Happy 15th Anniversary to The Black Keys’ fifth studio album Attack & Release, originally released April 1, 2008.
In my mid-twenties at the time, 2008 was a year of musical exploration and discovery for me. I had a little more than a decade of formal listening history under my belt, primarily as a hip-hop and R&B connoisseur. Beginning to grow a bit weary with both genres, I followed the creative breadcrumbs of one of music’s most innovative producers, who led me to the Akron, Ohio garage of The Black Keys, the veteran duo comprised of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums).
It was an exciting and fulfilling journey to unwittingly stumble upon this unfamiliar musical landscape. It was within the context of the independent hip-hop scene during the summer of 2004 when I bought the solo debut album of a rapper named Prince Po, formerly one-half of the legendary rap group Organized Konfusion. This obscure gem entitled The Slickness served as my formal introduction to the producer Danger Mouse, whose contributions on the LP went toe-to-toe with blue-chip beatmaker Madlib.
Madlib was already proving to be the head of the class for a new generation of hip-hop sound wizards with a string of underground hits over the prior two to three years. Mouse’s legend was growing as well, with the critical acclaim he garnered from his inventive mixtape The Grey Album (2004), which mashed Jay-Z’s The Black Album (2003) with samples from the Beatles' self-titled ninth album, commonly referred to as The White Album (1968). After hearing The Mouse and the Mask, Mouse’s 2005 collaboration with emcee extraordinaire MF DOOM under the joint moniker Danger Doom, I was officially a member of the Danger Mouse fan club, and on stand-by for any future projects. Seeing him crossover with the acclaimed LP St. Elsewhere, along with his partner Cee-Lo to form the group Gnarls Barkley was one of my personal listening highlights of 2006.
So, with Danger Mouse credited as producer for the Keys’ fifth studio project entitled Attack & Release, the LP was directly in my consumer crosshairs, going into the spring of 2008. I was not disappointed after purchasing the CD. I still remember those first few listens, noticing the Keys had a personable and inviting style of jamming, which seemed to pull you right into their midwestern neighborhood. More familiar with the album’s producer than the group, “Psychotic Girl” stood out as a song where Danger Mouse left one of his most recognizable imprints on Attack & Release, aiding Auerbach and Carney’s minimalist brand of blues rock. The eerie piano chords and entire backdrop set the tone for Auerbach’s regretful lyrics of love gone awry, in the most classic of blues themes.
Similarly, the added effects helped pace “Lies” as not only a musical ode to the rock & roll pioneer Ike Turner (who was slated an Attack & Release collaborator before he passed in December 2007), but to blues singers of the proceeding generation entirely.
Listen & Watch (Playlist):
“Strange Times” was one of the more up-tempo songs on the LP and a precursor to some of the Keys’ most commercially successful songs that would come later on the successive LPs Brothers (2010), and El Camino (2011).
In search of something with a little more depth and inspiration than the hip-hop and neo-soul at the close of the ‘00s, I unknowingly walked through the door of a contemporary wave of blues rock revivalism. The ghost of Ike Turner, B.B. King, and Tom Fogerty loomed over every melancholy guitar riff, murky drumline, and sometimes ominous lyric. My detour, off the lane of hip-hop, steered me into the world of contemporary rock & roll/blues, which opened me up to a rich musical world I didn’t expect to be so fulfilling. This revival of music from decades past connected me to my own southern roots and would serve as the closest I would come to drinking whiskey with my late Granddaddy, in a smoke-filled bar near his native and beloved Florence, South Carolina.
Attack & Release exceeded the wildest expectations I had for musical expansion outside of my regular comfort zone. Not only did I appreciate the LP as a standalone gem, but I was also inspired to reach back into the Keys’ catalogue to find Thickfreakness (2003) and Rubber Factory (2004). The Black Keys also served as a gateway band for my dive into the psychedelic and blues rock of the ‘60s and ‘70s that spawned classic records from bands like The Doors and The Animals.
Attack & Release has endured to be one of my favorites among Danger Mouse’s storied production discography and top-tier for The Black Keys’ still-evolving musical legacy. This 15-year reflection into my own musical journey reminded me of how great the Keys were just before their huge commercial breakthrough and how their first collaboration with producer Danger Mouse succeeded in paying rightful homage to rock & roll pioneers, whose music will be rediscovered for ages.
LISTEN: