In 2002, when the Black Keys released their debut album, you could have got very long odds on them being the one early-noughties garage-blues band to not just survive but prosper. Their feud with Jack White now looks less like the resentment of someone furious about them hanging on to his coattails and more like someone bitter about them overtaking him so thoroughly. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have done so by making records that sometimes journey outside their comfort zone – like their last one, 2014’s mildly trippy Turn Blue – but always remain anchored by thoroughly solid songwriting.
When they finished touring Turn Blue, Auerbach said he had become so alienated from his job that he could play to a huge crowd without thinking about what he was doing. The five-year break seems to have concentrated his mind. The intentions of Let’s Rock are evident from its title. And, in case you felt any ambiguity, the album opens with a riff so thrillingly, brutally obvious – on Shine a Little Light – that White will doubtless accuse them of having nicked it from some aborted followup to Seven Nation Army, while the dirty, distorted guitar of Lo/Hi has something of ZZ Top (and the John Lee Hooker-style riff of La Grange) heading into an arena-ready chorus. The lyrics are rarely more than functional (“See twin eagle birds up in the tree / One for you and there’s one for me,” Auerbach sings on Eagle Birds) but the music is persuasive: hard, shining rock, with an irresistible pop edge.
The Black Keys are back.
The garage rock duo have been everywhere over the last five years except together. Frontman Dan Auerbach has been off releasing albums with The Arcs and solo, as well as launching his Easy Eye Sound label as a home to the likes of Shannon & The Clams, Sonny Smith, and others. Meanwhile, drummer Patrick Carney has dipped into producing for artists including Tobias Jesso Jr., Tennis, Wild Belle, and Turbo Fruits, not to mention penning the BoJack Horseman theme and finding parental bliss with fiancée/collaborator Michelle Branch. Now, though, the two are finally back where they both belong: together.
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Today, The Black Keys have shared a new single called “Lo/Hi”. The track marks their first new music together since 2014’s Grammy-nominated Turn Blue. Written and produced by Auerbach and Carney themselves, the song was recorded at the former’s Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Take a listen below.
Whether or not “Lo/Hi” is the signal of more new music on the horizon is yet to be seen. In the meantime, pick up some of The Black Keys’ past efforts on vinyl here.
“Lo/Hi” Single Artwork:
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Just under a decade ago, there was a moment when The Black Keysgenuinely may have been one of the biggest bands on the planet. By 2010, Arctic Monkeys were conquering arenas in the UK and Europe, but not yet making a dent worldwide. The White Stripes and My Chemical Romance were approaching their end, while Foo Fighters were still on hiatus before recapturing their mojo on ‘Wasting Light’ a year later. A new generation of shit-kickers (The 1975, Florence and The Machine, Foals and more) were still earning their stripes.
By the time 2010’s ‘Brothers’ was released – the band’s breakthrough record – Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney had paid their dues. They’d released five albums that had slowly established themselves as one of the few blues-rock bands that could cross over to the mainstream. And cross over they did. ‘Howling For You’ and ‘Tighten Up’ boosted their profile before their seventh album, ‘El Camino’ put them in arenas and at the top of festival bills.
Their last album, 2014’s psych-tinged ‘Turn Blue’ was a fine, if slightly forgettable follow-up. Sure, the funky ‘Fever’ became a radio staple and the album nabbed them more nods from The Grammy’s, but it was perhaps less of a cultural moment than might be expected. The band retracted from public view, with the duo favouring side-projects and production work for the next five years.
It’s relieving, perhaps, that it’s seemingly had little impact on The Black Keys and their comeback single ‘Lo/Hi’. Their first piece of new music in five years stays true to their ethos: be the best band you can be. In that sense, it’s most certainly a fine and intriguing comeback.
From the opening growling riff, it’s clear The Black Keys are operating just as expected. There’s a beefy chorus (“high like a bird in the sky/low because you’re angry”), studio howls and uplifting backing vocals. It’s the soundtrack to the type of party that doesn’t exist anymore, but one you still wish you were cool enough to get the invite to.
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There’s a good chance that it may well see them return to the arenas, but it’s a song that belongs in a different time – when rock was king. But perhaps that’s fine. Perhaps, sometimes, the only thing you can hope for when a band returns after a half-decade absence is to stay true to themselves.
The Black Keys Return Date
The Black Keys have done that here and coloured-in neatly and diligently. But if they want to avoid being a legacy band – a distinct reality – perhaps it’s time to scribble outside the lines just a little bit.
The Black Keys’ ninth studio album, “Let’s Rock,” will be released June 28, 2019 via Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records. The long-awaited album, their first in five years, is a return to the straightforward rock of the singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s early days as a band. Auerbach says, “When we’re together we are The Black Keys, that’s where that real magic is, and always has been since we were sixteen.” The second song from the record, “Eagle Birds,” debuts today; it follows the previously released single “Lo/Hi.” The Black Keys’ thirty-one city North American tour begins September 23.
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“Let’s Rock” was written, tracked live, and produced by Auerbach and Carney at Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville and features backing vocals from Leisa Hans and Ashley Wilcoxson. “The record is like a homage to electric guitar,” says Carney. “We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to.”
The “Let’s Rock” Tour will hit cities including Chicago, Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, and Austin (full dates below). Special guests Modest Mouse will provide support on all dates, and Shannon & The Clams, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, *repeat repeat, and Jessy Wilson will each open select shows on the tour. The band also headlines 2019’s Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 21.
Rolling Stone named “Lo/Hi” a “Song You Need to Know” and said, “the Keys have officially returned, louder than ever” and the New York Times calls the song “the kind of garage-boogie stomp that the band never left behind.”
Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys have released eight studio albums: their debut The Big Come Up (2002), followed by Thickfreakness(2003) and Rubber Factory (2004), along with their releases on Nonesuch Records, Magic Potion (2006), Attack & Release (2008), Brothers (2010), El Camino (2011), and, most recently, Turn Blue (2014). The band has won six Grammy Awards and headlined festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Governors Ball.
Since their last album together, both Auerbach and Carney have been creative forces behind a number of wide-ranging artists:
Dan Auerbach formed the Easy Eye Sound record label, named after his Nashville studio, in 2017, with the release of his second solo album, Waiting on a Song. Since its launch, Easy Eye Sound has become home to a wide range of artists including Yola, Shannon & The Clams, Dee White, Shannon Shaw, Sonny Smith, Robert Finley, and The Gibson Brothers; it also has released the posthumous album by Leo Bud Welch as well as previously unreleased material by Link Wray.
Patrick Carney has produced and recorded new music with artists such as Calvin Johnson, Michelle Branch, Damns of the West, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Jessy Wilson, Tennis, *repeat repeat, Wild Belle, Sad Planets, Turbo Fruits, and more. He also created the theme music for the Netflix TV show BoJack Horseman with his late uncle, Ralph Carney.
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Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. He and bandmate Patrick Carney return to Phoenix this fall.
Everyone's favorite rip-roarin', blues-rockin' revivalist duo from Akron, Ohio, are coming back to Phoenix, and they're bringing with them a very Modest opener. Baixar gpedit.msc windows 10.
The Black Keys have announced their 31-date Let's Rock Tour will ride on into Talking Stick Resort Arena on Saturday, November 16. This follows the release last week of their single 'Lo/Hi,' their first new music in five years. A new album, following up on 2014's Turn Blue, is expected to drop soon as well.
Joining the Keys on tour are another legendary rock band, Modest Mouse. Sure, make your jokes about how they sold out after Good News From People Who Love Bad News — you'll still see this show just on the off chance that Isaac Brock and co. will play something from The Lonesome Crowded West. 'Doin' the Cockroach,' maybe? How about 'Convenient Parking?' We can see you salivating already.
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Finally, since this is an arena show and you can't play an arena without at least two supporting acts, Shannon & The Clams, a band on Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound label, will also open. Their fifth studio album, Onion, came out in February.
Tickets for the tour go up on The Black Keys' website on Friday, March 22, at 10 a.m. local time. Find all upcoming dates below.
The Black Keys: 'Let's Rock' Tour
September 21 — Las Vegas NV — Life Is Beautiful September 23 — Denver CO — Pepsi Center September 24 — Kansas City MO — Sprint Center September 25 — St. Louis MO — Enterprise Center September 27 — Chicago IL — United Center September 28 — Minneapolis MN — Target Center September 30 — Cleveland OH — Quicken Loans Arena October 1 — Nashville TN — Bridgestone Arena October 2 — Columbus OH — Nationwide Arena October 4 — Milwaukee WI — Fiserv Forum October 5 — Detroit MI — Little Caesars Arena October 7 — Pittsburgh PA — PPG Paints Arena October 8 — Grand Rapids MI — Van Andel Arena October 9 — Toronto ON — Scotiabank Arena October 11 — Boston MA — TD Garden October 12 — Washington DC — The Anthem October 14 — Philadelphia PA — Wells Fargo Arena October 15 — Brooklyn NY — Barclays Center November 5 — Sunrise FL — BB&T Center November 6 — Orlando FL — Amway Center November 8 — Raleigh NC — PNC Arena November 9 — Atlanta GA — State Farm Arena November 12 — Houston TX — Toyota Center November 13 — Austin TX — Frank Erwin Center November 14 — Fort Worth TX — Dickies Arena November 16 — Phoenix AZ — Talking Stick Resort Arena November 17 — San Diego CA — Pechanga Arena November 19 — Los Angeles CA — The Forum November 20 — San Francisco CA — TBA November 22 — Portland OR — Moda Center November 23 — Tacoma WA — Tacoma Dome November 24 — Vancouver BC — Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
The Black Keys: 'Let's Rock' Tour. With Modest Mouse and Shannon & The Clams. Saturday, November 16, at Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 East Jefferson Street; 602-379-7800; talkingstickresortarena.com. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, March 22, at theblackkeys.com.
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