Okay, let me just say that I know I haven't written anything on this site for literally a year but my love of music is BACK!!!!
A good album not only helps you appreciate music and contemplate life and sound but it also makes you realize that you have been neglecting MUSIC! For me the wake up call came over the holidays when I picked up the latest Black Keys album El Camino for my husband as a Christmas Gift. We have been Black Keys fans for years since their early gritty blues stuff through their new transformation with a little polish and final mixing and production by Danger Mouse.
I remember laying in bed one lazy day listening to an interview on NPR with the Black Keys. The interviewer said "how do you get that gritty blues sound?" and the response was this: "we turn the amp all the way up."
From their tribute Chulahoma to Junior Kimbrough to their Big Come up, the Black Keys are what modern blues is all about. They have great licks, great lyrics and are so gosh darn catchy! The latest album is certainly no exception.
At first listen their 70's throwback of "Sister" will grab you and have you tapping your foot to the beat but as you listen through a second, third and fourth time you will begin to connect with all of their songs. One of my favorites is a quieter number that has a traditional rock ending: Black Submarines. It is a mellower piece with a tambourine and gentle lyrics and then at the end a big electric guitar comes smashing onto the scene with chunky chords and a sparkly finish. And Gold on the Ceiling is another wonderful infectious tune that makes you want to dance even if you don't know how.
Several years ago I had the opportunity to hear the Black Keys in concert and they were totally awesome. It was the basement bar here in Bellingham with awesome acoustics. They rocked the place and filled it with an energy that only two guys with a bunch of electronic equipment can do.
So, if you are needing inspiration, if you need to be reminded how much music matters or how important music is to your livelihood, check out El Camino, you won't be let down (except perhaps by the art work of ironically a bunch of minivans, hmmmmm.)
