patrick carney – Spinning Platters

From the twanging riffs and thumping percussion that open the album on the single, “Wild Child”, we know we’re in for a head-bopping, foot-stomping, groovy record. Dropout Boogie is The Black Keys’ eleventh studio album (!) and a conscious return to stripped down hard-nosed bluesy rock ‘n’ roll they first earned a passionate fanbase and later numerous accolades. For the first time in their studio album discography, the Akron, Ohio duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney solicited collaborations from other artists and the result is a river flow of laid back jaunts, comfortable grooves, and a few raw first take recordings. All hail the majesty and imperfections of the blues-rock guitar!

Continue reading “Album Review: The Black Keys, “Dropout Boogie””

I’ve seen The Black Keys twice before going to this show. The first time was opening for Sleater Kinney at The Great American Music Hall in 2003. It was two guys that looked like they came in off the streets, playing super lo-fi blues. I honestly didn’t know what to think of them, and I forgot about them for a number of years. Then, in 2009, I saw them again in Austin, playing the back patio of a dive bar. It was appearantly a huge deal, and I managed to miss the fact that they were slowly becoming one of the biggest bands in rock. Fast forward a mere three years later, and they are playing arenas. I kept flashing back to that tiny (literally) little band I saw nearly a decade ago, and I couldn’t believe they were playing one of the biggest venues in Northern California. So, I decided it was time to give them another go!

Continue reading “Show Review: The Black Keys with The Arctic Monkeys at Oracle Arena, 5/4/12”