El Camino
Artist: The Black Keys
Label: Nonesuch Records
Website: theblackkeys.com
Fun,
catchy and rowdy
El Camino is the seventh studio
album from The Black Keys and it is a true upward tempo shift after
last year's excellent but more refined Brothers [2010]. The record is
considerably shorter at 38 minutes and packs a wallop of a rock punch
on all 11 tracks with its classic 70's sound, hand claps, supporting
back up singers and talk box guitar attacks.
Basically,
El
Camino is the really fun sibling that everyone always wants to
hang out with in The Black Keys catalogue as they admittedly wanted to
make a record that played big. Right from the first single and lead off
track "Lonely Boy", you know the pedal is to the floor and the giant
stadium tunes are prepped.
"Gold On The Ceiling" is made for sing-a-longs,
while the soft two minute opening on "Little Black Submarines" sounds
like a modern Led Zeppelin, as the song's final two minutes finishes
off in grandiose fashion with its boisterous speaker filling riffs. El Camino finds producer Danger
Mouse behind the boards again and this go around, his sonic tightness
impacts every track in a good way.
I am fairly certain that just about every track here could eventually find its way to the radio next year so get ready because even though El Camino does not have the sophistication of Brothers it is still a damn good ride to the end and easily one of the most rocking records in The Black Keys' catalogue.
Christopher Anthony
For more of Christopher Anthony's music reviews, check out The Fire Note