It doesn't take long to hear that Attack & Release is a clear departure from their earlier records, so Door #3 closes. The album isn't even in the same city as suck, so we can close Door #2. Peace in our lifetime? Close.
So where does that leave us?
It leaves us with 11 songs of Black Keys music that have been bathed in atmosphere by DangerMouse and a small army of additional collaborators. DM makes his presence felt and that may be enough to cause some of the hardheaded, diehard fans to hate the album and that's just silly. Besides, the success or failing of any album has much less to do with who produced it and more to do with what they produced. In short, it's about the songs.
The best song on the record is the $15 song "So He Won't Break." "So He Won't Break" mixes futuristic sounds with a ZZ Top-like hook. Subtle sonic flourishes like the wonderful use of vibes meld with one of Auerbach's best vocals; Mark Lanegan has a couple songs with similar sonic characteristics on his I'll Take Care of You album, although with a little less futuristic noodling. Maybe I've fallen in love with it too much to be objective, but I hear single potential with this one.
Some people look at me like I'm talking about the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus when I talk about "The $15 Song." I feel a little like Linus trying to convince you people to hang out in the pumpkin patch, waiting for the Great Pumpkin.
What is a $15 Song, you ask? A song so good you'd gladly fork over $15 to buy the CD to own that one song. Yeah, I know, iTunes. Right. Fuck off. A $1 song has no poetry. It has no prestige. A $15 song? Now that's got stroke. That has fiber. Maybe it's more like the $5 Shake in Pulp Fiction. Whatever. The point is there is a $15 song on Attack & Release.
Article comments
1 - Kevin Eagan
This album is just so good, I can't stop playing it. It's another that may make my list of best music of the year (we'll see how the rest of the year pans out).
2 - Josh Hathaway
Thanks for the comment, Kevin. I agree with you. It's hard for me to imagine this not making my list somewhere. I love this record.