El Camino
The Black Keys
Nonesuch Records
One year after their breakthrough album, Brothers, the Black Keys are back with all guns blazing on El Camino, the duo’s seventh studio album.
Chock-full of catchy guitar riffs, the new album clashes unforgettable pop choruses with heavily distorted blues-rock. In short, El Camino is everything that’s come to be expected of the Black Keys.
Instead of leaning towards a more accessible pop sound, the Keys are even more relentless.
Reintroducing a familiar sound for Black Keys fans, the album kicks off with “Lonely Boy.” The opener features a heavy-fuzz riff that will be stuck in your head for days, making it clear this album is going to be no-holds-barred rock ‘n’ roll.
“Gold On the Ceiling” is a perfect example of the album’s tone, with a confident opening groove reminiscent of David Bowie’s “The Jean Genie.” The song mashes together three or four more riffs, atop tambourines and acoustic guitars, topped off by another unforgettable chorus.
The album drops to a heavier tone with “Little Black Submarines.” The song starts off like an acoustic blues-rock song but a faint organ and drumbeat build in the background each time Dan Auerbach sings “Everybody knows/ That a broken heart is blind.” Suddenly, the song descends into a fury of music: electric riffs break out and Patrick Carney’s drums drive the song to an impressive final solo. After a dark turn, it’s right back to their roots with several tracks that seem to ooze greasy blues-rock.
While keeping with the album’s tone, there are several tracks that stand out on their own: a disjointed riff over heavy, thumping drums on “Sister” creates a dark groove, while “Run Right Back” fits its name perfectly — the song itself almost seems to be a chase scene.
“Hell of A Season” features a reggae breakdown that drops the song into slow motion as the drums become echoes and the organ sings behind Auerbach for 30 seconds. “Stop Stop” has a frantic breakbeat beneath spacey guitars highlighted by yet another catchy chorus reminiscent of Mick Jagger singing.
From start to finish, the album is a party, with plenty of clapping, chiming bells and vintage organ parts, overtop of which lie Auerbach’s multi-layered guitar riffs that still stay true to the band’s garage-rock roots. Beneath everything are Carney’s drumbeats, pushing the music along with a ferocity that even borders punk-rock at times.
