Attack and Release

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Of all the two-piece rock bands (Dresden Dolls, The White Stripes, The Kills, John & Jehn) out there making a royal racket, The Black Keys are by far the least affected by the last three decades of popular music, and evolution. Even more so than Jack & Meg. Which makes you check the album credits twice and then seek a second opinion--produced by celebrated uber-producer, superstar DJ and one half of Gnarls Barkley, the ubiquitous and really quite modern Danger Mouse?! No, your eyes do not deceive you, but thankfully neither do your ears. He may have brought a discipline and expensive sheen to Attack & Release, the riffing is buffed up real good, but this is essentially the same band that continues to live less of a life and more a Jimi Hendrix Experience. If there is a change it's that for the first time their foot is teased off the accelerator, with "Lies", "Remember When (Side A)" and "Oceans & Streams" loosening their shoulders and playing a more chilled brand of dusty sunset southern blues, adding in keys and new layers of texture (is that really a flute on "Same Old Thing"?!). There's still plenty of chance, on the massive Zeppelin-esque "Strange Times" and "Remember When (Side B)" for instance, to leave a boot mark though. More release than attack this time around, but the key still fits. --James Berry

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Customer reviews

review by: campaign for real music date: 2008-11-27 rating:
Some fantastic stuff on this album...
This is my first Black Keys album. A purchase inspired by some very positive reviews coupled with a description of music which sounded very much like my cup of tea, I bought it and I wasn't disappointed. This is extremely good music. Although existing Black Keys fans seem to be divided about 'Attack And Release', I have no previous album with which to compare this to, so all I can do is take it at face value and talk about it as an individual piece of work rather than in the context of their other releases. That may be a good or bad thing. Still, I like what I hear and I hear elements of raucous White Stripes (back when they were at their best) with added blues-fueled soul and classic heavy rock sensibilities.

There are, without a doubt, some absolutely fantastic tracks on offer here. The raw 'I Got Mine' gets the head nodding and feet tapping. 'Strange Times' boast a classic, memorable riff coupled with a short, but classy chorus. The banjo-led swamp blues opening of 'Psychotic Girl' is both simultaneously creepy and enthralling. 'Same Old Thing' has a slight Jethro Tull feel to it - and, for the record, that's a good thing. 'Oceans and Streams' has an absolutely phenomenal powerful beat to it and a true raw appeal. The last track, 'Things Aint What They Used To Be', featuring 19-year old country singer Jessica Lea Mayfield on vocals, is perhaps the most conventional song on the album and yet really thrills, with the prominent organ and dreamy guitar solo.

'Lies' and 'Remember When (Side A)' are probably the only tracks on the album I don't care for too much and, while perhaps a little dull and derivative, they are the exceptions to the rule on what is a very enjoyable release. In fact, listening to this album makes me want to buy more Black Keys albums, so it can't be bad. Perhaps they have lost a few old fans with this album, but they've gained a new one in me.

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review by: Jack Spring date: 2008-10-18 rating:
Brilliant
I was very skeptical with the release of this album. I had heard that it would be rather different from there previous records. Never the less, i was still very excited, being the massive TBK fan i am.

And of course i was extremely impressed with the different, but inspiring songs. Even though i do prefer some of the older albums, Attack & Release did not fail to impress.

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review by: nifmasterjay date: 2008-10-01 rating:
Another Cracker from the Keys
Fantastic new album from the Wonderful Black Keys. If you've never heard them before I can highly recommend them if you like Blues, Classic Rock but with a modern twist, similar but better (yes better) than the White Stripes. I agree with some of the other reviewers that it's more polished than previous outing but I don't mind this. Check out their back catalouge now!

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review by: bat_fastard666 date: 2008-09-03 rating:
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
This really isn't an album i thought i'd ever get into. I had heard of these guys but the whole 2 piece band thing made me think of the White Stripes; who i really don't like. So that was an obstacle i'd have to overcome to keep a clear mind when listening to this album. Also im a bit of a metalhead; favourite bands being Slayer, Slipknot, Tool etc but i do love my southern blues....which i guess is why i love this album. The sheer fact that if you didnt know there were 2 guys in this band you'd never be able to guess. There's just so much going at at once, which is where i think the White Stripes fail, to me it's very obvious there is 2 people there. You've got guitar, drums, vocals and a bit of flute thrown in. You can really hear alot of influences here too. Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix Experience and Jethro Tull are all heard in amongst these 11 songs, which are coincidentally three of my favourite bands.

My personal favourites on this album have to be "I Got Mine", "Lies" and "Same Old Thing"; but i think every song has its merits. The slow build up of the opener "All You Ever Wanted" puts you in a false sense of security and the intro to "I Got Mine" blows you out of the water. A song myself i enjoy to play on the drums, not quite anything as hard as Slayer to play but enjoyable all the same!! Every track seems to flow and connect with the next and i fail to see a weak point in the album. Although from reading previous reviews i would seem to be bang wrong as i've seen a few 1, 2 star reviews but then again i havn't heard any of their other albums so maybe im not worth listening to. But i guess i'll leave that up to you. I do kind of feel i'm giving this album some injustice by giving 4 and not 5 stars but i feel i'd have to check out more of their past material to compare, so i feel asif 4 is fair for now.

To conclude, if you enjoy a bit of the old blues and/or some old school rock and roll from the 60's and 70's i urge you to check this album out. This is coming from someone who enjoys listening to Deicide and Nile, if i like it then you must have a pretty good chance!!






review by: Auerbach date: 2008-08-28 rating:
Not for Black Keys fans
The first three Black Keys albums are amongst my favourite ever albums. For the fourth, Dan picked up a plectrum and lost a lot of the depth his playing got from his finger and thumb style. He'd also clearly had singing lessons and his voice had lost its wonderful raw power. The demise is complete with Pat's brutal and instinctive drumming style tamed, and all sorts of awful accompanying instruments which don't add anything. The keyboards on Hendrix tracks complement his playing, on this album it sounds like some big shot producer has added them to tone down the raw natural style of the band... which is what's happened. I think Dan and Pat allowed the glamour and fame (or cash rewards) of Dangermouse cloud their judgement here.

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