Garage rock is one of my purest loves, and The Black Keys were one of the bands that encompassed the garage rock movement of the early 2000’s. Initially the band was just a two-piece drummer/guitarist blues rock combo a la The White Stripes, and while they experienced some underground success during the decade alongside their contemporaries, their mass appeal was sort of limited to their niche genre. It wasn’t until they released Brothers in 2010 that they really took off, and 2011’s El Camino sent them soaring into the stratosphere. There wasn’t a bar you could walk into after 10pm and not hear “Gold On The Ceiling” before the night was through during that period and for good reason– it remains one of the most iconic guitar rock anthems of my lifetime, what with the fuzzy lead guitars, thumping drums, and iconic female gang backing vocals. It’s one of those songs that as soon as it comes on you’re immediately compelled to move and not stop until the track concludes.
The rest of El Camino is just as electric, with Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney laying down thick hook-laden grooves throughout the entire 38 minute runtime. The build-up of “Little Black Submarines” has always reminded me of a sort of truncated version of Led Zeppelin’s masterpiece “Stairway To Heaven” in its grandiose progression, and the boys are just as good when they tone things down a bit and settle into the more Indie-pop oriented tracks like “Nova Baby”.
El Camino is a love letter to garage rock that travels back in time to the 1950’s-1970’s, picking up bits and pieces of the blues, rockabilly, surf rock, soul and classic rock along the way. It’s a garage rock masterpiece that will stand the test of time.
Standout Songs: “Gold On The Ceiling”, “Nova Baby”, “Lonely Boy”, “Little Black Submarines”
Matthew. 