According to the Black Keys’ website, the title of their 2014 album Turn Blue could refer to “A. Suffocation. B. Sadness. C. Numbness from extreme cold. D. A Cleveland late night TV host from the 1960s named Ghoulardi. E. All of the above.”
As I listen to the album now during the 2019 Polar Vortex hitting the Midwest USA, I’m inclined to go with the third definition, but the psychedelic artwork of the album cover and the general southern California psychedelic sound of the record makes me want to lean toward the fourth one.
Produced by none other than Danger Mouse, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney recorded the album during the summer of 2013 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. The bright sunshine, warm weather, and California vibe infuse the entire record. The opener, “Weight of Love,” has Auerbach working his guitar like Carlos Santana and Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton adding bright keyboards behind Carney’s as-always rock solid drumming.
Speaking of rock solid drumming, how about Carney’s work on the appropriately titled “In Time?” Auerbach’s vocals go into a higher register to counter the thumping bass groove. The title track has Auerbach singing about the blues almost overwhelming him every night and warning us, “I really do hope you know there could be Hell below.” as we wander with him on and off paths of sin and vice.
“Fever” was the first single off Turn Blue, which is no surprise with its happy programmed beats ready for remixing, almost post-punk guitar chords, and catchy chorus. “You’ve been down this road before,” Auerbach preaches on “Year in Review” before ripping into a soaring solo that sounds like he wrote while hang gliding off a mountain in Utah.
The band’s love of Pink Floyd is evident on “Bullet in the Brain” from the opening guitar chords through the psychedelic, sludgy beats mixing with crystal clear electric keys. They turn up the fuzz on “It’s Up to You Now,” with Auerbach’s solo reaching meditative status. The soulful, sad love song “Waiting on Words” slows things down a bit, but it keeps some of the psychedelic touches with reverb and muted drums that build to head-bobbing beats. The bass lick on “10 Lovers” is positively groovy and almost steals the tune.
“In Our Prime” is a bluesy lament to lost youth that blends snappy beats from Carney with music box-like keyboards from Burton. The album ends with “Gotta Get Away,” a garage rock track with pop flair and ELO-like grooves.
I’ll admit that it took me a while to warm up to this record. I wasn’t sure what to make of it when I first heard it, but I knew I should give it another chance. The second listen revealed some things I hadn’t heard before, and by the third I knew it was a slick record indeed. I can’t help but think that the psychedelic touches on Turn Blue continued with Auerbach’s psychedelic side project The Arcs, and now I’m intrigued as to where the Black Keys will go next.
Keep your mind open.
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