I’m always annoyed when a Black Keys song comes up on Random iTunes Weekends, because I don’t particularly care for the band and I never having anything interesting to say about their music.
Today’s song is no exception, but it does have a noteworthy video. It depicts a bunch of bikini-clad women fighting over a dinosaur puppet lip-syncing the song. A disclaimer runs along the bottom of the screen claiming that the band hated the video but the record label released it anyway.
John Mellencamp released my favorite of his albums, Human Wheels, in 1983. Despite that record’s excellence, his label was reportedly unhappy with the result because it didn’t “fit the format.”
In response, Mellencamp delivered a follow-up album that he recorded in just two weeks, with few instruments and little attention to the production. You want the format, he was saying, I’ll give you the format. That album was 1984’s Dance Naked.
I’ve heard plenty of praise for The Black Keys but I haven’t really responded to their music. I appreciate the artistry on the two albums I’ve heard (Brothers and El Camino) but, to quote Woody Allen, nothing hit me on a gut level.
Today’s random SOTD, however, is a pleasant surprise. It’s the first Black Keys song to appeal to me both emotionally and musically.
Meet Me In Montauk 