On December 6th, the Black Keys released their seventh studio album entitled El Camino on Nonesuch records. El Camino is nothing less than pure rock and roll, a style seldom found in contemporary music. It combines the simple, yet enjoyable drumming patterns seen in many forms of blues music, and the roaring, distortion-driven guitars to produce a sensational concoction of hard rock and blues, in stark contrast to their last album which contained much slower melodies and muddy tonality.
El Camino does not come short in any aspect of its greatness. In fact, sophomore Kegan Kriete labeled their work as a “rock and roll power machine.” And a machine it is indeed. Every song on El Camino contains a special aspect which lures the listener into an allusion to 1970’s hard rock music. The first single off the album, “Lonely Boy,” truly has the aforementioned qualities, an original catchy chorus, nasty guitar line, and of course the amazing drum patters to immediately make you want more. Very few records released in 2011 truly embody the quality rock and roll sound that many search for nowadays, but this one sure does.
Nonetheless, the shining star on El Camino remains the astounding piece “Little Black Submarines.” The song opens with a Beatles-esque guitar riff and vocal melody, then about two minutes into the song, an excellent Led Zeppelin-esque hard rock explosion follows in smooth transition. The powerful drums and guitar closely resemble those found on Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin making it enjoyable to all ages, and even to those stuck in 1975. Yes, The Black Keys have struck gold with El Camino, and hopefully there will be more to come. 9 out of 10.