Matt LuceyIn 2001, in Akron, Ohio, Daniel Auerbach and Patrick Carney formed The Black Keys. The pair grew up close to one another but their social spheres didn’t overlap. With multiple contacts in the industry, the two were both encouraged to play together. They began jamming initially in 1996. After a failed attempt to record some music in 2001, Auerback ended up recording some covers with Carney. With primarily rock and blues covers, the pair sent their recordings out all over town. They finally received and accepted an offer from a small indie record label in LA. The following years saw the band make a living from their art.
A breakthrough album for the band came in 2011, with the release of El Camino, which was met with critical acclaim. Following this success, the band became more widely known, selling out concerts and gaining a worldwide fanbase. Their next big hit album came in 2020, in the form of Brothers. This album had some really good tracks. The band is still actively writing, performing and touring to this day.
A Fresh Chapter
No Rain, No Flowers was released on August 8 of this year. Produced by the band themselves and under the label Easy Eye Sound, the album has had a relatively good reception. The whole album was mixed pretty well. Even though the style is a slight departure from the raw energetic style I had come to expect from them, this was clearly well put together. Some of the tracks, like “Man on a Mission”, feel more classic rock-esque, while other take a much softer approach
“On Repeat”
“On Repeat” is a nice song. It’s certainly a change from what I usually expect from a Black Keys song. The groove in the rhythm adds greatly to the song. It comes mainly from the great bass that is behind the whole song. The guitarwork in this one is interesting. It hides in the background, giving a slight feeling of the rocky vibe. I feel like this was an interesting mixing choice. If the exact same guitar was brought to the forefront, you would have a much different, more rock forward song. The repetition of the lyric “On Repeat” is also a nice touch and the whole song feels very cohesive.
“Make you mine”
“Make you Mine” is another nice track. Again, in this track, the bass seems to be highlighted, tying the song together. Without the bass here, it would be a very empty song. The vocals are also quite nice, harmonising and creating a nice, light song. There’s not too much else to say here, apart from that this is a nice, boppy song.
“Man on a mission“
This was one of my favourite songs on the album. The power and style of this track feel very classic rock. With a short bass intro, the vocals join very lightly. The riffy guitar then joins and the song comes together. The sound feels quite familiar but I can’t place exactly where I know it from. I think this song in particular would be great to see live, with the atmospheric full band sound. The riff is powerful but not overly complicated. It allows the actual lead guitar parts to cut through sharper and really be heard. The solo is more out there than the rest. Sharp and trebly, this solo is the real reason I enjoyed the song. Following this, the song winds down with the chorus and some guitar. Altogether, a really nice song.
Conclusion
While its not breaking any moulds, this album is worth a listen, especially if you like the band to begin with. I wouldn’t recommend going into it expecting a rehashing of their past work.
