(label)
11 September 2006 (released)
20 September 2006
Four years ago now, The Black Keys lifted the music world - without much plugging I might add ' releasing 'The Big Come Up’. Gritty, dirty blues guitar rocked along with heavy drums, grainy vocals and divine riffs. This presented the two ' Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney ' with a fantastic opportunity to share their blend of rock and blues with a discerning audience, and that they did, releasing the addictive 'Thickfreakness’ and excellent 'Rubber Factory’.
Their first sounds were recorded in their basement as the two 'horticultural technicians’ sought to find a raw no frills record. After all, there are only two of them, and their blend of blues influences such as Junior Kimbrough (who they covered and acknowledged with their recent 'Chulahoma’ EP), and the R L Burnside’s of this world call for the purist approach. And it is presumably with this hope in mind that they have gone down their stairs again and returned to the basement for the fourth full-length album 'Magic Potion’.
From the opener 'Just Got to Be’, which starts with a meaty guitar riff with enough substance to get your foot tapping and forget about the credit card bill, through to the final slower and more deliberate 'Elevator’, this album has enough rock in it to keep The Priory busy for the next century.
It’s nice to see that the two guys have gone back to this 'basement’ sound with a resounding success. Often, such as in life, people and bands find that they’ve moved slightly away from where they were going in the first place and they return with mixed fortune. The Black Keys however have ridden Fortuna’s wheel and landed firmly on their feet finding the earthy organic sound they started with.
The success is in the simplicity. Every element to the LP is well done, well made and, well, um really good. There’s a lovely recipe to their Magic Potion - 'You’re touch’ is a sure fire single and the rest of the album ebbs and flows from thickish blues to more deliberate ballads, such as 'Modern Times’ and 'You’re the One’.
Quite frankly, if you don’t appreciate their return to the basement then fair enough, but if you don’t like this album then you’ve got some serious problems and I’m not sure anyone will be able to help you. This is what a two-piece is all about. It’s also what rock music’s all about.
