The Black Keys – Rubber Factory Review
From the opening lick of “When the Lights Go Out” the Black Keys seem intent on letting you know that this is not just another blues rock duo. It’s tempting to list the wide ranging and occasionally surprising musical ancestors, but the honest-to-god feeling is that this is a pair that loves to play and has long since melded the elements into a new alloy of sound.
There’s a reason Black Keys shows attract a wide ranging crowd including the scruffy summer festival set, the alt. rock set, the alt. country set, the older folks who miss the first run of guitar god bands. It’s because this is a band and an album that resists labels.
Even using a label like “blues rock” seems a bit unfair because it can call to mind an endless string of jam bands and 70’s throwbacks. This is a band that leaves the jams for rehearsals. The longest song, a strolling ballad called “the Lengths,” clocks in at under five minutes and no song feels longer than it should be — no small feat considering the bare instrumentation. And although there’s a cover of the Kinks “Act Nice and Gentle,” there is nothing stale about the Black Keys’ version. The song plays as fresh as the last set of pretty eyes that looked down at you. If there was an alt. blues, this would be it. This is smart, charming, cool music that hits you like a sledgehammer wrapped in cotton.
That’s not to say that the album isn’t firmly rooted in the white boy blues rock tradition. On the spectrum of adhering to the basics, with the White Stripes being a 1 and Stevie Ray Vaughn being a 10, the Keys clock in at about 7. But this is a deep vein to pull from and Rubber Factory doesn’t get bogged down. The album almost sounds like a study in stretching the base sound without over-extending. The songs belong together on one album, but an album’s worth of ideas could be pulled out of any of a number of tracks here.
The one complaint, and this may be a deal breaker for some potential fans, is that the band occasionally falls into the “white guy trying to channel John Lee Hooker” trap. Depending on your capacity for forgiveness, the offense is roughly equivalent to jaywalking, but it’s important to note, especially since the band felt the need to add one more iteration of the tired Stack-o-lee routine. The version here is fine, but you can’t help feeling this nod to tradition took up space that could have been used for an original or a less obvious cover.
That aside, the majority of tracks are serious rockers, with a very nice tendency to find the perfect head bobbing groove upon which to lay stellar guitar work. The few down tempo tunes are appreciated and stand out for more than the slower pace. They’re the album’s secret weapons.
I mentioned the White Stripes earlier, and a little digging on the Black Keys will net you about two thousand references to their steel-belt color-coded guitar/drums kin from Detroit. Yes, there are several parallels. Yes, between Akron and Detroit, they have a geographic reason to play the blues. Yes, they both come at you with tons of sincerity and noise. And, of course, they both rock, but if you expect a variation of the White Stripes theme, you will have to find something else (and there’s lots) to love. Like the tires and cars produced by their home towns, they’re related, but made of different stuff.
In fact, the shut Goodyear plant that give the album its title is more than just a backdrop for the cover art. It’s almost a band member. The album was recorded in the factory and the echoes, austerity and — one could imagine — emotional context are compliments of the structure. Not since the Cowboy Junkies’ Trinity Sessions has a place been so present in the sound and feel of an album.
All of it contributes to an album that is as satisfing on the first listen as it is on it’s 50th. It’s a fun listen and a worthwhile extension of the genre.
The Black Keys – Rubber Factory
1. When the Lights Go Out
2. 10 A.M. Automatic
3. Just Couldn’t Tie Me Down
4. All Hands Against His Own
5. The Desperate Man
6. Girl Is On My Mind
7. The Lengths
8. Grown So Ugly
9. Stack Shot Billy
10. Act Nice and Gentle
11. Aeroplane Blues
12. Keep Me
13. Till I Get My Way
