"No Rain No Flowers" Shows that The Black Keys are Losing Their Style

I've been a Black Keys fan since 2002. I saw them way back then on MTV2 doing a live performance for new and upcoming bands people liked and wanted the viewer to know about. I instantly fell in love. They had a unique sound to me and I wanted to know more. They played blues rock, but it was grimy and gritty. The amps sounded dirty and distorted. I was all in from that moment.

After that performance I went out and bought every album I could. "The Big Come Up" was amazing to me. The sound they were able to achieve with just two guys blew me away. Auerbach's guitar and singing, and Carney's drumming were incredible. I then went out and found their record "Thickfreakness". To this day that album ranks among my favorites. It is some of the best distorted dirty blues you will ever hear in your life. I go back to that album multiple times a year just to be amazed at the sound. I was on a roll with these first two albums, but I wanted more. And The Black Keys did not disappoint. "Rubber Factory" is one of the better records I've ever listened to. The sound they achieved on that album blew away anything The White Stripes have ever made. "Chulahoma" is a wonderful tribute to Junior Kimborough and introduced to that whole world of blues. "Magic Potion" is an underrated gem, and those songs sounded so much better live. "Attack and Release" was a deviation from their usual sound, but in a great way. This was also the record they made with Danger Mouse, who is awesome. "Brothers" was their "pop" record, and they won awards with it. It achieved its goal. "El Camino" was a return to old school form with more band members. And "Turn Blue" was their psychedelic album, which is pretty cool. Then it gets a little stale for me personally, even though I do like some of the newer stuff. "Let's Rock" is okay on its own, but it felt like a rushed rock record. I figured The Black Keys could do better. I think "Delta Kream" is incredible and it brings them back to their blues roots. "Dropout Boogie" is a decent funk rock record. And "Ohio Players" is an okay pop album.

That brings us to their newest album, "No Rain No Flowers". This was very unexpected for me as a fan. They usually take a good amount of time off between records, but this one was less than a year wait. I also didn't listen to any singles because I wanted to go in fresh. I understood they had to cancel and replan their stadium tour due to lower than expected ticket sales, and with the free time I'm sure they wanted to make some new music. I will say, my expectations were not high going into my first listen of "No Rain No Flowers". I don't know what it is for me, but the shine and allure that they had for me in 2002 is all but gone. And that's totally on me as a fan. I neglected their more recent stuff too long. So, I feel like it is okay for me to say that I am not a fan of "No Rain No Flowers".

It is the first Black Keys album that I don't really enjoy listening to. It feels rushed, overproduced and almost like they are trying to tell fans that they can make pop music. That's not what I want when I'm listening to The Black Keys. I want the griminess that made me first fall in love. I want the lo fi sound that they had on earlier records. I want it to be just Dan and Patrick. This album feels like they have a big band backing them. The vocals don't sound like Auerbach on most of the songs. It is hard to hear Carney's drumming sometimes. I'm sure having to cancel a tour messes with your mind, but to put out an album like this, from these two stars, that really bums me out. I don't get what they're going for on this record. Maybe they want more Grammy's or something, but if that's the case, that bums me out too. I am all for artists doing whatever they want to do, especially when they've reached the heights that The Black Keys have. But this album is such a departure from what they do best and it just doesn't work for me.

I've listened to it all the way through twice now and I just cannot find things I like about it. It's unfortunate for me, but not all albums can be winners in my book, and "No Rain No Flowers" is a big, big miss for me. I want them to go back to what made them best. They need to tamp down the band members and the producers. I'd love for their next record to be just Dan and Patrick. Time will tell, but I hope the next album is better than this one. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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