The Black Keys are one of my favorite bands, and they just hooked up with uber-producer Dangermouse and put out a critically acclaimed new album. And the general ommentary is entirely correct: Dangermouse has deepened the band's sound and a fuller and cleaner presentation. There's more layers to the music now, and the album is by far the best-produced and best sounding album they have put out by far. It's their most varied and richest work.
It's also their worst album.
nothing against Dangermouse, who is really good at what he does. Hell, he's so talented he made the Gorillaz BETTER. He's earned every bit of his reputation, and he did what he does on this album.
It misses the whole point. The Black Keys are great because they make urgent, violent, and snesual blues songs. Their albums sound like they were recorded on an eight-track in the basemement of a tire warehouse. Their music is dirty, ugly, and urgent. That's what makes it good. Pretty-ing up the sound and adding all of these cool instruments misses the point.
Some great music isn't supposed to be pretty. It grabs you by the throat and shakes you until you stand up and dance or sing along. I like the idea of moving in new directions, but do you know how hard it is to find a good blues rock album that's actually fun?
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