HEMI CUDA REVIEW

The Black Keys The Big Come On (Alive Records)

Akron, Ohio is known for Lux Interior, Devo, Chrissie Hynde and many others but it just ain't that simple. The blues is always right. Those Bloated Keys had it in their heart and soul and I don't care what the circumstances. This band bashes out the blues tunes in the basement and are either honest or not. We get plenty of Memphis grit, Motor City stomp and Mississippi with Dan Auerbach hollering out the lyrics/guitar and Patrick Carney commanding the control room and brake beats. It was just one of those situations where the truth won't do and a lie's no help. The nucleus of the band was formed a few years back when Patrick and Dan recorded a few songs on a four track after school. Sound familiar? At the kitchen door, he glanced back quickly and shrugged and spread his hands and looked sort of mournful. The meanness was gone from them but the fear that had taken its place was worse. The simple colors of these blues-rock compositions have been deliberately purged of any realistic matter. My favorite. The Big Come On was recorded right in the heart of Akron. What mo' do you want? "The Keys produce its own brand of stripped down rock 'n' roll that combines one chunky guitar, one cheap organ, a broken-down drum kit, an empty basement and you've got the bare essentials of what forms the BLACK KEYS sound" says their label. Numerous trips to meet mentors, countless hours in Greenville, Mississippi playing the blues guitar at romps in the juke joints with the likes of ornery great James "T-Model" Ford, sleeping at night on Ford's trailer home floor, and dreaming about making music. Minimalist structure not yet ruined by mass-production. The band's satisfying arrangement juggles the important elements of blues highlighting a self-destructive but rewarding way.