Monday, 14 Dec 2009
For the remainder of 2009 we will be featuring albums that meant a lot to us this decade. I have really enjoyed spending quality time with my record collection and not just what is new and current. One thing this collection will not be is all-encompassing. We will be deliberately leaving out some of the universal favorites (Kid A
Instead, this collection will very much an outlet for us to share/discuss our favorites over the past 10 years with a focus on albums that we feel have been overlooked in the lists we’ve seen roll out this far.
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The Black Keys | Thickfreakness
Discovering the Black Keys was a personal treasure of the decade. My friend Justin gave me a burned copy of Thickfreakness and I became a fan on first listen. I soon picked up its predecessor, The Big Come Up, and, while I could argue that album should be the focus of this post, I have to tip my hat to the album that made me a fan of the band.
Thickfreakness arrived in the wake of The White Stripes climb to the top of indie rock charts behind White Blood Cells. Some were quick to write off the Black Keys as a clone to the already popular White Stripes, mostly out of the fact that they too were a duo and that both bands drew influence, at least guitar-wise, from blues music. Those quick to toss aside the Black Keys failed to connect with the slow, blues drawl of front man Dan Auerbach, whose vocals continue to carry the torch of a traditional blues genre that is slowly starting to slip into the ether.
Over the years the band has put out some albums that I’ve loved and some that I’ve loved a lot less. Without fail, whenever I’m in the mood for some music from the Black Keys, Thickfreakness is the album I turn to for my fix.
Best Live Show I Saw: Mad Planet, Milwaukee (2004) | With Radiohead in Chicago (2006)
Best Tracks: “Hard Work,” “Set You Free,” “Have Love Will Travel,“Hold Me In Your Arms”
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Buy: The Black Keys – Thickfreakness
++ Keep up with our Best Albums of the Decade by bookmarking this page ++
December 14th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Yeah I remember the first time I saw a picture of the Black Keys and was taken aback because I couldn’t reconcile the blues sound I was hearing with the image of two young white boys who were then still in their twenties. It makes me wonder if Dan Auerbach had his own run in with a certain someone at the crossroads to get the blues voice he has??
December 14th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
It’s the only Black Keys album I don’t own. I think Rubber Factory is my favorite of their work. And what’s the word on BlackRoc – any good?
December 15th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
The Blakroc album is the real deal. It has some lower points but overall an amazing piece of music that only took 11 days to complete.
December 15th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Although I like Thickfreakness quite a bit, The Big Come Up is definitely my favorite. Saw this band for the first time at the High Noon Saloon and was amazed at what they could do with only two people on stage.