Thickfreakness

Album review

The Black Keys shot to fame in 2010, packing out huge stadiums with their sixth album Brothers. The album artwork paid tribute to a controversial Howlin’ Wolf album (This is Howlin’ Wolf’s New Album. He Doesn’t Like It…) and it was a sign. A sign that all the music they love stems from the blues, even if they also explore other avenues. That’s exactly how they started, playing the blues as a duo in their native industrial Midwest (Akron, Ohio), while dreaming of electric juke joints in Mississippi. The Black Keys have never expressed their love for the blues as much as on Thickfreakness, their second album (and for blues fans, their best). The record where Dan Auerbach carved steaks out of the soft belly of the blues by playing guitar haché with an overpowering sound. The one where drummer Pat Carney seemed to be playing to calm his nerves after a day at the factory. They had faith, rage and hunger in their stomachs, tired and hungry for success. As much inspired by the electric blues of North Mississippi (notably Junior Kimbrough) as by proto-punk (from The Stooges to The Sonics, covering their song Have Love Will Travel), the Black Keys wrote their own legend. Listening to this record on top volume is like sticking your head out of the window of a car speeding down a sun-burned road. Only without all the midges in your face. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz