Album Review: The Black Keys - Ohio Players
About five years ago I was in Nashville working on my first full length album. The weekend was primarily focused on recording guitars, so I took one of my close friends who also happens to be one of the best guitar tone chasers I know. For the sake of this story, we'll call him BJ.
1 - Because I know he'll immediately laugh at the phrase BJ and 2 - because BJ's social filter is tuned a bit differently than yours or mine. We've often joked (and sometimes seriously floated the idea) about the possibility that he might be on the spectrum. Because he's lived his life the same way for over 30 years and hasn't been tested, I find it relevant to change his name simply to refrain from offending him or those who may be on the spectrum that would find themselves frustrated at a humorous self diagnosis.
I say all that to say that BJ will talk to anybody at any point in time, even if maybe he can't pick up on the social queues that now may not be the best time to approach them.
So naturally as we stood in line at a Kroger minutes from closing to grab some drinks and snacks after a recording session and I happened to notice the very Lurch like features of the towering man about twenty feet in front of us only to realize it was Patrick Carney from The Black Keys, the inevitable argument of "should we or should we not talk to him" ensued.
We agreed that it was late and that the store was about to close, so we should just let him live his life in peace. But as it tends to do, BJ's social filter decided that was a dumb idea.
As I made my way back to the car and climbed inside, I turned to realize that BJ was not also simultaneously climbing into the vehicle, but rather was nowhere to be found. Before my mind could go the route of fearing that my 6'4 250lb friend could possibly be the victim of kidnapping and obvious subsequent human trafficking, a quick scan of the parking lot revealed that BJ had only made it about four and a half feet out of the grocery store before he decided to approach Pat and strike up a conversation.
But BJ's social filter is his super power. Because we ended up spending the next hour sitting in an empty Kroger parking lot shooting the shit with a slightly buzzed Pat Carney who lived around the corner and was out getting a pack of cigarettes for he and his then wife, Michelle Branch.
Pat told us a bunch of stories, that if Im ever lucky enough to run into him again, I'll be sure to get his permission to share those in a follow up article/interview.
So of course as I sat down to listen to The Black Keys new album 'Ohio Players' those stories and that incredible memory stood out in my mind.
It's always insanely interesting to me to see what a band will do when they have such an established sound and an expansive discography to match. But after 15 studio albums, if you thought The Black Keys were about to slow down in terms of innovation, or give up their vintage and analog tones and recording techniques - you'd be sadly mistaken.
The A side of the record, especially the first few tracks provide the listener with a moderate curve ball in terms of the aesthetics one might typically expect to hear from the duo, gleaning influence, or at the very least congruence with bands like Glass Animals, Phoenix, and OK Go. Filled with huge buzz saw and arpeggiating synths, dirty bass tones, and Dan Auerbach's classic compressed vocal tones, over half the album feels like the band is still very much interested in genre experimentation/expansion as well as unique collaboration. After swishing this album around their mouth ears a musical sommelier may even pick up new unique tones akin to the likes of Abba or even the Steve Miller Band - which is no coincidence considering The Black Keys appreciation of and history with the latter.
All of this is undoubtedly due to the the writing of Beck Hansen (yeah that Beck) on not just the single 'Paper Crown' (on which Beck and Juicy J are both featured) but multiple tracks throughout the album.
The aforementioned track was obviously the group's shinier toy on the record and the collab that one can assume they were hoping would draw in curious new listeners, and while the track itself is dynamic and interesting, it may be overshadowed by a similar track that appears earlier on in the record 'Candy and Her Friends' feat. Lil Noid - a song that comes out of the gate with indie tones and sounds extremely reminiscent of say Twenty One Pilots. Lil Noids rap towards the end of the track solidifying that particular sound in a way that when replicated later on in the album in 'Paper Crown' loses the same magnitude of punch and surprise that CAHF provides.
Beyond the indie rock/pop sounds that are heavy throughout the record, The Black Keys bring other incredibly familiar sonic aesthetics to the whole album that are reminiscent of 90's alternative rock with tracks like 'On The Game' and 'Live Till I Die' which give sonic hints of Sheryl Crowe & The Verve. Like the influence of Beck's writing on the album, this vibe is most likely to due to the inclusion of Oasis' (and not his High Flying Birds) Noel Gallagher as another prominent writer on multiple tracks throughout the entire album.
Beyond the appealing genre expansions, multiple tracks on the album are immediate Black Keys baby making classics with stanky spanky spooky swanky rock songs immersed in late 60's and early 70's surf rock tones with immensely saturated and mono drum tracks. Multiple songs on this album feel as though Uma Thurman and Johnny Travolta should be dancing to them in a Quenton Tarentino movie.
With 14 songs, this album feels a little bit on the longer side, but can definitely be worth the ride. There's certainly something for everyone on this album, and if you may not love a certain track or song today, you may find yourself falling in love with a different feel on the album down the road. I wouldn't say that this album punches as hard on first impressions as previous albums like 'Brothers' or 'El Camino' but if you're walking around town on a weekend post loss - job, love, business venture, creative endeavor, 'Ohio Players' and its contents leaves you feeling like the turn around is here and gives you permission to feel optimistic if not mildly triumphant.
Overall I give Ohio Players by the Black Keys a score of 6.9 (nice) - I think this release is a bit track heavy and though I can absolutely get down with the experimentation in writing styles, I feel as though this album doesn't inherently know what it wants to be sound wise. Despite their classic sound the Black Keys still always aim to be innovative and that's something I can truly appreciate, and listeners of this album will most likely feel the same.
As always, Just Keep Listening