The Best Song From Every Black Keys Album

The Black Keys have delivered many incendiary tracks in a profession spanning greater than twenty years.

Singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney emerged from Akron, Ohio shortly after the flip of the millennium, proudly sporting their influences on their sleeves.

By mixing of traditional rock, storage rock and blues, the Black Keys created a particular model all their very own. The duo initially toiled in lo-fi DIY world, recording in basements, deserted factories and wherever else they may discover. After paying their dues, nonetheless, the Black Keys reached mainstream success. Grammy Awards, platinum albums and sold-out excursions would observe, but their uncooked, blue-collar ethos remained.

Below, we’ve chosen the perfect tune from every of their albums.

‘The Big Come Up’ (2002): “The Breaks”
Debut albums are usually uncooked, particularly self-produced, dwelling studio-recorded releases like The Big Come Up. Of course, a lo-fi, DIY model was excellent for the Black Keys’ model of blues rock. The materials on The Big Come Up was sparse, and lacked the plush instrumental layers of the group’s later work. From day one, nonetheless, the weather for fulfillment had been there: particularly Auerbach’s soulful, wailing voice, blistering guitar riffs, and Carney’s forceful backbeat. “The Breaks” provided a glimpse at issues to return, with a catchy blues guitar line alternating between cool swagger and emphatic noise.

‘Thickfreakness’ (2003): “Hard Row”
A easy however efficient guitar development powered “Hard Row,” the standout observe from the Black Keys’ sophomore LP. You might hear the duo getting extra comfy of their musical pores and skin on Thickfreakness: The vocals had been crisper, the guitar bolder, the drums louder, but all with out shedding that unfiltered power of their debut effort. “Hard Row” exemplified that evolution, one way or the other conjuring vibes of Nirvana and ZZ Top on the identical time.

‘Rubber Factory’ (2004): “Girl Is on My Mind”
This tune begins with a wailing blues guitar line, earlier than drums and vocals kick in. Like lots of the Black Keys’ biggest tracks, “Girl Is on My Mind” feels prefer it might have been launched 40 years previous to its recording. There the essence of Jimi Hendrix inside its riffs, whereas the tune’s tone – together with Auerbach’s vocals – harken to early works of the Doors.

‘Magic Potion’ (2006): “Strange Desire”
“Strange Desire” begins with an otherworldly guitar howl earlier than rocking into the rhythmic chug of its opening verse. Auerbach’s vocals on the observe are robust, however his guitar work really steals the present. The riffs echo, twist and switch all through. At occasions, they rigorously plod by means of humble progressions; at others, they explode with frenetic power.

‘Attack & Release’ (2008): “I Got Mine”
This was a transitional album for the Black Keys, a turning level the place they started to graduate from lovable indie band to potent rock drive. So it’s acceptable {that a} tune about rising up stands because the strongest observe on Attack & Release. “I was a movin’ man in my younger days / But I’ve grown out of my ramblin’ ways,” Auerbach sings on the tune’s opening strains, his vocals exhibiting the durability of a rock veteran. With its earworm refrain and emphatic guitar, “I Got Mine” foreshadowed the large mainstream success that was proper across the nook.

‘Blakroc’ (2009): “Hard Times”
Quibble if you wish to about whether or not Blakroc belongs within the Black Keys official discography. The album was a collaboration between the band and Roc-a-Fella co-founder Damon Dash. Special friends included a variety of hip-hop heavyweights like Mos Def, Q-Tip, Ludacris and members of Wu-Tang Clan. The end result was a daring mixing of genres, and on some tracks the experiment labored much better than others. The crown jewel was “Hard Times,” that includes NOE. The Baltimore rapper dealt with the verses over an engrossing instrumental groove, whereas Auerbach sang the refrain.

‘Brothers’ (2010): “Next Girl”
The Black Keys’ massively profitable 2010 album Brothers overflowed with unbelievable materials. “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You” had been the mainstream hits, however deeper cuts – just like the romantic “Everlasting Light” and the psychedelic instrumental “Black Mud” – confirmed depth past its radio-friendly tracks. Still, “Next Girl” is our favourite, a soulful, swaggering declaration about studying from earlier relationship failures.

‘El Camino’ (2011): “Little Black Submarines”
Has any tune begun as a comfortable, acoustic people tune then exploded right into a blues-rock hurricane? Well, sure. Most notably, “Stairway to Heaven.” So when the Black Keys delivered “Little Black Submarines,” the Led Zeppelin comparisons naturally adopted. Still, this single is greater than robust sufficient to face exterior of any traditional tune’s shadow. Its first half is delicate and weak, serves as a musical Trojan horse. Listeners get lulled into believing “Little Black Submarines” is among the band’s mellow tracks, solely to have the tune burst into rock glory shortly after the two-minute mark. This yin and yang dynamic makes “Little Black Submarines” one of the pleasurable songs within the Black Keys’ arsenal.

‘Turn Blue’ (2014): “Fever”
Coming off the energy of two multi-platinum albums, the Black Keysand frequent producer Danger Mouse regarded to broaden their musical spectrum. Naturally, the blues nonetheless stayed at their core, however the group stretched into soul and psychedelic on Turn Blue, evident on the lead single “Fever.” A cool synth hook and funky bass line wrap across the Black Keys’ conventional guitar and drums sound, including additional depth. Its closing 30 seconds, through which all of the musical components carry the tune to an in depth, presents one of many Black Keys’ trippier moments.

‘Let’s Rock’ (2019): “Shine a Little Light”
The Black Keys had been decided to get again to meat-and-potatoes guitar rock on their ninth studio LP, so maybe it was by design that “Shine a Little Light” was chosen because the opener. A 40-second intro of hovering guitar begins the observe, earlier than Auerbach begins together with his customary soulful croon. Backing singers add some beautiful interaction to his vocals, earlier than the depth is ratcheted up as soon as once more through the tune’s emphatic refrain.

‘Delta Kream’ (2021): “Crawling Kingsnake”
The Black Keys celebrated hill-country blues with this all-covers launch. The gem of Delta Kream is “Crawling Kingsnake,” a tune first recorded in the 1940s whose origins go back to the ‘20s. That a modern band could deliver a faithful new version of a roughly-100 year old tune is impressive, yet unsurprising considering the Black Keys’ resume.

‘Dropout Boogie’ (2022): “It Ain’t Over”
After 11 albums and decades together, the Black Keys proved time hadn’t eroded their funky swagger with Dropout Boogie. “It Ain’t Over” bounces along to a sultry beat, opening up to a broader sound on the chorus. “No one else for you to blame / But when you play that losing game / It ain’t over,” Auerbach belts out on the chorus, his vocals buoyed by luscious backing-singer harmonies. Soulful and emotive, but still rocking at the same time, the tune again encapsulates the balance that makes the Black Keys such an enjoyable act.