The Black Keys: Attack & Release

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog Sound Check: "After demonstrating over four albums a talent for playing raw garage blues, the Black Keys faced a tricky situation with their fifth release: how to freshen the band’s sound without losing the essence of what makes the Akron, Ohio, duo so electrifying. The answer lay with Brian Burton, a.k.a. Danger Mouse, the producer who blended the Beatles with Jay-Z on his pirate release 'The Grey Album' and then became half of the future-soul duo Gnarls Barkley. Pairing themselves with Danger Mouse was an inspired choice for Black Keys singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. 'Attack & Release' is a stunning extension of the pair’s sound, injecting an element of nuance into the bare-bones guitar-drums framework that remains the core of the band. … 'Attack & Release' is also the first Black Keys record to feature guest performers. … With its varied sound and newly expansive songwriting, 'Attack & Release' is a bold, but fitting, way for the Black Keys to prove they know more than one way to make a statement" ("CD Review," 4/2/08).