These album reviews are still a work in progress, as I'm definitely more of sports and trying to make people laugh guy (it's hard!), but these are something I'm very serious about adding to DOL on a semi-regular (great term to use when you have no idea how often you're gonna do them) basis.
Simply put: I just love music and want to talk about it more. How it makes you feel. I'm not some music nerd that knows all the proper terminology, and how shit is made. I don't know if I'm gonna do full on song by song breakdowns like I did with Paramore dol-album-review-paramores-after-laughter.html it really is just a feeling it out process right now. I'm just a regular dude who loves some rock n roll and wants to talk music with people, maybe someday get paid for that and making people laugh at my expense on a certain website that used to be run in an old dentist's office.
I'm going to go the positive route. I think the official Black Keys twitter account promoting this is good sign for the future of the band. I mean suuure, it could just be a strategy to get it out to as many people as possible, but I feel like if they really were gonna break up for Dan to do his own thing fulltime they wouldn't use the Black Keys to promote it. Idk, that's just how my brain works. As much as I loved this album, I reaaally hope there is more in store for the Keys. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this, I just want my favorite band back.
It's been a huge couple days for rock music. Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, and The War on Drugs all just released new music. Dan Auerbach's highly anticipated (to me at least) 2nd solo album "Waiting on a Song" came out today as well. At only 10 tracks and a little over a half hour long, this quick listen will leave you wanting more. I'm already on my 2nd straight through listen. In "Waiting on a Song" Auerbach totally frees himself from the blues rock label from his previous works, whether it be his first solo album "Keep It Hid" or his work with The Black Keys and The Arcs. No traces of the Blues here. I'd say "Cherry Bomb" is the closest thing to a Black Keys song on the album. Sounds like it could've maybe been on Turn Blue. Overall "Waiting on a Song" has a real 70's vibe to it, but also a whispers of country in songs like "Never in My Wildest Dreams". Horns are featured throughout the album as well, something I can't remember ever really hearing in The Black Keys before. Dan Auerbach took a lot of chances on this album musically, and I think they all paid off. If you're a fan of the 70's then this album is for you. When I heard the lead off title track, "Waiting on a Song" the first thing I thought of was "Stuck in the Middle" by Stealers Wheel and the video is straight out central casting for some long haired 70's bros smoking apple bongs, and chasing chicks. "Malibu Man" starts off with some organs and violin, but once it gets into the guitar it just makes me want to be cruising down the highway with the top down somewhere in California, hey maybe Malibu! I know this is a simple ass description, but it's just a cool ass song. A real cruiser. I'm no dancer, but as I listen to this song again as I type this I can't help by shake my head and bounce. It looks more like a baby sitting on the floor playing then dancing, but to each their own. I told you guys yesterday I have no rhythm. Love the combination of horns and xylophone (by some miracle I spelled the right on the first try). I talked about "Shine On Me" in a blog speculating the future of The Black Keys what-does-dan-auerbachs-solo-career-mean-for-the-future-of-the-black-keys.html. So from straight off that description back in March "The guitar in "Shine On Me" kind of reminds me of the riff from Haim's "Honey and I" and beat has a little bit of George Harrison's "I Got My Mind Set On You" going on. HIGHly recommend checking out the music video . V colorful featuring a live action Auerbach in a trippy cartoon world with frogs, a ton of aliens, and a demolition derby. Looks like this was a lot of fun to make." "King of the One Horse Town" was released a few weeks ago and since has worked it's way into my daily song rotation. It sounds like it should in be a buddy cop movie. Right during the part where the have some sort of disagreement and go their separate ways, but are just waiting for the other to apologize and come back. Would've been perfect in Starsky and Hutch if it came out today. "Never in My Wildest Dreams" is as of now my favorite song on the album. Just makes you want to fall in love. Kind of has like a Jack Johnson feel to it, with a dash of country in that twangy-guitar. You want to sing this song to your girl at a fire on a beach on Hawaii before you propose. Love the horns here too, it just works. If you're gonna listen to one song from this album, listen to this. In "Stand by My Girl" reminds me of higher verison of Cold War Kid's "Love is Mystical" with that piano in the beginning. Just listen to the comparison.
I'm gonna try to sound a lot smarter than I really am when it comes to music, but I fucking love the composition of "Undertow". From the xylophone, into the strings, then the drums, into Auerbach's best instrument, his voice.
Not crazy about "Livin in Sin", just didn't do anything for me. I can take it or leave it. The album concludes with "Show Me" which goes into the same catagory for me as "Livin in Sin". Although in both their defenses' I've only listened to the album twice so far so things could drastically change in the future. Overall I was pleasantly surprised in the sound of this album. After hearing "Shine on Me" I had no idea what to expect. It's different from anything I've ever heard from the Black Keys and is going to be heavy in my rotation this summer. As of now my favorite three songs on Waiting on a Song are: "King of a One Horse Town", "Never in My Wildest Dreams" and "Shine on Me". I guess If I'm gonna start rating these I'll give it a B+. I really enjoyed 8 out 10 songs and I'm a big round up guy, so we'll call it a B+ Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of the album and any other album's you think I should review for DOL!
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