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Recently there seems to have been something of a rennaissance of blues in the musical mainstream. Bands such as 'The White Stripes' seem to have unconciously used their popularity to pave the way for a whole host of other 'alternative' bands to leave their mark. And 'The Black Keys', a blues-rock two-piece band from Ohio, may be leaving a rather large mark indeed.
'Thickfreakness' is the band's second album: a compelling follow-up to their raunchy debut, 'The Big Come Up'. Launching into a rough, dirty barrage of sound with the opening title track, before moving swiftly on to one of the album's highlights, the shoe-tappingly good 'Hard Row'. Generally speaking, I'm not much of a fan of blues music in general. More as a result of lack of exposure as opposed to anything else. But 'The Black Keys' seem to be succeeding in not only increasing my interests in their albums and their approach, but also to blues as a genre in itself. The music of 'The Black Keys' is not only characteristically similar to the blues that many of us may have heard on the occasional chewing gum advert or television show... but it seems to innovate on the form. They play blues-rock. but these guys play it very, very well. The band is composed of two male members. Dan Auerbach, who is responsible for guitar and vocals (with lyrics co-written by him and his father, a fellow musical enthusiast). While Patrick Carney is the man beating the drums, while also being at the helm of the recordings in the producer's chair. Carney has used his own patented method of recording for 'The Black Keys' second album; interestingly entitled 'Medium Fidelity'. The recording technique not only enhances the sound of the track, along with the mood and tone of the album. But also creates the impression that the album is far older than it actually is. Released in 2003, 'Thickfreakness' sounds like a genuine LP from the days when blues was virtually mainstream. 'Medium Fidelity', along with the riff-saturated catchy tunes and the steady, head-noddingly good percussion, make 'Thickfreakness' a truly great listen. 'The Black Keys' shall almost certainly soon be featuring on all manner of magazines and music channels. They are a band to look out for. A modest basement band who produce fascinating, catchy, rich and textured music. How would I describe 'Thickfreakness' in a sentence? A confident, stomping, swaggering, stripped-down rock album with a heavy, gritty, punky, riff-heavy and immensely enjoyable blues vibe. You may not have heard of 'The Black Keys' just yet. But I promise you, you soon will... Buy this album, and their explosive debut, 'The Big Come Up', and you'll see exactly what I mean. As Dan growls on the track, 'If You See Me': "If you see me coming, open up the door." Follow his instruction, and I can assure you that you won't be disappointed... Useful Linkage: http://www.theblackkeys.com/...
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