Ohio Player (★★★✩✩) by The Black Keys and other albums of the week

The Black Keys have always had to deal with the bonus of having hit the target from the start.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
06 April 2024 Saturday 10:39
7 Reads
Ohio Player (★★★✩✩) by The Black Keys and other albums of the week

The Black Keys have always had to deal with the bonus of having hit the target from the start. And with the qualitative bar at the highest. And the years have passed and the combo formed by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney continues to offer music that not only does not leave you indifferent but also leaves at least a good flavor, betting on terrain that they tread in an untransferable way (with the exception of the forgettable Let's rock from 2019). . In this sense, Ohio players is a notable example, since the collaborators are abundant and the stylistic commitment goes beyond simple fusion and gives visible entity to surf rock, sixties guitar pop and soul on melodies, yes. , often addictive and brand of the house. The proof is already evident from the initial This is nowhere, with the active presence of Beck – co-writer of some songs on the album such as the more predictable Beautiful people (stay high) – and with whom they create a tasty combination of funk and rock on the back. of a rhythm from a few decades ago. Noel Gallagher is also another of the accomplices who lavish themselves, as in You'll pay, On the game or Only love matters, bringing their Britpop to cohabitation with the most agitated rock of the Keys, to that characteristic sound - distorted guitar included – which shines with all its splendor in a couple of cuts like Please me (till I'm satisfied) and Live until I die. And always without losing essence or identity, hiphoppers Lil Noid, Dan The Automator and Juicy J have also signed up, this one alongside Beck in the brilliant Paper crown.

If there is one thing that transpires from the work, it is that the combo led by Ezra Koenig is very comfortable. He adds to his already identifiable pop-rock a palette that distills jazzy or prog rock influences, a sonic richness that serves as a counterweight to a rather pessimistic theme about the present, wars included. The melodies, however, point to dance, hope and the positive.

In their new studio album, the Sevillians bet on familiar elements, such as power, kinky guitars, echoes of Andalusian rock, some metal punches... as they summarize in La Fuente. To this they add more melancholic cuts (Manguara, Tierra), melodies that lead them to other textures, to more experimentation.

Once again self-produced, the musician and singer from Salou gives birth to an EP that reflects different sounds and themes, as exemplified by the track that gives it its name. The also author of a song like Nadie, which dazzled in 2023, she stylizes her electronic wardrobe, coupling it to a voice that shines both in pop and on more traditional backgrounds.