1. All You Ever Wanted 2. I Got Mine 3. Strange Times 4. Psychotic Girl 5. Lies 6. Remember When (Side A) 7. Remember When (Side B) 8. Same Old Thing 9. So He Won t Break 10. Oceans and Streams 11. Things Ain t Like They Used to Be

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

#Great blues rock (2005-08-09) Haha, wow. All the reviewers so far are from Ottawa/Toronto. Anyway I saw the vid for ",10 AM Automatic", on MuchMusic and Dan s voice blew me away. Bought the album and really enjoyed it- I m getting more into older blues bands because of these guys. Sweet album, cool guys.

#tell your friends (2005-07-01) the only way to describe this album is by saying that it is remarkable in every way an album can be. It ranges from mellow to kinetic, from simple to complex and from gritty to even more gritty. Rubber factory is RAW, fun and is delivered with unbelievable skill. The Black Keys are the best American music act since Bruce Springsteen and will surely get the notoriety they deserve. Every single person that i have played this album for has loved it. You must buy this album now.

#Great Stuff! (2004-11-07) These guys know what it s like to be the White Stripes, so what do they do? Make the same blues music the Stripes do! This album is great to listen to and the lyrics are great! I think the Stripes and the Keys should have a concert together. Wouldn t that be odd!

#Excellent effort. (2004-09-30) I saw these guys live last night, and bought the album at the show: listened to it on the way home, listened to it when I got home, listened to it going to sleep, listened to it when I got up in the morning. It is quite simply an exceptional album from a very talented rock-blues duo. The songs are varied, and depending on your mood you could kick back and sip on some scotch, or crank it up and throw down. I don t buy into the White Stripes comparisons: firstly, they don t really sound alike at all. Secondly, while the White Stripes have a lot of so...

1. Just Got to Be 2. Your Touch 3. You re the One 4. Just a Little Heat 5. Give Your Heart Away 6. Strange Desire 7. Modern Times 8. Flame 9. Goodbye Babylon 10. Black Door 11. Elevator

All hail the riff king! The Black Keys guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach has the meanest way with a hook since Jimmy Page. He adds to his arsenal on the band s fourth full-length release, on which each track pounds its way into your skull with fuzzy, swampy fury. Less is very definitely more in Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney s world as the stripped-down guitar/drums attack smolders, burns, and then ignites without shifting into heavy-metal overdrive. But even with the occasional ballad such as You re the One slowing the momentum, this is an intoxicating blast of raw, thudding blues power. The duo impressively control the dynamics, raising and lowering the tension in a yin-yang struggle of ominous, greasy, heavy blues-rock that never sounds forced. With the exception of a few subtle but effective overdubs, this is the sound Auerbach and Carney heard in the drummer s basement studio where the music was recorded. Like the best rock and roll, the disc exudes a dark, cramped claustrophobi...

1. Thickfreakness 2. Hard Row 3. Set You Free 4. Midnight in Her Eyes 5. Have Love Will Travel 6. Hurt Like Mine 7. Everywhere I Go 8. No Trust 9. If You See Me 10. Hold Me in Your Arms 11. I Cry Alone

Akron, Ohio s Black Keys offer crunchy, riff-heavy blues-rock that is remarkably rich and textured, particularly when one considers that they are merely a duo. Continuing in the vein of their 2002 debut, The Big Come Up, this sophomore CD leavens their garage blues with enough innovation to keep things interesting, taking full advantage of Dan Auerbach s full-throated growl. Particularly appealing are Hard Row, which lurks somewhere between Cream and punk rock, the strong stomp of Everywhere I Go, and the irresistible guitar riff that graces If You See Me. The Black Keys might be covering familiar territory, but they do it so well--and with so much invention--that one is inclined to yield it to them and see what they do with it. --Genevieve Williams

#Yeah! (2004-07-20) This album is Great. I don t know how these two guys managed to get such a soulful sound while using so few resources, but I m glad they did. Both of their albums (see also: The Big Come Up)are the kind that I never get tired of. But I should say, that I think Thickfreakness is the stronger of the two because it has a less retro sound. Check this album out, there s never a dull moment.

#RAAAWW (2004-06-13) Yeah. Im just randomly writing reviews of albums i own. I live like 50 minutes from Akron, the home of these dudes. I love the raw dirty sound here (called Medium Fi or something and produced by the drummer) and also the sound of Dans voice. He has a way with pronunciating that makes it seeem like he s saying things in a weird way when he really isnt. Anyhoo, its the music that gets to you- Blues Punk, not like the White Stripes (who i love) but dirtier grittier and RAW

#i like this music (2004-06-05) i like this music. i know it s good because i like it alot. and i know what s good to like. i know what i like because it s what s good. i like this music. i like the black keys. they re good.

#Thank God, or thank the Black Keys, same difference. (2004-04-20) At the risk of just echoing previous reviews, I feel that it is necessicary to emphasize what a breath of fresh air the Black Keys are. Well, that s an ironic way of saying it, becuase this album will have you feeling like your sitting at a table in whatever smokey, dirty bar the Black Keys are playing at tonight. At a time when Emo and other soft, cookie cutter ",rock-and-roll", groups are dominating the charts, it s refreshing to know that there is a band out there that still wants to make music, not just m...

#Damn right it s thick (2004-04-19) The Black Keys are two guys from the American mid-west, hard as it to believe that only two people make this thick, rich audio gumbo. They play the blues, post-modern blues with licks of psychedelia and rockabilly, white mid-west blues, punk blues. They write original music, even though you ll swear some of those songs have got to be fifty or sixty years old. Can two white kids from Akron, Ohio play the blues with anything like conviction? Oh, yeah. Patrick Carney plays drums, and he plays them heavy, the kick-drum thuds into your stomach, the...

1. Keep Your Hands Off Her 2. Have Mercy On Me 3. Work Me 4. Meet Me In The City 5. Nobody But You 6. My Mind is Ramblin

For their latest, Akron, Ohio duo The Black Keys have brought forth an EP of six songs by Junior Kimbrough. This is no mere dalliance, the late elder Mississippi blues musician was a powerful influence on guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. Their three previous albums, full of dusty grooves and simple but impassioned dynamics, would have found strong rapport with Kimbrough, who unfortunately died before they could ever meet. However, his widow, Mildred gives her passionate endorsement for these performances in the form of a short phone message that appears at the end of the disc. Among the highpoints is Meet Me in the City, which positively shimmers as the plaintive vocal soars over a virato-ed guitar. The Black Keys, besides paying their heartfelt respects, also demonstrate the breadth and durability of Kimbrough s music. --David Greenberger