Akron's the Black Keys have jumped labels again with Magic Potion. Beginning on their own Alive label, the band established itself internationally with Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory. They appear now with their Nonesuch debut -- they share a label with everyone from Pat Metheny and Sam Phillips to Toumani Diabaté and Stephin Merritt. Fans needn't worry that the Black Keys being on a label distributed by Warner has done anything to their sound. Magic Potion is gritty, raw, immediate and sludgy. It was recorded at the band's studios in Akron, and the only real difference is that they've become even better at what they do. Here are 11 tunes rooted in lues and riff-heavy ock, with only guitar and drums ripping through them like a loose power cable in a thunderstorm. Check out the wildly rockist riff that is at the heart of the album's opener "Just Got to Be," or the wily shambolic lues in "Your Touch." If anything, Magic Potion reminds the listener of the late great Red Devils King King except they have a deeper country, south-of-the-Mason-Dixon-line feel to them, even on a ballad such as "You're the One," which feels like it's barely being held together by Dan Auerbach's voice, which unifies the guitar and Patrick Carney's drums. "Strange Desire" is an electric-acid-lues moan disguised as a ballad, whereas "Just a Little Heat" inverts the riff from Led Zeppelin's "Little Loving Maid " to offer a wide-open howl of distorted guitar and a slippery snare and cymbals crash. For those who feel that the lues have nothing to offer in the 21st century -- especially electric blues, which has spawned countless cookie-cutter, slick deceptions disguised as the real thing -- Magic Potion should satisfy deeply. Here is a future lues that comes right from the groin of history, reinterpreted through garage rock, alcohol, and rage: just check out "Modern Times." In the slow drawling burn, one can hear Junior Kimbrough's ghost possessing Auerbach. "Elevator" closes the set on a feedback-drenched, minimal Delta blues that has more to do with the cagey antics of Charley Patton and Lightnin' Hopkins -- and R.L. Burnside, too -- than with either the White Stripes or Ronnie Earl. This is vulgar music, completely unsentimental or nostalgic but with a deep, wild, and tenacious heart; it's spooky, un-caged, and frighteningly descriptive of our time and place. It's been a long time since the majors put out a record this savage. This is the door to the lues in 2006; hold on to your hips because they will begin to twitch.
A really good friend of mine from grad school just joined MOG. He's quite the music guy (I never heard the same track playing twice in his truck). He's always dancing to tunes inside his head (a head I'm certain is full of musical knowledge). I’m super stoked that "NR":NR is here, and I look forward to all he has to share in the MOG future. Peace, HattieThis declaration is, in deed, the crux of.
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So I've got this moral conflict.... obviously. And I just wanted to see how many people would respond to this question.Ever lied to a loved one (significant other, family etc) in order to sneak out of town for a day or two and watch a concert? I know I have. So why is this a moral conflict now, you ask? I dunno, it just is... I hate morality and all its guilt trips. I mean come on, this is a t...
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I just found out about The Black Keys coming to Birmingham, at probably the coolest venue in town, Workplay... this has made my week, and gives me something to look forward too....Gah!
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In celebration of these fine Ohio boys' cracking the billboard top 100!! Yep, #95 with a bullet...look out Timberlake...you are in our sites!
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I may be crazy (...) but after work today, I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get to Amoeba just to see The Black Keys play a few songs for free. I had pretty much ruled out the in-store, and am planning on seeing them Thursday anyway...but it turned out that I got done with work just a tiny bit earlier than normal, so I thought I'd try to make it. and if you know LA at rush hour.......
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The Black Keys have pulled it out again, only this time for some weird reason it's starting to sound like early Steve Miller, especially on "You're The One." And that's a good thing.Fuzzy blues-rock from this unusual duo (just electric guitar and drums) who have nevertheless found a way to get a really rich sound out of their limited tools. I dig this stuff big time.Keep it in the garage, guys!
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In celebration of these fine Ohio boys' cracking the billboard top 100!! Yep, #95 with a bullet...look out Timberlake...you are in our sites!
More >
Not much to say here other than The Black Keys put on a great show at The Orange Peel in Asheville NC last night. It was a good time.Patrick CarneyDan Auerbach
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The Black Keys have pulled it out again, only this time for some weird reason it's starting to sound like early Steve Miller, especially on "You're The One." And that's a good thing.Fuzzy blues-rock from this unusual duo (just electric guitar and drums) who have nevertheless found a way to get a really rich sound out of their limited tools. I dig this stuff big time.Keep it in the garage, guys!
More >
A really good friend of mine from grad school just joined MOG. He's quite the music guy (I never heard the same track playing twice in his truck). He's always dancing to tunes inside his head (a head I'm certain is full of musical knowledge). I’m super stoked that "NR":NR is here, and I look forward to all he has to share in the MOG future. Peace, HattieThis declaration is, in deed, the crux of.
More >
So I've got this moral conflict.... obviously. And I just wanted to see how many people would respond to this question.Ever lied to a loved one (significant other, family etc) in order to sneak out of town for a day or two and watch a concert? I know I have. So why is this a moral conflict now, you ask? I dunno, it just is... I hate morality and all its guilt trips. I mean come on, this is a t...
More >
I just found out about The Black Keys coming to Birmingham, at probably the coolest venue in town, Workplay... this has made my week, and gives me something to look forward too....Gah!
More >
I've never been to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, but they've had an awesome lineup of acts over there years. Check 'em out over on Wikipedia or on their own website. I like the media player on their site. It has a lot of tracks you can play...cool when you are on a strange computer and you just want to get some tunes! Lately, I've been obsessing over The Silversun Pickups (Lazy...
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I may be crazy (...) but after work today, I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get to Amoeba just to see The Black Keys play a few songs for free. I had pretty much ruled out the in-store, and am planning on seeing them Thursday anyway...but it turned out that I got done with work just a tiny bit earlier than normal, so I thought I'd try to make it. and if you know LA at rush hour.......
More >
How do you make a Black Keys Magic Potion? Mix 3 parts Led Zeppelin, two parts RL Burnside, and one part Jon Spencer, turn amps to 11, mix. This is not to say that the new offering from the Black Keys is derivative in any respect, only that you could imagine yourself cruising in your Camaro, mullet flying in the wind, rockin' to the music as you roadtrip to the latest Blue Oyster Cult show. ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Just Got to Be |
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| 2 Your Touch |
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| 3 You're the One |
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| 4 Just a Little Heat |
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| 5 Give Your Heart Away |
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| 6 Strange Desire |
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| 7 Modern Times |
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| 8 The Flame |
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| 9 Goodbye Babylon |
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| 10 Black Door |
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| 11 Elevator |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Magic Potion")
