The Black Keys - Attack And Release

The Black Keys fall flat to expectations. Although favorably compared to The White Stripes, the blues-rock duo lacks the grab-you-by-the-throat dynamism of Jack and Meg. Their latest effort, Attack & Release (Nonesuch Records), is gritty yet reminiscent of the smooth grooves of the late sixties and early seventies. It’s got all the makings of a good album, but never pushes beyond the status quo. The result is that The Black Keys are garnering a following that would be better served by listening to The White Stripes and Jimi Hendrix.

Undoubtedly, part of the hype surrounding Attack & Release is a side effect of Danger Mouse having produced it. Danger Mouse, (known for creating The Grey Album which is a remix of The Beatles’ The White Album and Jay-Z’s The Black Album) who formed and produced Gnarls Barkley, adds an atmospheric layer atop The Black Keys’ songs. While the Keys’ previous albums were unashamedly lo-fi, Attack & Release feels more commercial. This could be the handiwork of Danger Mouse, but it may also be because it was their first studio album.

Yet another bit of hype is that a wife beater had a mysterious involvement with the band. Apparently, Ike Turner had recorded some of the songs for The Black Keys before passing away last year. Reports are unclear as to the extent of his influence on the final outcome of the album.

As such, The Black Keys are garnering a following built on big names instead of on actual substance. Fans would be better served by listening to The White Stripes and Jimi Hendrix than the Keys’ forgettable mix of the two on Attack & Release. Mind you, forgettable doesn’t mean bad. It means the album never really breaks the mold to become great, which in today’s over-saturated media-world is a necessity if the band wants to make its mark.

Attack & Release is a balanced mix of rocking vocals over raw guitars and sweet lyrics crooned over haunting melodies. The obvious example of this is the disparity between Side A and Side B of “Remember When,” in the middle of the album. “Remember When (Side A)” sounds like it was made in the basement of your favorite indie rocker. Its lo-fi disposition features melancholy, drawn-out vocals over wobbly instrumentals and bolts-from-the-blue notes. “Remember When (Side B)” is the stark opposite. Dan Auerbach’s vocals command attention as he sings over loud, stop-and-start guitar and percussion.

On the heavy side of the album, there are the songs “I Got Mine,” “Strange Times,” and “Oceans & Streams.” And on the softer side, there are the songs “All You Ever Wanted,” “Psychotic Girl,” “Lies,” “So He Won’t Break,” and “Things Ain’t Like They Used to Be.” “Same Old Things” seems somewhere in between. If this were a record or a double album, the songs could be divided to demonstrate the diversity of The Black Keys’ sound and to capture a certain feeling for the listener, perhaps yielding a stronger album. Instead, the anthem-like clapping on “Strange Times” gives way to Patrick Carney’s lackadaisical percussion on “Psychotic Girl,” so on and so forth, so the listener jumps from one mediocre song to the next.

The album ends with “Things Aint’ Like They Used to Be,” which sounds just like The Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down.” Unfortunately, Attack & Release let me down because it wasn’t unique.