Redemption

Statistics show that nine out of ten people don’t give a shit about end-of-the-year lists in February. But I have to finish. Thankfully, this is the easiest review to write because although I have probably written more about the Black Keys than any other band on this blog so far, I still have plenty more to say.

They did several remarkable things with the release of El Camino last year. First they out-glammed themselves. Gold on the Ceiling (which, by the way, despite being on the cusp of becoming most overplayed song of all time, remains arguably the best song they’ve ever recorded) is even better than their previous glittery entry, the also outstanding Howlin’ For You. Then they out-siblinged themselves. Last year’s Unknown Brother is trumped by the urgently catchy Sister. Hell, they even out Stairway-ed Led Zeppelin with the mind-bogglingly good Little Black Submarines. The most important thing they did, though, was teach me that expanding a fan base and winning awards does not necessarily lead to selling out or watering down (I’m looking squarely at you Kings of Leon). Brothers was a really, really good album. El Camino is, against all odds, better in every way possible.

I think the most obvious improvement for me is that they’ve perfected their expanded sound by reeling it in a bit. Attack and Release, the previous collaboration with Danger Mouse, was probably the beginning of the more fleshed out sound and vintage, hooky sheen, and although it was very good and included some of my favorite BK tracks (Psychotic Girl is legendary), it did tend to meander a bit. Both it and El Camino are 11 tracks long, but for me A&R feels longer. I think they’ve discovered the ability to present a theme, build on it and end it in a satisfying manner in around four minutes. For me, there wasn’t a single wasted second on this album.

I could go on about each track on the album but I won’t. There are no highlights because every song is top notch. I think I’ve had at least five favorite songs so far and my current one is Stop Stop. The intro to that song will always put me in a good mood. They groove they lay down is so thick and tasty I wish I could take a bite out of it every time I hear it.

Among all their achievements with this album, I really do think, in all honesty, the most amazing one was ending up at the top of my list. The inevitable Grammys, sold out shows and platinum status that will come will probably mean more to the band, but I think ending up here at number one in my little world is a commendable achievement. First off, the last review I wrote was more or less a eulogy for the old band and a prep for the mainstream shadow of themselves I was expecting to hear and see next. Almost as if they responded to the challenge, they came back, the next year mind you, and made something even better and truer to their identity as a band than Brothers. In fact, they not only responded to my challenge in kind, but they threw back a challenge of their own by releasing the record in December. The last month of the Goddamn year. When I’d pretty much already assembled my list. It was clear early on that it would make the list, but with less then a month to absorb it, how high would it climb? I think the same thing happened on a lot of higher profile best-of lists as well. It showed up on some lists, in the mix but never even sniffing top ten. On others it wasn’t mentioned at all. I like to think this was a strategic move on their part in this game we call celebrity. By squeezing it in late, they were able to avoid some of the overexposure associated with the hype machine. They were able to let the album slowly ooze into our collective consciousness rather than letting the media shove it down our throats.

The band was interviewed in Filter magazine recently. Dan Auerbach said this: “I really like making records. If we had more time, we’d probably make two records a year. Bands used to make two records a year. I don’t know when it got shifted into making a record every three of four years. It’s stupid to me.” Reading these lines made me think of the closing track on the album, the confident Mind Eraser. The song ends with the refrain “Don’t let it be over.” These were the words I was saying last year after Brothers came out. What a relief to know that not only is it not over, it’s getting better. And every indication suggests that it will continue.

Meet Annie

It has the weird-pop (I’ll coin that now) vibe and distinctive female vocals of Whokill. It has references to the Bourgeoisie and songs about Tigers like Mirror Traffic. It has that satisfying mix of straight-forward songwriting and experimental electricity/eclecticity (I’ll coin that too) of The Whole Love (or at least Art of Almost). It has the supreme guitar presence of my number one album of the year. It was created by Annie Clark, who did covers of Downtown Train and Big Black Mariah live last year, so Tom Waits and his Bad As Me are clearly influences. It rocks the Moog synthesizer just like In the Mountain in the Cloud. It is St. Vincent’s Strange Mercy and it is very, very good.

The gateway song here is Cheerleader. It starts out with a delicate guitar and violin plucks for the first fifty seconds before abruptly blasting into the fuzzed out staccato guitar and sonic synthesizer of the chorus as she sings "I, I, I, I, I don't want to be a cheerleader no more." The song alternates between these soft and loud motifs with a gradual subtle build that kicks in fully at about 2:50. This slow, almost imperceptible build is something that happens a lot on the album and probably one of the reasons I'm so drawn to it. Another reason I like it so much is that as I began to get into the album one song would turn the key and open the door to another that I'd overlooked initially. The next song, Surgeon, is one that I didn't may much initial attention to, but then one day I noticed the funkadelic guitar/synthesizer/bass solo and accelerating melody of the conclusion and I was hooked. Going back and listening now, I appreciate the brilliance of the dreamy beginning as it builds to the frenzied end. From there, I gradually peeled back layer after layer and discovered a gem of an album that consists of eleven amazing and original songs that fit beautifully together as a cohesive unit.

The thing I love the most, I think, about this album is the presence of the guitar. More than Annie's voice even, I think her guitar work is the star of the show. From the distorted order-in-chaos of Northern Lights to the crunch of Neutered Fruit to the funk giving way to prog on Dilettante to the swaggered groove that runs through the closer, Year of the Tiger, she creates a wide array of compelling sounds with her instrument of choice.

The highlight of the album, and probably one of my top five songs of the year is the title track. It has a sort of sleazy, dirty melody that makes me think of something sinister happening in the rain in a bad 80's movie. The song stops at about 2:10 save for a dreamy guitar behind the delicately sung lyric "Oh little one, I'll tell you good news that you won't believe. If it would help you sleep. Strange mercy." Then it kicks into full gear with the best build of the album (and the year) and one of the best lyrics of the year, "If I ever meet that dirty policeman who roughed you up..."

Sujfan helped her get her start and she follows his list-topping effort from last year with my second favorite album of this year. The two albums share unusual song structure, diverse instrumentation and above all an addictive sense of adventure. I can't wait to see what Annie Clark comes up with next. In the end, though, she couldn't quite edge out my top album of the year. I'm pretty sure the only reason they rushed back into the studio was to redeem themselves on the CDMC blog this year. They blew my mind last year. This year, by creating an even better album, they didn't only blow it again, they changed it too.