Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: The Black Keys
Little Black Submarines
From: El Camino
Released: December 6
What can I say about the Black Keys that hasn't been said already? After slumming it in clubs and putting out records on tiny labels for years, they finally saw their fan base grow to the point of a major label deal back in 2006. It wasn't until last year, however, when they finally hit paydirt with Brothers and its massive smash single Tighten Up. So with the release of El Camino they not only had the daunting task of following up a great record (one which I named first runner-up for Album of the Year last year), they had to follow up a very successful one.
El Camino is a fine chaser to Brothers' blues/soul punch in that it forgoes all the laid back grooves present on that record in favour of rocking out. Foo Fighters' Wasting Light is perhaps the only other recent example of a band ditching their more emotional side, putting their foot to the floor and going for maximum rock n' roll, and it suits the Black Keys as much as it did the Foos. It's short, upbeat, and consistently energetic. Ironically, the only song that comes close to a ballad on the record is also far and away the best on it; Little Black Submarines' first two minutes are tender and heartfelt. It's what happens at the halfway point that makes it so special; to put it bluntly, it kicks in and fucking destroys. It's like Stairway to Heaven's snotty little brother, half as long but just as potent. It's the song Plant and Page could have written in 1971 if Red Bull had existed.
In the long run, El Camino may not top Rubber Factory, the Black Keys' 2004 album of dirty blues that will undoubtedly go down as an all-time classic. But, by putting the pedal to the metal and churning out a healthy dose of feel-good rock, it may be the most satisfying of their catalog. And, in our instant gratification craving society, it's just the kind of record we need in 2011.
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