Black Keys - El Camino

This album is a raucous rock n' roll ride from a band that I'm still discovering. I'm blown away by how cool and groovy they are and that each time I play this record it gets better. I mean I've been listening to "Gold On The Ceiling" for a month now almost daily and I have to crank the volume and rock out. This is one of the first songs I've been completely addicted to in a long time. I mean I've been liking some tunes but this song can be on repeat for an hour and I will enjoy it every time a little bit more. The thing about El Camino is that every song has its own individual personality all the while making for a cohesive album listening experience.

There are some truly great records like Dark Side Of The Moon, ZoSo (Led Zeppelin IV), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Exile On Mainstreet, Revolver and The Joshua Tree and now the Black Keys are in that company in my opinion. I wouldn't put it at the top of the list because you can't do anything better than Sgt. Pepper or Darkside Of The Moon but to me it deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as those slices of genius. When you take the disco influenced "Run Right Back" and then the Elvis Costello meets Roxy Music feeling of "Sister" this album inspires large goosebumps. They are so well crafted but organic at the same time creating such a beautiful soundscape that I gladly give up the minutes of my life to listening to them anytime, anywhere.

Five years ago I wouldn't have even known who this band was but they are on my radar now and they will never be out of it again. The bands big single "Lonely Boy" is instantly memorable that leaves you with nothing but a smile. I like to play this album on random with my I-Pod just so I don't know what tracks coming next. It makes the repeated listening even more enjoyable and adds some fun for me any how. Songs like "Nova Baby" are so good they sound like old favorites from the first listen and that's something special that is very hard to achieve. That song in particular reminds of my new wave days of Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello for some reason, I guess it has that spirit. This is a better album than I could have expected it to be and if I would have had it in my listening rotation earlier than December 2011 I would have had it sitting near the top of my best of top 100 list not at the still respectable #31 where it ended up just because of how late I was to the Keys party.