HOWLIN' FOR YOU: If You Like The Black Keys, You'll Love...
Over the course of six good-to-great albums, the Black Keys have established themselves as one of the most dependable bands in rock music.
If first single "Lonely Boy" (and its awesome video) are any indication, seventh LP "El Camino" won't disappoint either.
Despite never straying far from a basic recipe — riffs hewn from the skeleton of American blues, no-frills drumming, occasional ornamentation — Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney's songwriting keeps the band consistently fresh.
The Black Keys have style, whether you like them or not. And if you do, here are a few more bands, shows and movies that share the same feeling of bent Americana.
As vicious as the Keys' riffs can be, they pale in comparison to some of the noises that come from Titus Andronicus. Titus is more punk than the Keys, but they have a similarly warped relationship with the music of their forebearers. Also, Auerbach and Titus frontman Patrick Stickles both have great beards.
It took the Keys a few albums to escape from the shadow of the White Stripes, and for good reason: Jack and Meg White were doing the reinvigorating-rock-with-a-guitar-and-drums thing first. But aside from the band's great albums, their concert film "Under Blackpool Lights" is one of the better displays of guitar theatrics on film.
Craving more guitar and drums? Allergic to bass? The Kills do it that way. Allison Mosshart is about as badass as they come.
If you like the Black Keys, you probably care about rock and roll. And if you care about rock and roll, you need to see D.A. Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back," a portrait of Bob Dylan at his weird prime that's also one of the best documentaries ever made.
It's a different kind of blues, but "The Blues Brothers" confronts the mythology of the Midwest just like the Keys do.
Speaking of Midwestern rock and roll, its official historian Chuck Klosterman has a few things to say on the matter. Also worth checking out is Greil Marcus, who approaches similar topics from a much more erudite angle.
Last but not least, no retrospective on any blues-smeared cultural object would be complete without mentioning Robert Johnson, one of the creators of the genre and the musician who supposedly sold his soul to the devil. 70 years after his death, his songs still appear throughout popular music.
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