Gold On The Ceiling
The Black Keys

Gold on the Ceiling - the Black Keys

Though they’ve been popping up here and there to perform at festivals, rock/blues band The Black Keys have reemerged from obscurity with a new single in one hand and their subsequent seventh album in the other. From the sounds of the single alone, it seems like it’s their best one yet. 

Drummer Patrick Carney has described the album as “a Wheat Thin, a Triscuit, and a tiny bit of a saltine,” rather than compare it to other artists. The Black Keys still retain their unrivaled blues rock sound. After listening to it this past week, I can definitely taste the saltine aspect of it. It’s more of a retro feel to it in comparison to their other albums. Adding the saltine was the perfect touch. From what I’ve gathered, the album is essentially about time wasted on a lover. Maybe it’s juvenile, but hear me out - it’s tastefully done.

The first single off of El Camino, “Lonely Boy,” was released on October 26, 2011. The way I imagine it, I see it being used in an intense beach volleyball scene in a movie. This is one of the better ex-girlfriend bad-mouthing songs I’ve heard (cough “Much Better” by the Jonas Brothers). It echoes the sounds of The Clash. The drumming is reminiscent of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There.” It’s easily the best song to dance to on the album - I think we all know this from the YouTube ads for the album.

“Mind Eraser” sound a bit like something that you’d find on a Foreigner album. The Black Keys definitely have the upper hand when it comes to music that appeals to any age group though. My favorite on the album is definitely “Gold On The Ceiling,” which they performed on SNL. The main riff is ridiculous - simple but hauntingly memorable.

I must admit that at times, it sounds like they’re trying a little too hard to be retro. When I first began listening to it, a number of songs sounded like each other, which is never a good thing. But this wasn’t an issue anymore after I listened to it a bit more.

I had the privilege of seeing them co-headline at Atlanta’s resurrected music festival Music Midtown back in September, and all I can do is commend them. The duo stole the show with the combination of their great energy with their infectious tunes; it made for an amazing set. I’m eagerly awaiting for them to tour with this album.

-Bianca Shamim