Black Keys’ anemic Magic Potion disappoints
In 2004, The Black Keys rose to become arguably the best blues-rock band in the world with Rubber Factory. The first two tracks, “When the Lights Go Out” and the perfect “10 a.m. Automatic,” showed the duo of Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney in peak form. Even though the album suffered from an anemic second half, it was still good enough to rank as one of the best releases of the year.
Unfortunately, Magic Potion is not as strong as Rubber Factory, but it is still solid enough to maintain the integrity of the Black Keys’ reputation. The band manages to dig even deeper into a raw, roots-and-blues sound with only a guitar and a set of drums. However, the songs are often indistinguishable, creating a sense of repetitive nothingness. Other than “You’re the One,” which is easily the best song on the album, no track is positively memorable — Magic Potion plays more like a background bar set than a thought-out album.
The cuts are not bad. But they are merely 11 blues-rock numbers produced to sound like a bare-bones live show. There is nothing fancy with lead single “Your Touch,” which consists of simple verses and a chorus that does no more than repeat the title four times. On every song the jarring guitar fights with sporadic drum beats and the layers and rhythms blend and build to sound like six instruments when there are really just two in a recording studio.
Auerbach’s drawn-out vocals, a third instrument in themselves, overpower many songs’ instrumentals, including “You’re the One” and the groovy, heavy “Goodbye Babylon,” one of the album’s best tracks. However, Auerbach’s voice should be the driving force in all of the songs — like it was in Rubber Factory. On some songs, like “Give Your Heart Away,” Auerbach’s vocals detract from what is otherwise meaningful musical simplicity — dedicated Black Keys fans will long for something more.
Magic Potion is by no means a failure, but in trying to perfect their sound, The Black Keys have missed the mark. This album feels stylistically consistent but lacks a feeling of overall coherency. Black Keys aficionados should check out Magic Potion — everyone else can wait for the group’s next effort.
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