Auerbach and Carney get “psychedelic”
If you are a fan of older Black Keys albums (Rubber Factory, Attack/Release, etc.), you might not enjoy this album. If you love the direction they have been going towards the last 5 years but can’t stand their older stuff, this might be the album for you. “Weight of Love,” the opening track, opens solidly only to fall apart in the last three minutes of the seven minute track. The first three tracks are slow and have a strange sound of psychedelic soul. The album picks up with hit song “Fever” and “Year in Review.” “Year in Review” and “It’s Up To You Now” are the closest you will get to the classic Black Keys sound of a decade ago. Overall, the album is not perfect, but represents something that most Black Keys haters points out: change. The album is still an upgrade of “El Camino,” and sounds much different than the rest of their work.
RIYL: Psychedelic rock, soul, Dan Auerbach
Recommended tracks: “In Time,” “Fever,” “Year in Review,” and “It’s Up to You Now”
Written by Mason Kilpatrick on 5/29/14