Wow! In an incredible musical about-turn The Black Keys have created a fusion of hip hop, acid house and soul! Whodathunkit? Oh alright, I'm just pulling your leg. It’s the same old dirty blues as on the last album (and the one before that). People will moan about not "exploring new territory" or failing to "push the boundaries" but when you rock as hard as The Black Keys already do, why change?
This is rawer and tougher than a gang of Hell's Angels at a Raw N' Tough Convention in Rawandtuffville. In fact you could take any of these songs, put them in a 1960's biker movie and they'd sound right at home. From the gleefully menacing opener 'When The Lights Go Out' through the cocaine blues of 'The Desperate Man' to the bruising assault that is '10am Automatic' everything sounds as cool as a roaring Harley engine. If you close your eyes you can see Jimi Hendrix and Steppenwolf's John Kay raising glasses of Jack Daniels and nodding their approval.
The Black Keys won't win prizes for originality but they won't care. They're just doing what they wanna do, and afterall, isn't that what Rock N' Roll is all about?
Listen to this album if you're taking a road trip with two mates: you'll feel like Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider.
By Andy McLean. Copyright held by author.
Article first published in The Brag, Sydney, 2004.
Rubber Factory is available through Shock Records.
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