You may know them from their successful albums Brothers and El Camino, but now the Black Keys are switching things up with their new album Turn Blue. With the new album which was released on May 9th, the Black Keys show us a whole new side of them. The duo, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney worked in collaboration with Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton who helped write and co-produce many of the songs on the album.
The Black Keys switched things up, taking some major risks with this album. The Keys broke out of their comfort zone and broadened their musical horizons. Turn Blue is indeed an album that is “turning blue”, the duo incorporated more blues and psychedelic rock in this album differentiating it from their past albums. With Dan going through divorce proceedings, the lyrics in this album are more profound and reflective of his personal problems. Turn Blue is also more polished album, which has a lot more bells and whistles compared to their old stuff. The Black Keys’ old albums mainly focused on the vocals, guitar, and drums and Turn Blue incorporates not only more instruments but synthesizers and sound effects as well.
The album has caused quite a bit of controversy with some people loving it and others not so much. The only word that the two sides can agree on is that the album is different. The album is something that the Black Keys have never done before, that being a success in itself but many old fans seem 
disappointed. It is not the Key’s strongest album but it can’t be denied that there are some amazing tracks including Weight Of Love. Weight Of Love not only starts off the album but it is also the longest song on the album reaching almost 7 minutes. The song gives off a 70s psychedelic rock vibe and the guitar solos are something reminiscent of Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. The albums biggest hit Fever is catchy, sounding almost pop-like but it still maintains it’s rock and soul roots. Every song on the album is quite different from each other, yet when listening to the whole album back to back it sounds very cohesive and put together.
Make sure you check out the album and decide whether you’re a fan who’s completely in love with the album or if you’re a fan who’s going to stick with the old albums. Regardless, the Black Keys are one of the best bands you can see live so make sure you check out this amazing duo going on tour this fall in a city near you. The Keys will be touring with Cage the Elephant, Jake Bugg, and St.Vincent, and tickets are on sale now so pass by www.dynamictickets.net to see tour dates and other tour information.
