danger Mouse’s keyboard flourishes, random blips and bleeps and flanged waves of noise have a lot of room to be fit into.

Production aside, the band does play a little differently than they have in the past. There are fewer parts to a song, due to the focus on layering and sound textures, and a lot fewer solos. Auerbach’s singing hasn’t strayed far from past albums, but is placed further back into the mix than before and usually soaked in reverb.

The appropriately titled lead single, “Strange Times,” touts a fairly standard Black Keys intro. Carney begins with a simple one-two drum pattern and Auerbach playing a four-bar riff and accenting the spaces. Right when Auerbach sings, “Strange times are here,” in the chorus, things get a little strange. Keeping in mind the context of the lyrics (it’s called word painting, folks), D.M. takes on one of his biggest roles on the album by implementing multiple atmospheric keyboards that provide great contrast to Auerbach’s fuzz-infested guitar, which is practically inaudible during the breakdown.

The dual highlights of the album come right after the lagging “Remember When (Side B).” “Same Old Thing” is quite possibly the most interesting mix of hip-hop and blues ... well ... ever — maybe because there isn’t a whole lot more to compare it to. Touting the fattest drumming Carney has ever mustered, shimmering flutes and a gnarly (get it?) guitar line, the track doesn’t wander much, but is content with exploring the space in which it’s contained. The funk- and soul- influenced “So He Won’t Break” follows immediately, which is almost unfair since it makes the second half of the album weigh more than the first.

Rubber Factory and Thickfreakness will still stand as the twin peaks of The Black Keys’ career thus far, but Attack & Release will still hold a very special place in the discography. Even if it lacks the brute force and honesty of the aforementioned albums, the fact that the band is sincerely trying to push their music in a new direction without abandoning their blues roots (which isn’t an option for the Akron boys) shows an unexpected amount of musical integrity. The Black Keys aren’t satisfied with being stagnant, and it’s refreshing to know that those who have a passion for loud, relentless rock still have an urge to push their music forward.