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My dad would kill me if I told him that we turned down his salary for two years to synch a song to a commercial. He's been working for 40 years. He would think that we were fucking pompous idiots. So, I agree with that. -Patrick Carney |
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Photo of The Black Keys by James Carney
"After the first or second day it was very obvious we were doing something neither one of us had really done before and it was great. At the end of the day, it's easier to do stuff like that when you have great songs already written, and they're great songwriters. That was the thing, what they do is already so strong that you can mess with it a little bit and do some things a little differently because the core is already so strong," says Burton. "It is different than any of their other records for sure and a couple things we did on the record I was like, 'I hope their fans don't hate me.' But, as long as they were happy with it, which I think they were, it was a really good experience. I learned a bunch from working with them, too."
Like it? Auerbach and Carney fucking love it.
Danger Mouse
"I think this record is our best record, and it's definitely my favorite record that we've ever made. I attribute a lot of it to Brian," explains Carney. "For a band that's never worked with a producer having one in the first place was a big help, but I think it was mostly having a producer like Brian. He had no agenda. He didn't give a shit if his idea got used. He would push both of us to come up with ideas. I remember coming home from the studio every single night while we were recording on Cloud 9. I don't think I've ever felt that excited about a project I've ever worked on. He definitely made the record the most memorably music experience I've ever had."
"I think having him in the room just affects what's going on musically. He doesn't hold back any punches, and he's supremely confident in what he's doing and what he's hearing," continues Auerbach. "He cuts all the bullshit and just goes right for the jugular, and that's what we needed. I don't think we could have the classic style producer. I don't think that would work for us. He comes at it from a totally different perspective, where anything is game and there are absolutely no rules."
Ah, no rules, the Danger Mouse trademark, and exactly what makes Attack & Release such an incredible piece of work. Where past efforts have essentially been Auerbach and Carney grinding out their sound as a stripped-down duo, Burton not only plays organ, piano, keyboards and bass, he and the Keys brought in guitarist Marc Ribot and Carney's multi-instrumentalist uncle Ralph Carney (flute, clarinet, jaw harp and more), both longtime members of Tom Waits' touring band. The album also features Kent, Ohio's 18-year-old bluegrass/country singer Jessica Lea Mayfield and vocalist Carla Monday. The result is the Keys' most experimental and impressive album to date. But, what truly makes it shine is that it's still distinctly The Black Keys. Burton was able to retain their classic, dirt-under-the-fingernails, blue-collar rock & roll aesthetic but beefed it up and shot the Keys into some sort of backwoods, psychedelic juke joint that is somehow both contemporary and classic, and maybe even a touch futuristic.
The Black Keys by James Carney
Take the song "Psychotic Girl." Easily one of the best tracks on the album, we find a creepy banjo rolling underneath ghostly background vocals and eerie keyboards. "Strange Times" augments the steady beat and overdriven guitars with more wraith-like vocals floating around and big breakdowns with high-pitched keys and buckets of Carney's crashing drums. "Lies" is a desperate, elastic lament of cold love with layers of sound hanging on every twist and devious turn. Then there's "Same Old Thing" with Ralph Carney's jazz flute dancing atop doubled vocals and hypnotic beats. Every song is thick with emotion and deep with thought. The more you listen, the more you hear. Danger Mouse did his job, and so did Auerbach and Carney. They've made an album that transcends their dirty blues base but retains its soul.
Eager to tour their new batch of songs, the Keys have taken this adventurous attitude to the stage. While not trying to recreate the studio magic of Attack & Release live, they have invited Ralph Carney to a number of dates and added some toys to the backline.
"What we've been doing is slowly integrating some new things into our set-up, like we're using a Fender Rhodes and I've got this crazy late '70s drum synthesizer. It's actually eight synthesizers," laughs Carney. "It's really awesome but it was kind of designed to make sounds that sound awful like the Traveling Wilburys' tom sounds or something like that. I take it and I basically run it through a bunch of fucking effects and make it sound like an 808. I'm into it."
With the Keys beefing up their sound, adding new gear, guest musicians and working with a living legend like Danger Mouse, one wonders if maybe the duo format is limiting where they could go.
"Honestly the only drawback to being a duo is the persistent references to The White Stripes. It's the only drawback, and it's fucking annoying as shit. But, we don't feel like we're missing anything and we never really have. So, that's the only drawback is having to fucking be compared to another band constantly. I think it's one of the laziest fucking things of all time," says Carney. "I think we sound fucking like The Black Keys. I don't think we sound like any other band."
The Black Keys tour dates available here...
The Black Keys: "I Got Mine" (Live on "Late Show With David Letterman")
JamBase | Ohio
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