Kategorie: CD-Reviews | Genre: Alternative/Indie | Heft: Jahrgang 2014, eclipsed Nr. 161 / 6-2014 | VÖ-Jahr: 2014 | Wertung: 8/10 | Label: Nonesuch | Autor: SaS
Anyone who claims that The Black Keys are a blues rock duo did not understand the concept behind the project. Yes, the songs of Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach are based on blues riffs, but what they do with them is on a different page. In general: To speak of a duo is also not quite correct. For the fifth time, producer guru Danger Mouse sits at the controls and is at least jointly responsible for the fact that the band's sound has developed from the gritty underground blues rock of the early albums to what now seems to be close to perfection on "Turn Blue": blues-based rock music that doesn't set any limits and sounds incredibly contemporary. This is proven by the outstanding seven-minute opener "Weight Of Love", on which the band even sounds a bit like Pink Floyd: spherical, but on a solid foundation. For the listener this is a memorable introduction to the colourful universe of "Turn Blue" and at the same time an invitation to dive into an album that oscillates between the familiar and the surprising. "In Our Prime", for example, actually sounds like a new upscale treasure of the Beatles. A track like "Year In Review" has a lot of the breathless indie rock of the Foo Fighters. The pre-release single "Fever" combines catchy blues rock with softly applied modern electronics and perhaps best demonstrates how the creative balance between Black Keys and Danger Mouse is balanced: The right dose of everything at the right time. You may be a little annoyed by the duo's media overpresence, whose faces you almost dream of as a music magazine reader at night. But you just have to admit after enjoying Turn Blue: The hype is justified!
Top track: Weight Of Love
