This is my favorite Black Keys song of late, though it's not new. I suppose I first heard it on a breeze-through listen of El Camino after its release, an album I appreciated but never listened to much, as I always favored the older stuff. "Little Black Submarines" re-entered my consciousness as a radio edit in mid-August. Now it is a weekly, or daily, obsessive listen.
It's classic Black Keys in the best way, dreary and aggressive, composed and chaotic. They performed it during a magnificent spectacle of an arena tour in Pittsburgh earlier this month, and I felt stunned by Dan Auerbach playing solo in spotlight. I felt shaken by the kick kicking in at the bust, enraptured by the newfound attack of the hook. Subtle tambourine and synth harken back to this band's earlier days, the ones of rebellious distortion and analog glory. Then everything collides, a punishing offensive of one loud-ass guitar and a little of everything else backing it up. Auerbach's effortless cool is trademark, and rugged, and I can't think of a better sound than his vintage pedal-fuzz to accompany this hardening of hearts. Lyrical brilliance has never been this band's strong suit, though it has never needed to be with this kind of blues-rock feeling, and yet here they hit their mark with dead-on aim, with a story of a desperate broken heart sullen and thrashing in its own misery.
Vulnerability never sounded so tough.
"Little black submarines,
Operator please,
Put me back on the line.
Told my girl I'd be back
Operator please,
This is wreckin' my mind
Oh can it be,
The voices calling me,
They get lost,
And out of time,
I should've seen it glow,
But everybody knows,
That a broken heart is blind.
That a broken heart is blind.
Pick you up, let you down,
When I wanna go
To a place I can hide.
You know me, I had plans,
But they just disappeared,
To the back of my mind.
Oh can it be,
The voices calling me,
They get lost,
And out of time.
I should've seen a glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind.
Treasure maps, fallen trees,
Operator please
Call me back when it's time
Stolen friends and disease,
Operator please,
Patch me back to my mind.
Oh can it be?
The voices calling me
They get lost
And out of time.
I should've seen a glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind."
~Little Black Submarines
The Black Keys, El Camino
Showing posts with label The Black Keys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Black Keys. Show all posts
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Sunday, October 7, 2012
10/7/12
One of my favorites on this record. My favorite part of this song -- that real quick measure of picking then the organ kicks in. Don't forget you have Danger Mouse on this record, hitting and holding those chords with just the right attack. Just a perfectly sad little song, warm and muted and hurt.
"Ain't it just like dying,
Except you can still feel the shame,
All hands on deck now,
The sea is getting rough again.
You see him out your window,
And even when you close the blinds,
Cause all you ever wanted
Was someone to treat you nice and kind.
Take a step before runnin',
Take a breath now before you dive.
When you walk the streets, darlin,
Make sure your sneaker laces they get tied.
I'll be a black bird darling
Hanging on your telephone wire
Flap my wings over you
And set your heart afire"
~All You Ever Wanted
The Black Keys, Attack & Release
"Ain't it just like dying,
Except you can still feel the shame,
All hands on deck now,
The sea is getting rough again.
You see him out your window,
And even when you close the blinds,
Cause all you ever wanted
Was someone to treat you nice and kind.
Take a step before runnin',
Take a breath now before you dive.
When you walk the streets, darlin,
Make sure your sneaker laces they get tied.
I'll be a black bird darling
Hanging on your telephone wire
Flap my wings over you
And set your heart afire"
~All You Ever Wanted
The Black Keys, Attack & Release
Thursday, May 31, 2012
5/31/12
"Got this sin in her brain
But she ain't gonna see me again
See me again, this I know
But oh, deep down I can't let go
Oh, don't let it be over, over oh
Oh, don't let it be over, let it be over, over"
~Mind Eraser
The Black Keys, El Camino
Probably my second-favorite track off El Camino after "Gold on the Ceiling." Came on shuffle when I was driving home from a 10-hour day at the office, feeling spent and confused. The drive was taking the edge off, though.
Windows down. Shades on. Smattering of clouds on a icy blue sky, stop and go traffic in the city.
Well, yes, you should remember you met me.
It's been a long, cold minute since I was excited by meeting someone else. Of late, my affections have drifted towards the comfortable - in some cases that's brilliant, in others complete idiotic. Something about the summer, and The Black Keys, makes me think of fun, flirtation and those too-long glances that are too hard to come by.
Last summer will be tough to to beat.
But after all, have I anything to lose?
Probably my second-favorite track off El Camino after "Gold on the Ceiling." Came on shuffle when I was driving home from a 10-hour day at the office, feeling spent and confused. The drive was taking the edge off, though.
Windows down. Shades on. Smattering of clouds on a icy blue sky, stop and go traffic in the city.
Well, yes, you should remember you met me.
It's been a long, cold minute since I was excited by meeting someone else. Of late, my affections have drifted towards the comfortable - in some cases that's brilliant, in others complete idiotic. Something about the summer, and The Black Keys, makes me think of fun, flirtation and those too-long glances that are too hard to come by.
Last summer will be tough to to beat.
But after all, have I anything to lose?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
12/27/11
My Top 10 Favorite Albums in 2011
I'm hesitant to call this a "best of the year" list, because best is a very subject term. So, here are my favorites:
10)Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
They still got it. No lie. I've seen enough live performances from this album to know that NO one can rock a room like the Foos. "Walk" is likely one of the best mainstream rock songs that came out this year, and Dave Grohl & co. continue to make their messages known and connect with society. Even thought "Wasting Light" may not have the staying power of their other catalog titles, the band still sure does.
9)Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
A band we hadn't heard from in a minute came back with power, with perspective and punch. Take a listen to the title track, or "Apprehension" and you'll see that Andy Hull pours out his heart like it's made of cheap vodka. True, that's the biographical text we've come to know and love from this band, but this time around in it's a new glaze. Emo chords are traded in for darker, twisted sounds, and there's as much layering as there is stripped-down, laid-bare musings.
8)The Dangerous Summer - War Paint
This band captured my heart early in the year when I discovered "Reach for the Sun," and when their sophomore "War Paint" came out, the band quickly became the soundtrack to my summer. Loss, redemption, struggle, rinse, repeat. The title track is a rallying call to rise above, "Work in Progress" is a retreat from the world. Album closer "Waves" could make you conquer the world, while reminding your loved ones to do the same.
7)Bon Iver - Bon Iver
It had been too long since "For Emma, Forever Ago" and we needed to hear from Bon Iver again. We did, this fall, and the self-titled album captures a place that feels snowy, warm, effervescent. "Minnesota, WI" is just one example of how production should enhance instrumentation, not bury it, and "Towers" clips along almost like an Old West saloon song, maybe one that mated with binary. I dig the style.
6) The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
I discovered the Welch trio on Pandora around the same time this album came out and holy shit was I blown away. Shoegazey rock? Big guitars? Chick singer? Count me in! Don't let the radio edit of "Whirring" fool you - these guys know their riffs, they know their layers, and they know how to blow your mind.
5)Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire
One of my most-anticipated albums of 2011, and it didn't let me down a drop. Ryan is back with a pillow-soft smile, but the beat-up, broke-down desperation lives on. "Lucky Now" will hopefully be played on Grey's Anatomy when the second half of this season airs. If I'm lucky. Songs like "Dirty Rain," "Save Me" and the title track show that Ryan Adams is a master of the ballad formula in its truest sense, and with this album he's shown us no age, illness, marriage or critique will keep him from developing his talents.
4)Wilco - The Whole Love
Wilco is an awesome band. We knew this, we knew this because of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," we knew this because of "Sky Blue Sky" but Jeff Tweedy continues to come up with some of the catchiest, sly-ist little songs I've ever heard. "Born Alone" is the type of song that makes me want to dye my hair dirty blonde, wear daisies behind my ears and hop in a pick-up owned by a guy with just the right amount of stubble on his cheeks. This album should be enough to make this band triumphantly mainstream, but for some reason I still feel like they are kind of under everyone's radar. Maybe that's where they want to be.
3)The Decemberists - The King is Dead
"Don't Carry it All" is, in my opinion, the song that sums up where we need to go as a society. And for that, I give them extreme props. While it's lacking a strict storyline, you know what this record is about all the same and I think that's a strength. Instead of a script, characters and drama, we have scenes and messages. I also know that "Down by the Water" was overplayed like a motherfucker on indie radio, so we can only assume that means The Decemberists, with this release, are cemented in indie history. Applause.
2)Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
"What good is it to sing helplessness blues?/Why should I wait for anyone else?" If you're looking for political philosophy musings as you yearn for an apple orchard to run through, Fleet Foxes will certainly soothe your desires. This is a band who I respected and enjoyed, and that's only been furthered by this record. It rises, peaks and falls like an orchestra might, uncovering safeness in smallness and boldness in triumph.
1)The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing
Just when I thought I was maturing out of pop punk, The Wonder Years came along and gave me a reason to stay. I was familiar with a few songs from their last release, "The Upsides," and picked up "Suburbia" on a whim 'cause I liked the title. I am a little amazed at the story they've woven through this record. You can see the sad town, you can feel the bitter winter, and you can hear the kids partying in backyards late at night. The opening track is an anthem for recovery from the toughest falls, the longest stretches of self-deprecating doubt. "And Now I'm Nothing" is acceptance, surrender to the now and the way it is. In between, "I Won't Say the Lord's Prayer" is an atheist seeking not answers but apathy, and "I've Given You All" is my favorite song I've ever heard about a homeless man. If you were about to write off the genre, don't, because the honesty is still there. This is the record for those who want to get out of this town and start again, even if there's no way out yet.
Honorable mentions to the following albums which I enjoy but have not listened to thoroughly enough to rank against the others: The Black Keys - El Camino; The Civil Wars - Barton Hallow; Laura Marling - A Creature I Do Not Know; Dia Frampton - Red.
EDIT: Aw shit I forgot about Taking Back Sunday. With John Nolan! I missed them in concert 'cause my car died and I was kind of homeless for a couple days. But good record, blasted it many times on 5 and 20 in Canandaigua.
EDIT 2: Iron and Wine! I suck at this.
I'm hesitant to call this a "best of the year" list, because best is a very subject term. So, here are my favorites:
10)Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
They still got it. No lie. I've seen enough live performances from this album to know that NO one can rock a room like the Foos. "Walk" is likely one of the best mainstream rock songs that came out this year, and Dave Grohl & co. continue to make their messages known and connect with society. Even thought "Wasting Light" may not have the staying power of their other catalog titles, the band still sure does.
9)Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
A band we hadn't heard from in a minute came back with power, with perspective and punch. Take a listen to the title track, or "Apprehension" and you'll see that Andy Hull pours out his heart like it's made of cheap vodka. True, that's the biographical text we've come to know and love from this band, but this time around in it's a new glaze. Emo chords are traded in for darker, twisted sounds, and there's as much layering as there is stripped-down, laid-bare musings.
8)The Dangerous Summer - War Paint
This band captured my heart early in the year when I discovered "Reach for the Sun," and when their sophomore "War Paint" came out, the band quickly became the soundtrack to my summer. Loss, redemption, struggle, rinse, repeat. The title track is a rallying call to rise above, "Work in Progress" is a retreat from the world. Album closer "Waves" could make you conquer the world, while reminding your loved ones to do the same.
7)Bon Iver - Bon Iver
It had been too long since "For Emma, Forever Ago" and we needed to hear from Bon Iver again. We did, this fall, and the self-titled album captures a place that feels snowy, warm, effervescent. "Minnesota, WI" is just one example of how production should enhance instrumentation, not bury it, and "Towers" clips along almost like an Old West saloon song, maybe one that mated with binary. I dig the style.
6) The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
I discovered the Welch trio on Pandora around the same time this album came out and holy shit was I blown away. Shoegazey rock? Big guitars? Chick singer? Count me in! Don't let the radio edit of "Whirring" fool you - these guys know their riffs, they know their layers, and they know how to blow your mind.
5)Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire
One of my most-anticipated albums of 2011, and it didn't let me down a drop. Ryan is back with a pillow-soft smile, but the beat-up, broke-down desperation lives on. "Lucky Now" will hopefully be played on Grey's Anatomy when the second half of this season airs. If I'm lucky. Songs like "Dirty Rain," "Save Me" and the title track show that Ryan Adams is a master of the ballad formula in its truest sense, and with this album he's shown us no age, illness, marriage or critique will keep him from developing his talents.
4)Wilco - The Whole Love
Wilco is an awesome band. We knew this, we knew this because of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," we knew this because of "Sky Blue Sky" but Jeff Tweedy continues to come up with some of the catchiest, sly-ist little songs I've ever heard. "Born Alone" is the type of song that makes me want to dye my hair dirty blonde, wear daisies behind my ears and hop in a pick-up owned by a guy with just the right amount of stubble on his cheeks. This album should be enough to make this band triumphantly mainstream, but for some reason I still feel like they are kind of under everyone's radar. Maybe that's where they want to be.
3)The Decemberists - The King is Dead
"Don't Carry it All" is, in my opinion, the song that sums up where we need to go as a society. And for that, I give them extreme props. While it's lacking a strict storyline, you know what this record is about all the same and I think that's a strength. Instead of a script, characters and drama, we have scenes and messages. I also know that "Down by the Water" was overplayed like a motherfucker on indie radio, so we can only assume that means The Decemberists, with this release, are cemented in indie history. Applause.
2)Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
"What good is it to sing helplessness blues?/Why should I wait for anyone else?" If you're looking for political philosophy musings as you yearn for an apple orchard to run through, Fleet Foxes will certainly soothe your desires. This is a band who I respected and enjoyed, and that's only been furthered by this record. It rises, peaks and falls like an orchestra might, uncovering safeness in smallness and boldness in triumph.
1)The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing
Just when I thought I was maturing out of pop punk, The Wonder Years came along and gave me a reason to stay. I was familiar with a few songs from their last release, "The Upsides," and picked up "Suburbia" on a whim 'cause I liked the title. I am a little amazed at the story they've woven through this record. You can see the sad town, you can feel the bitter winter, and you can hear the kids partying in backyards late at night. The opening track is an anthem for recovery from the toughest falls, the longest stretches of self-deprecating doubt. "And Now I'm Nothing" is acceptance, surrender to the now and the way it is. In between, "I Won't Say the Lord's Prayer" is an atheist seeking not answers but apathy, and "I've Given You All" is my favorite song I've ever heard about a homeless man. If you were about to write off the genre, don't, because the honesty is still there. This is the record for those who want to get out of this town and start again, even if there's no way out yet.
Honorable mentions to the following albums which I enjoy but have not listened to thoroughly enough to rank against the others: The Black Keys - El Camino; The Civil Wars - Barton Hallow; Laura Marling - A Creature I Do Not Know; Dia Frampton - Red.
EDIT: Aw shit I forgot about Taking Back Sunday. With John Nolan! I missed them in concert 'cause my car died and I was kind of homeless for a couple days. But good record, blasted it many times on 5 and 20 in Canandaigua.
EDIT 2: Iron and Wine! I suck at this.
Monday, August 8, 2011
8/8/11
This habit of waking up early, listening to music and writing, it's very beneficial. Why don't we get the hard part of the day over with first?
Sunday, December 12, 2010
12/12/10
Top ten albums of the year, according to how excited I was to listen to them, how many listens they've received, how groundbreaking and advancing I think they are for music right now:
1) The National - High Violet
2) The Black Keys - Brothers
3) Jimmy Eat World - Invented
4) The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
5) Minus the Beat - Omni
6) Taylor Swift - Speak Now
7) The Weakerthans - Live at the Burton Cummings Theate
8) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy *
9) Neon Trees - Habits
10) Beach House -Teen Dream
*I know this is the probably the most popular and overarching album on the list, and I do really enjoy it. Kanye is the trendsetter for the rest of the trendsetters, and I loveeee his work. However, taste is a factor, and I'm more likely to put on one of the higher-ranked albums than MBDTF, solely based off of mood and style factor.
But ya know, no one has to listen to me. Hats off to Lovedrug and States for the most talent-ridden EPs I've heard maybe ever.
1) The National - High Violet
2) The Black Keys - Brothers
3) Jimmy Eat World - Invented
4) The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
5) Minus the Beat - Omni
6) Taylor Swift - Speak Now
7) The Weakerthans - Live at the Burton Cummings Theate
8) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy *
9) Neon Trees - Habits
10) Beach House -Teen Dream
*I know this is the probably the most popular and overarching album on the list, and I do really enjoy it. Kanye is the trendsetter for the rest of the trendsetters, and I loveeee his work. However, taste is a factor, and I'm more likely to put on one of the higher-ranked albums than MBDTF, solely based off of mood and style factor.
But ya know, no one has to listen to me. Hats off to Lovedrug and States for the most talent-ridden EPs I've heard maybe ever.
Monday, June 14, 2010
6/14/10
Have I not said how fucking kickass The Black Keys are? It's time for that.
I've been listening to these guys for about a year or so, after a magic fairy gave me their entire discography up to that point. In this time they've become one of my go-to favorites, notably for their debut "The Big Come Up" from 2001. I got really hooked on their blues-rock feel -- it's not as chaotic as The Dead Weather, but not too contrived. Dirty-ass guitar licks, thundering rhythms, and all kinds of lonesome lovesick-ridden melodies. And fantastic production work, too; great sound and great subtle parts that sneak up on you with how cool they sound.
Their most recent release, "Brothers," is a gem in their already-established catalog (And -- see below -- isn't that great cover art?) From "Everlasting Light" to "Sinister Kid," from "I'm Not The One" to "Never Give You Up," this album has the coolest vibe that runs from high energy to slow burn blues tunes. They're freakin' masters. Hoping to see them live this summer when they come upstate with The Flaming Lips.
I've been listening to these guys for about a year or so, after a magic fairy gave me their entire discography up to that point. In this time they've become one of my go-to favorites, notably for their debut "The Big Come Up" from 2001. I got really hooked on their blues-rock feel -- it's not as chaotic as The Dead Weather, but not too contrived. Dirty-ass guitar licks, thundering rhythms, and all kinds of lonesome lovesick-ridden melodies. And fantastic production work, too; great sound and great subtle parts that sneak up on you with how cool they sound.
Their most recent release, "Brothers," is a gem in their already-established catalog (And -- see below -- isn't that great cover art?) From "Everlasting Light" to "Sinister Kid," from "I'm Not The One" to "Never Give You Up," this album has the coolest vibe that runs from high energy to slow burn blues tunes. They're freakin' masters. Hoping to see them live this summer when they come upstate with The Flaming Lips.
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