THE BLACK KEYS Voice DAN AUERBACH About The Early Days
16 April 2024
Oops.
The Black Keys
THE BLACK KEYS Surprise With New Album ‘OHIO PLAYERS’ That Balances Between Blues Light And Infectious Guitar Pop
6 April 2024
Ohio‘s blues brothers THE BLACK KEYS have
their 12th LP, titled OHIO PLAYERS out.
Rolling Stone‘s verdict: “In many ways, Ohio Players imagines what the Keys might
have sounded like had they been born into the eclectic mid- to late-Nineties that Beck ruled
rather than the minimalist rock-is-back early-2000s. It was a period when every genre — indie rock, hip-hop, trip-hop, rave, and exotica — melted into mellow gold. That era isn’t as mythic as the Mississippi Delta or a weed-fogged Seventies arena show. But it’s a little closer to Auerbach and Carney’s lived experience, and on Ohio Players, they’re at home in every groove.”
Press photo
TUTV: Surprise, surprise. The Black Keys made an album that features lots of bright pop tunes and some light blues ones. The licks/riffs and hooks, about a thousand of course, haven’t that BK’s raw and rough edge as we are used to.
The overall sonority leans more towards power guitar pop (slow, mid-tempo and only
a couple of fast ones), maybe that’s Beck‘s vibes influence, who is present on half of the songs. Even here and there, Auerbach vocals go as high as the Bee Gees helium-infused pipes did back in time and on a couple of songs they invited befriended rappers Lil Noid and Juicy J. Noel Gallagher is supposed to be somewhere in there too.
I never thought that the tandem would come up after 23 years (yes, twenty-three years!) with a different sounding, coherent longplayer, without ignoring their blues roots that is. Ohio Players will be the album that I’ll play more than their whole catalog together. Surprise, surprise indeed.
TOP TRACKS: This Is Nowhere / Beautiful People (Stay High) / On The Game /
Please Me (Till I’m Satisfied) / Every Time You Leave Me
ALBUM
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THE BLACK KEYS: Instagram
20 BEST TRACKS Of The Month – MARCH 2024
ALL TOGETHER
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TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. ‘Mustang’ by KINGS OF LEON (Nashville, US)
The Nashville family band return to the scene with their 9th LP.
It’s named CAN WE PLEASE HAVE FUN and will see the day
of light on May 10.
Lead-single Mustang is a roasting steamroller
that turns up the fervent fever when the cooking
chorus kicks in.
Holy smoke
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2. ‘Oh Shit’ by THE LIBERTINES (UK)
Promo pic
British infamous mavericks come up with their 4th full-length,
called All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, on April 5.
One of the singles called Oh Shit is an inflamed crackerjack sung by
Carl Barât and joined on the chirpy chorus by his buddy Doherty.
Great shit
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3. ‘Wave Out Sunkiss’ by CANYONS AND LOCUSTS (Boston, US)
Boston‘s hefty garage blues-rock act released their new EP The Red Angel.
Six barbed wire bursts is what you get. To give you a loud and clear idea
here’s the closing crusher Wave Out Sunkiss.
Filthy stuff
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4. ‘S o f t e r’ by VIRGINS (Belfast, Ireland)
📸 @ebony_alexander_media
S o f t e r is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony propelled
by about a thousand guitars, a mind-boggling bass riff, and combative drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals scrape the sky. What a titanic thrill.
Top
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5. ‘High Value Male’ by PAPA JUPE’S T.C. (Cardiff, Wales)
This disco-punk sucker-punch is just perfect to start and end all (il)legal
club nights with. High Value Man is a jiving bass-insane jackhammer that
doubles your adrenaline production on the spot and triggers your hottest
body contortions.
The orgastic ‘dance with me’ chorus revs up the sultry temperature and invites you to go mental, like a kangaroo on E. London‘s boiling dancefloor wackadoos Warmduscher should take these Welshmen/woman on the road with them. Frisky fun guaranteed. Machos not allowed.
Go nuts
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6. ‘Running’ by PEARL JAM (Seattle, US)
Press photo
Seattle‘s rock giants led by towering voice Eddie Vedder are back in business.
They canned their 12th longplayer, called it Dark Matter and they will share
it with the world on April 19.
Single Running sounds like if Vedder & Co
found their young razor-blade rock legs again.
Alive again
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7. ‘Lights Down Low’ by DIE SEXUAL (Los Angeles)
This dazzling electronic duo conjure their influences of EBM, techno and electropop,
their sound is an intoxicating mix of analog synthetics and seductive vocals, touching
on themes of desire and despair, domination and submission.
They have a new 3-track, titled Inservio out, with opener Lights Down Low
as my favorite. An electro booster with a tantalizing techno beat à la The Prodigy
that rotates irresistibly, non-stop.
Bang-on
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8. ‘Broken Man’ by ST. VINCENT (NYC)
Album artwork
The entrancing Oklahoma songstress (real name: Anne Erin Clark) launches
her 7th album, titled All Born Screaming, with the world on April 26.
Lead single Broken Man is a superb Prince-like stomper.
Sexy, sassy and badass.
Score
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9. ‘Stage Fright’ by ROYAL CASTLES (Ontario, CA)
Spring is in the air, titillating tunes are in the air, like this frisky one
that circles around a disco beat in overdrive, and has an instantaneous,
activating impact on your eager limbs.
Lively vocals and a jumpy synth chorus augment the briskness at play here.
Get up, stand up, take your blue suede shoes out of the closet and show us
your best hip moves. Shake your dancefloor fright off with this rad
head-over-heels twister.
Press play
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10. ‘The Book’ by NIXER (Dublin/London)
The Book is a pithy piece from their upcoming EP, called
‘I Hit The Town And The Town Hit Me Back’ out on May 17.
The song’s theme was inspired by 1999 fictional love novel
Sputnik Sweatheart by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
Expect a synth-adrenalizing thrill, a head-spinning belter,
infused with whirlwind vocals and UK garage dynamics. Imagine
The Streets on acid or Yard Act pressing the accelerator.
Listen up
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11. ‘Diana’ by AUTOGRAMM (Seattle/Chicago/Vancouver)
Photo by Dave Paterson
Diana comes out of the gates like a speed train and never looks back.
Dynamizing synths start the rapid trip, the powerhouse drum/bass
engine pushes the rotating rhythm with vivid vigour, and zippy vocals
complete the accelerating sonic picture.
Touchdown
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12. ‘Oceanos Sangrientos’ by EL KINTANO Y LA VENEREA (Spain)
Great rock music has no boundaries.
No, I don’t speak/understand Spanish, but hey, there are a lot of English/American hardcore/punk bands that scream and shout in such a cacophonous way, that I have no clue whatsoever what they’re on about. Who of you understand, except the people from Iceland, what world-famous orchestral pop outfit Sigur Rós, are singing about? It’s always about the music first.
Oceans Sangrientos is a titanic psychedelic blast. Be ready for a wall-of-fuzzing-and-buzzing guitar attack. Think The Brian Jonestown Massacre turning up their amps to the max and coming up with layers of mind-blowing electricity. Blimey.
Sube el volumen
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13. ‘Op-Operator’ by THE SHANG HI-LOS (Boston, US)
Photo Credit: Joan Hathaway
These Boston rockers let the good times roll. Op-Operator is a dynamite
power pop tune that gets you out of your bed, after a night on the town
and triggers your limbs to start partying all over again.
Op-op-op-op-op-operator
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14. ‘Trying’ by YOKOPHONO (Finland)
Promo picture by Jan Trygg
This is how British blues rock titans Royal Blood would sound if their producer
is a fanatic post-punk fan. Trying is a riff-rough roller coaster going forth and back.
The crude combination of hammering drums, stoner rock electricity, and yearning vocals create a shocking effect that bangs on and on. Yokophono not only try, they succeed with bold brio.
Check-in
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15. ‘Ist Ist’ by EINSTÜRZNEDE NEUBATEN (Germany)
The German capricious bohemians, fronted by bad seed Blixa Bargeld unleash their album number 13, a double one, baptized Rampen ( Amp: Alien Pop Music) on April 5.
First single Ist Ist is a jittery piece of intoxicating
music, motorized by a Sturm und Drang bass riff.
Faszinierend.
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16. ‘Wild God’ by NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (Australia)
Press photo
Nick Cave and his iconic bad seeds band have bagged album #18.
It’s called Wild God and will hit the streets on August 30.
The title track is a sublime composition. The first part is crooner Cave as we know
him, but quickly the vocal passion and goosebumps intensity goes up and from halfway on, the song turns into an orchestral masterpiece, with a zealous hallelujah choir and an opera-like majesty. Best piece they wrote in years.
Breathtaking
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17. ‘Anna Madonna’ by MAX BLANSJAAR
Blansjaar is an up-and-coming 21-year-old singer-songwriter
born in Amsterdam, raised in Oxford, now based in Brooklyn.
Anna Madonna echoes Ezra Koenig and Vampire Weekend. It’s a frolicsome tune that flutterers around in your head like a happy-go-lucky butterfly. A sweet little pop gem.
Play
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18. ‘Back To The Beginning’ by WORLDCLUB (Wales)
Worldcub are a group from North Wales piloted by brothers Cynyr (guitar & vocals) and Dion Hamer (drums & vocals). They produce material from their home studio on the hills of Eryri, splicing together elements of surf guitar music, kraut-rock grooves and hypnotic psych tinged Cymru vocal harmonies.
They have their new album ‘Back to the Beginning’ out 17th of May.
The title track gets under your skin from the kick-off with its
bass-pulsating groove, its breezy guitar sparks, and its layered,
affecting harmonies.
Bingo
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19. ‘This Is Nowhere’ by THE BLACK KEYS
The blues-rock tandem have their 12th LP,
titled Ohio Players ready for release on April 5th.
Single This Is Nowhere is a surprising, mid-tempo, power
pop ballad, far away from their rough trademark sound.
Catchy
Captivating
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20. ‘Waiting Forn You’ by T BONE BURNETT (US)
The 76-year-old singer-songwriter/producer has recorded his 15th solo
full-length, his first in 18 (!) years. The Other Side comes out on April 19.
First single ‘Waiting For You’ is a vintage romantic, longing, bittersweet, sentimental and good old ballad. I’m a sucker for lullabies like this (certainly after a day with lots of noisy music) that calm me down and touch my heart and soul. Burnett‘s warm voice and crystal guitar play turn this song into a wonderful, timeless, and charming musing. A universal love song.
Wonderful
THE BLACK KEYS – Blues Rock Tandem Share Third Track ‘THIS IS NOWHERE’ Of Their Forthcoming Album
Daily noise that works faster than any stimulant
9 March 2024
As communicated a few weeks ago, THE BLACK KEYS have their
12th LP, called OHIO PLAYERS ready for release on April 5th.
Press photo
Ahead of it, the duo unleashed the 3rd track of the album. It’s the peppy opener, named THIS IS NOWHERE and was written with Beck who is somewhere there on the perky chorus.
Roll.
All 3 singles
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TBK: Instagram
TURN UP THE VOLUME’s JUKEBOX 2024 – 10 New Tracks Added Every Week
Every week 10 new rad tracks added
In order to not miss a beat Turn Up The Volume scans the musical
horizon daily (doing it for years now, actually) to stay in touch with
all new things sonically great and shares the results on a weekly
basis.
Check the 10 new rad cuts just
added to this rad 2024 playlist.
ALL TOGETHER
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TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. ‘When The Laughter Stops‘ by YARD ACT (UK)
Press photo
British indie rockers Yard Act shot to the indie top like a comet,
last year with their superb debut long-player The Overload.
They decided to keep the celebrity moment going. Their second LP, baptized
Where’s My Utopia will show up on 1 March. This new single features Kate J
Pearson on vocals.
Let’s roll.
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2. ‘Someday’ by THE PETAL FALLS (UK)
‘Someday’ is the newest single of this English act’s 4th album, titled ‘The Rhythm Train‘.
It’s a stellar guitar-synth pop-rock slice of music.
Totally infectious, anthemic and spiced with vivid
vocals and a mighty chorus.
Listen up.
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3. ’21’ by BAD PONY (Australia)
21 tells us the complicated story of an old flame of frontman Jarred Young.
15 years and a not insignificant amount of therapy later, Young turns his gaze
back on that period of time with a sense of closure and resolution, and a degree
of compassion for his past self.
21 sounds like NYC darlings Vampire Weekend on a roll with jangly
guitars, a firm drum/bass collaboration, eager vocals, and a rad chorus.
“Nostalgia: Friend or foe? Probably both tbh”
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4. ‘Aphrodite’ by DONNA BLUE (The Netherlands)
Aphrodite is a piece from this Dutch duo’s second album Into The Realm Of Love
which lands on 8 March. “A duet written as a sort of myth”, is about a man trying
to prove his worth to a woman who Is only interested in what he can do for her.
If you never heard of 60s glam-pop duo Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazzlewood you’ll
have a crystal clear idea of those sensual stars when Donna Blue lands on your
earphones with this seductive, idyllic and alluring tune. Fanciful voices, Chris Isaak-like guitar play, and a glowing 60s Hammond-sounding organ are beautifully interwoven,
with a bittersweet pop pearl as the final result.
Watch/listen.
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5. ‘Texas Hold Em’ by BEYONCE (US)
Last night at the Super Bowl game a Beyoncé commercial was screened announcing her new album Act II, the sequel to her 2022 album Renaissance. It’s out on March 29. And today the giga star dropped 2 new tracks, with earworm Texas Hold ‘Em as one of the two.
Yep, Beyoncé goes country.
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6. ‘All The Love We Bring’ by THE GOODIES (San Diego)
California reggae/rock/soul band The Goodies founded/led by Justin Goodman (“Goodie”) and Zan, launched their self-titled, 6-track Debut EP last week with ‘All The Love We Bring’
as the focus track.
Goodman: “It’s a liberating song about how at the end of the day, love is really all we have to give and receive. It’s upbeat and to the point incorporating Reggae, Dub, rock, and soul. “All the Love We Bring” is a song for the people who suffer at the expense of the elite, intended to set us all free!”
Stimulating tunes like this elevating one are always welcome on my headphones, in these anxious and disturbed times. Its sunlit melodiousness, reggae vibrations, sprightly vocals and hip-shaking chorus will put a big smile on your face.
Dance around.
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7. ‘Oh Hi’ by CROWDED HOUSE (New Zealand)
The New Zealand celebs are coming and going and coming
back again (1985–1996, 2006–2011, 2016, 2019–present).
The band’s orchestrator Neil Finn already shared a demo of this song
a couple years ago, and it’s inspired by his work with the non-profit
organization So They Can, which builds schools in Kenya and Tanzania.
“I’m hoping the song comes across without needing to know the backstory.
But it’s very much inspired by these incredible kids and their magnificence.”
HO HI is a glorious sing/hum/whistle along pop
ditty with joyful choir harmonies on the chorus.
Enjoy.
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8. ‘Silent Solitude’ by AVES feat. Markus Perttula (Finland)
This Finnish three-piece launch their debut album Transformations
on 22 March via Kieku Records.
“Being present means embracing the current moment, allowing yourself to disconnect from distractions and fully engage with what’s happening now. It involves focusing on what truly matters, letting go of unnecessary worries or minor details that might cloud your perception. Ultimately, it’s recognizing that in the grand scheme of things, many of the small stressors or concerns fade away when we prioritise the present and cherish what’s essential in our lives.”
This quixotic synth-pop piece invites you to live in the moment. Silent Solitude attracts with its ongoing dance groove, its sticky beats, and its utopian vocals. Sonic food for blue-sky daydreamers.
Press play.
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9. ‘Vuja De’ by LOVETTA (Canada)
‘Vuja De’ flips the words “déjà vu,” delving into the essence of Lovetta’s breakup song.
It takes you on a journey of something or someone once familiar feeling strange and unfamiliar, echoing the universal ebb and flow of relationships.
This haunting tune driven by an entrancing, rotating riff and Lovetta’s emotive vocals
draw your aural attention from start to finish. Its tantalizing flow works like a magnet. Irresistible.
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10. ‘I Forgot To Be Your Lover’ by THE BLACK KEYS (USA)
Blues rock tandem The Black Keys have canned their 12th LP. It’s called Ohio Players and materializes on 5 April. It’ll feature their cover of this 1968 song by the now 84-year-old soul man William Bell.
Five Top-Tier Tracks Just Out With THE BLACK CROWES – NERVES – THE BLACK KEYS – J. MASCIS – GAB DE LA VEGA
13 January 2024
Band: THE BLACK CROWES (Atlanta, Georgia)
New album: HAPPINESS BASTARDS
Their 9th one and the first in 15 years
Out: March 15
Lead-single: WANTING AND WAITING
The Robinson brothers are back doing what they do best, playing sultry blues rock.
Linktree
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Band: NERVES
Who: Experimental punk band
from the West of Ireland.
New EP: GLORACH
Out: March 15
Pre-order info here.
Artwork
Lead-single: EMPTY
It’s a brutalist slab of heavily effected droning guitar and bass,
corrosive blasts of feedback and gut-wrenching vocals centred
around the persistence of grief over time.
Deafening sledgehammer.
Screamo disorder.
NIN on acid.
Linktree
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Band: THE BLACK KEYS
New album: OHIO PLAYERS
Their 12th longplayer
Out: 5 April
Lead single: BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH)
The blues-rock duo still looks like accountants but with this terrifically
infectious and surprising chant they come up with one of their best
singles ever.
Na-na-na-na-na-na
Instagram
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📷 by Jeffrey Fowler
Artist: J MASCIS
Dinosaur in chief.
New album: WHAT DO WE DO NOW
His 5th solo LP
Out: 2 February
Album artwork
New single: RIGHT BEHIND YOU
“Talking about you, me/ Where we thought we’d be/ Right behind you/ We can’t believe it’s me.”
Linktree
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Photo: Ronnie Amighetti
Artist: GAB DE LA VEGA
Who: Singer/songwriter/rocker
from Brescia, Italy
New album: LIFE BURNS
His 4th full length
Out: March 1
Pre-order info here.
New single: NORTHERN LIGHTS
GDLV: “Northern Lights” is a song that plays with emotions, touching peaks in every direction, transforming for example the concept of solitude, presenting it not as a negative element, but as a companion on the journey toward awareness of one’s condition within the complex design of life. A moment of redemption that explodes in the serenity that comes through a deep and necessary catharsis in the human experience.”
Following the powerfully groovin’ lead-single Off My Chest this 2nd piece
off the album is more laid-back, meditative and emotive until the electrical finale.
WATCH/LISTEN
THE BLACK KEYS Released Their 12th Album ‘DROPOUT BOOGIE’ Today
13 May 2022
Band: THE BLACK KEYS (Akron, Ohio)
Who: Best known blues-rock duo in the world
Active: Since 2001 / 12 LPs (new one included)
New album: DROPOUT BOOGIE
Released: 13 May 2022 – order info here
Pitchfork: “The Black Keys can still resemble the same dudes from Akron
who found their calling 20 years ago by tuning out the world and getting lost
in their own greasy groove. Only now, they don’t have to settle for merely
conjuring the spirit of their blues-rock idols—they can actually invite them
to their studio.” Full review here. Score 6/10.
Turn Up The Volume: The Black Keys cover
The Black Keys and sound exactly like The Black Keys.
Singles/clips: It Ain’t Over / Wild Child
– IT AIN’T OVER –
– WILD CHILD –
Stream the full album on Spotify…
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THE BLACK KEYS: All Albums – Facebook
Sexy TOYAH (Too Sexy For You Tube) And Lonely Boy ROBERT Cover THE BLACK KEYS In 9 Takes
8 May 2022
(Still from the video clip)
It’s Sunday. It’s Toyah and Robert day. The tandem is simply
unstoppable. Today the comical pair picked The Black Keys‘
megahit Lonely Boy.
YouTube labeled the duo’s video age-restricted, so you need to go
directly to YT to see the clip. Why? Because Toyah looks terribly sexy?
Are you serious, YT? Incredibly ridiculous!
Check it out for yourselves, folks…
The Black Keys original…
THE BLACK KEYS Drop New Impassioned Cut From Their Forthcoming LP – Here’s ‘IT AIN’T OVER’
New striking strokes
28 April 2022
Celebrated blues-rockers THE BLACK KEYS have a new album out in May. It’s their 11th one called DROPOUT BOOGIE.
The duo just dropped a brand new cut from the LP. An impassioned jam with ups and downs.
Hear IT AIN’T OVER here…
Boogie-woogie dates 2022
THE BLACK KEYS: Facebook
THE BLACK KEYS Hit The Road From July On
Blues rockers THE BLACK KEYS
have a new album out in May.
The perfect motive for a tour.
Support by Band Of Horses.
Cover of new album DROPOUT BOOGIE
Lead-single…