The Black Keys
Attack & release

There is this revival trend in the new millennium that has witnessed various protagonists, all grounded in a rock'n roll sound with a touch of electric blues. Some dismiss these talents or pseudo-talents, branding them as the fad of the moment, the new millennium fashion, praised in fashion magazines but mocked on websites. Sometimes it's like that, and you have every reason to unleash your skills in criticism. But do we always listen to what is offered by indierockers, or is it their neck scarves that speak to us and lead us to prejudice?

Fine. If it's about the latest Doherty, let's not bother, and the same goes for the Kooks. It's a too easy way of making music and earning a little nest egg. But in the case of the Black Keys, it would be better to put on their latest record, listen to it, and realize what you'd have missed if you hadn't sampled at least a piece of "Attack & Release," the latest effort by the black keys.

Talented, gritty but not overly so, never pop and with a particular creativity. The Black Keys, a duo from Ohio with fury, with Dan Auerbach's versatile guitar playing from an expressive and melodic angle and Patrick Carney on drums, deliver one of the best performances of this year (so far) with an album that mixes the electro-blues of the latest White Stripes, softening it with r'n b (the album is, in fact, produced by Danger Mouse, you know him, remember the 2006 superhit "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley?) and blending it with decidedly rock'n roll accelerations.

The show starts with "All you Ever Wanted," an acoustic piece with an almost scathing vocal, embellished with a vaguely exotic organ towards the end, to then give way to the granitic "I Got Mine," a revival track that contemplates the hard rock myths of yesteryear. Carney steps on the gas and pulls us into the aggressive "Strange Times." A garage piece, decisive, merging into a melodic chorus, with an ironic choir and an impertinent piano. "Psychotic Girl" is almost dub, with this heavy drum lightened by Auerbach's beautiful voice, and everywhere persists that piano, so rude and insolent. One of the best tracks on the album, as it shows the full creative vein of a group that finds no difficulty in composing. This is the talent of the Black Keys. The duo doesn't need anyone's help because they have plenty of ideas. "Lies" is a deep and heartfelt blues: Auerbach's vocal part is again beautiful. The best of the revival. After "Remember When (side B)," which harkens back to Detroit's white stripes, another flash of genius arrives. "So he won't break" is a regular ballad vaguely rhythm and blues, but Auerbach's somewhat surf-rock somewhat spaghetti western chords impart a particular originality, that creativity I cited in the introduction. The poignant "Things Ain't Like What they used to Be" is the closing piece; a ballad for lighters and hands in the air, yet "eccentricized" by the sunny guitar of the ever-praised Auerbach.

A mixed salad of "old but new" or "new but old" genres: a perfect revival for those who feel the nostalgia of times gone by but also for those seeking good music that isn’t easy or predictable. Buy it and don't fall for silly and banal preconceptions: rock 'n roll still exists, and these guys don't wear scarves.