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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A slight change of pace, 19 Mar 2008
I'm a huge fan of The Black Keys... I have all of their albums and singles and have seen them perform live 4 or 5 times. They play driving, gutteral, thumping, fuzzy rock and roll. Well, usually they do...
Sometimes they play dusty, bluesy rock and roll, and there is a lot of that to be found on 'Attack & Release'. With the exception of perhaps three tracks (of which two are my current favourites: 'I Got Mine' and 'Remember When - Side B') this album is short of high-tempo rocking tracks. The album does not suffer for it, but I get the sense that the live show's might. Every time I have seen these guys live, the crowd is enthralled until the slower tracks are played, and then after 30 seconds it's difficult to hear the band over the sound of 2000 people talking. I find this hugely annoying, as much of their slower, bluesy work is where you'll find their best song-writing, and that is the case on this album too.
Apart from the two up-tempo rockers mentioned earlier, other highlights include; the closing track 'Things Aren't What They Used To Be' which is a pretty epic, delicate, soulful duet, and the albums standout track "Psychotic Girl", a track that will surely earn its place on any future 'Best Of' compilation, where producer Dangermouse's influence is most prominent, adding depth to the Key's mid-tempo psychedlic sound with a bizarre choir.
In summary, if you are expecting an album full of 'Till I Get My Way'-esque stompers, you may be disappointed, but if you are willing to really listen to the slower, bluesy, soulful tracks found on this album, you will be rewarded by song-writing at it's finest.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Black Keys - Attack & Release, 4 Sep 2008
This really isn't an album i thought i'd ever get into. I had heard of these guys but the whole 2 piece band thing made me think of the White Stripes; who i really don't like. So that was an obstacle i'd have to overcome to keep a clear mind when listening to this album. Also im a bit of a metalhead; favourite bands being Slayer, Slipknot, Tool etc but i do love my southern blues....which i guess is why i love this album. The sheer fact that if you didnt know there were 2 guys in this band you'd never be able to guess. There's just so much going at at once, which is where i think the White Stripes fail, to me it's very obvious there is 2 people there. You've got guitar, drums, vocals and a bit of flute thrown in. You can really hear alot of influences here too. Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix Experience and Jethro Tull are all heard in amongst these 11 songs, which are coincidentally three of my favourite bands.
My personal favourites on this album have to be "I Got Mine", "Lies" and "Same Old Thing"; but i think every song has its merits. The slow build up of the opener "All You Ever Wanted" puts you in a false sense of security and the intro to "I Got Mine" blows you out of the water. A song myself i enjoy to play on the drums, not quite anything as hard as Slayer to play but enjoyable all the same!! Every track seems to flow and connect with the next and i fail to see a weak point in the album. Although from reading previous reviews i would seem to be bang wrong as i've seen a few 1, 2 star reviews but then again i havn't heard any of their other albums so maybe im not worth listening to. But i guess i'll leave that up to you. I do kind of feel i'm giving this album some injustice by giving 4 and not 5 stars but i feel i'd have to check out more of their past material to compare, so i feel asif 4 is fair for now.
To conclude, if you enjoy a bit of the old blues and/or some old school rock and roll from the 60's and 70's i urge you to check this album out. This is coming from someone who enjoys listening to Deicide and Nile, if i like it then you must have a pretty good chance!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some fantastic stuff on this album..., 27 Nov 2008
This is my first Black Keys album. A purchase inspired by some very positive reviews coupled with a description of music which sounded very much like my cup of tea, I bought it and I wasn't disappointed. This is extremely good music. Although existing Black Keys fans seem to be divided about 'Attack And Release', I have no previous album with which to compare this to, so all I can do is take it at face value and talk about it as an individual piece of work rather than in the context of their other releases. That may be a good or bad thing. Still, I like what I hear and I hear elements of raucous White Stripes (back when they were at their best) with added blues-fueled soul and classic heavy rock sensibilities.
There are, without a doubt, some absolutely fantastic tracks on offer here. The raw 'I Got Mine' gets the head nodding and feet tapping. 'Strange Times' boast a classic, memorable riff coupled with a short, but classy chorus. The banjo-led swamp blues opening of 'Psychotic Girl' is both simultaneously creepy and enthralling. 'Same Old Thing' has a slight Jethro Tull feel to it - and, for the record, that's a good thing. 'Oceans and Streams' has an absolutely phenomenal powerful beat to it and a true raw appeal. The last track, 'Things Aint What They Used To Be', featuring 19-year old country singer Jessica Lea Mayfield on vocals, is perhaps the most conventional song on the album and yet really thrills, with the prominent organ and dreamy guitar solo.
'Lies' and 'Remember When (Side A)' are probably the only tracks on the album I don't care for too much and, while perhaps a little dull and derivative, they are the exceptions to the rule on what is a very enjoyable release. In fact, listening to this album makes me want to buy more Black Keys albums, so it can't be bad. Perhaps they have lost a few old fans with this album, but they've gained a new one in me.
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