ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Turn Blue sometimes feels like a highlight reel of every Black Keys album, but it still manages to sound like something new.
Once again, The Black Keys have shaken up their sound. Now onto their eighth album, people’s opinion ofTurn Bluewill depend on which Black Keys album they first heard. Purists of the original two-piece garage blues will once again be disappointed at the high production values and the infiltration of non-guitar and drum instruments.
El Camino-ians will lament the lack of ear-bursting rock. The truth lies somewhere in between. At its heights, Turn Blue is the best album to date for the band, and at worst, feels like a collection of B-sides from previous albums.
‘In Time’, ‘Turn Blue’ and ‘Year In Review’ are perhaps the highlights, encapsulating all the various sounds the Keys have explored over years and filtering them into these brilliant songs. ‘Fever’ is a nod to the fans of Camino, ‘It’s Up To You Now’ harkens to the original blues sound of The Big Come Up and Dan Auerbach’s Keep It Hid, and ‘Gotta Get Away’ is an uplifting and perfectly fitting outro.
The Black Keys’ ability to constantly adapt and evolve their sound is shown beautifully on Turn Blue, making it a solid eighth album and up there with their best, even if people don’t want to realise it.
4/5.
