Here we go!  So happy that The Black Keys are back with new music.   The first taste of the new album El Camino is a loose and ragged rager called “Lonely Boy” that should be an instant classic.  I literally just listened to this song 5 times in a row.  That guitar riff is so simple, yet so genius, and you’ve gotta love that Danger Mouse production!   Also worth mentioning are the sick dance moves.  Enjoy: continue reading...

The Black Keys have been on fire this year.  A huge album, wacky music videos, songs in commercials… They have been everywhere and they keep things rolling with their latest video for the song “Howlin’ For You”.  continue reading...

The Black Keys have always been essentially a 2-piece band, with guitar and drums being the main instruments.  As the band has grown in both popularity and sound they’ve collaborated and incorporated additional musicians and instruments both into their recorded music and their live peformance.  Of course a Black Keys live show wouldn’t be what it is without a strong focus on the band as a twosome, but it does seem that they’re moving towards a fuller and more fleshed out sound.  This is definitely not a bad thing as their music continues to be as strong as ever, but it does (and will) diminish the full on raw power that used to be their entire live show.  For an idea of what I’m talking about check out this 2005 performance of “10am Automatic” from the Rubber Factory album.  A classic tune from one of the best bands making music today: continue reading...

Interesting to see the band perform with a fully fleshed out sound as opposed to the usual 2-piece setup.  I like it.  The new album Brothers by The Black Keys is available now and its fantastic.  Check out the band performing “Tighten Up”, whistling and all, continue reading...

What a great video.  Lip syncing dinosaur puppet? Check… Hot babes in Bikini’s? Check… Aforementioned hot babes fighting in a pool/hot tub?  Check.    Not to mention the hilarious side scrolling text that simultaneously rips into the music industry and fights for your attention away from the half naked girls.  This one might require a second viewing.   Long live The Black Keys, these guys can do no wrong: continue reading...

Along with The National and The Arcade Fire, the new album from The Black Keys is one of my most anticipated new albums of 2010.  The first tune to hit the web is the Danger Mouse produced “Tighten Up” and its a good one.  Check out the link to the bands website for a listen and read more about tour dates and the tracklist for Brothers below: continue reading...

Dan Auerbach—best known as half of The Black Keys—will embark on a winter tour beginning November 5 in Columbus, OH. The tour, which includes shows at New York City’s Webster Hall, Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom and Philadelphia’s Theater of the Living Arts, arrives on the heels of Auerbach’s critically acclaimed solo debut Keep It Hid, recently released on Nonesuch. The album received wide praise from The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Opening for Auerbach on the fall dates are Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lea Mayfield. Please see below for tour details.

Keep It Hid was produced and engineered by Auerbach at his studio Akron Analog and features him playing a variety of instruments, including drums, guitar, percussion, and keyboards. Many of Auerbach’s friends and family play on the album, including his uncle James Quine, who contributes vocal harmony and electric guitar on the track “Street Walkin.” Other musicians include Jessica Lea Mayfield, who sings on the track “When the Night Comes,” and Bob Cesare, who plays drums on “Whispered Words,” a song originally written by Auerbach’s father. Of the recording process Auerbach states, “I wanted a live, organic sound. Nothing was too plotted or planned, just a lot of spontaneity.” The record was mixed by Auerbach’s good friend Mark Neill at Neill’s Soil of the South studio. continue reading...

Here’s a cool article from RollingStone.com detailing the Black Key’s recent studio experience with producer Danger Mouse:

Suma studios in rural northeast Ohio has an amazing history: In its 1970s heyday, it was the birthplace of both Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” and Pere Ubu’s Dub Housing. More recently, Akron locals the Black Keys settled down there with Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse — the first outside producer that the avant-blues duo has ever worked with. continue reading...