The Black Keys: Attack & Release

The Black Keys are the guitar and drums duo that made me believe that rock-and-roll was not dead. On the contrary, they have brought it back with a such a hard driving soul that I am now a true believer. Their prior albums possess a raw rock honesty that had me at "thickfreakness". Their newest album, "Attack & Release," is the first album which has been produced with "Danger Mouse". You might remember "Danger Mouse" from his 2004 project with Jay-Z that remixed the revered Beatles' "White Album" with Jay-Z's "Black Album" to create the "Gray Album"... a risky move, but brilliant nonetheless. So back to the Keys... The new album definitely possesses a polish that had yet to been achieved on their earlier albums. The result is a much more hard rock meets psychedelia feel reminiscent of Black Sabbath. I also like their added instrumentation. The banjo is not-to-be-missed on "Psychotic Girl," and the flute line on "Same Old Thing" would make Ian Anderson proud. The new tracks and polished sound on "Attack & Release" makes me even more excited to see The Black Keys again when they come to Boston in May! Mark your calenders, kids, they will knock your socks off!