The Black Keys seemed to be in the shadow of the White Stripes for years but never deserved this classification. They have instead created their own unique brand of crossroads blues infused rock that really can’t be categorized because of its numerous influences, and that’s what makes them so special. After perfecting their sound on four previous albums, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney seemed to hit a creative roadblock and needed to find new creative paths. As a result they teamed up with Danger Mouse from Gnarls Barkley to do collaboration with Ike Turner but Turner passed away. Nevertheless, the sessions continued and eventually transformed into Attack & Release.
The pairing of the Black Keys and Danger Mouse became the foundation for the band’s most experimental and ambitious album to date. Pianos, flutes, banjos, and numerous other instruments create many unique psychedelic and folk sounds. Overall the entire album’s mood is pitch black and stoic, but each track features Danger Mouse’s touch and his subtle yet pronounced additions add new layers to the Key’s sound. For example the Jethro Tull like flutes and feedback on “Same Old Thing” become a polar opposite to the cold indifferent lyrics. The same tension is present on “So He Won’t Break,” with its upbeat xylophone and weary lyrics. On “Lies” longtime Tom Waits and Elvis Costello guitarist Marc Ribot lends his skills to the beautiful 6/8 ballad. In “Psychotic Girl” and “I Got Mine” contain multiple layers of folk, rock and psychedelic guitars and organs that add whole new dimension of sound to Carney’s drums and Auerbach’s guitar. The eerie and other worldly melodies, subtly tweaked by Danger Mouse’s hand, on “All You Ever Wanted” take the love lost themes of the track to another plateau, and the song’s unexpected organ conclusion ambushes the listener like mugger in the alley. The reverb coated “Remember When Side A” concludes the Key’s new and alien sounds present on the album.
However, fans of the previous albums shouldn’t fear. There is still plenty of Auerbach’s signature fuzzy guitar riffs and Carney’s loose freewheeling drumming. “Remember When Side B” and “Strange Times” both bring back memories of the raw power featured in records such as Rubber Factory and Thickfreaknesses, but overall the new aliens most definitely outweigh the familiar tones of their past.
The album closes with the downtrodden and despairing “Things Ain’t Like They Used to Be.” The track’s hypnotic melodies mixed with teenage protégé Jessica Mayfield’s voice echoing in the background create a picture of love lost and the lament that follows such an occurrence. In the end, the only flaw plaguing Attack & Release is it overbearing stoic nature that never seems to let up. On the other hand, the pairing of Danger Mouse and the Black Keys only scratched the surface of its potential, and if this effort is only the surface, what lies beneath the tip of iceberg is a mystery that many would like to solve.
