Turn Blue- The Black Keys | Album Review

If you don’t get hypnotised by just the album cover for Turn Blue, the music definitely won’t get you hooked. The follow up to 2011’s highly successful El Camino has been a long time coming for The Black Keys. With hits like “Lonely Boy” and “Gold On The Ceiling”, great things were expected for their next album.

For most bands and singers, the inevitable break-up album is usually some of their best work. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the band’s eighth studio album. The messy, bitter divorce of Dan Auerbach with his wife has raised a dark beast of an album. It doesn’t match the usual upbeat tracks from the band.

The entire album is a lot more depressing and doesn’t match the band’s usual formula. The only slight reprieve from this is “Fever”, the first single to come from the album. “Fever” gave a glimmer of hope that they had kept with their classic tone, reminiscent of El Camino and Brothers. The entire album just seems to be a middle finger to his ex-wife, or, as shown by “Bullet In The Brain”, an SOS written in the sand.

There are slight instances that they could return to their former glory throughout the album. Some more depressing warbling from Dan Auerbach usually squashes this. However, you can hear the true pain in his voice in “10 Lovers” which is accompanied by some amazing drumming from Patrick Carney. “Gotta Get Away” provides a very solid ending for the album with it not being depressing at all. Auerbach is a lot less whiney and is on top form for the strong ending.

This does little to revive Turn Blue and must go down as one of the more mediocre break-up albums. Most of The Black Keys fans will be feeling underwhelmed with the band’s latest offering. Hopefully, once Auerbach gets over his issues, The Black Keys can return to the summit of the rock world.

6/10