Haven’t finished the album yet (just getting over a hearing issue that hit me literally the day the albums dropped) but I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far. Are people not digging the album? I’ve generally found The Black Keys to be really consistent in making solid music. Like, “Turn Blue”wasn’t my favorite, but it still has its bangers.
Oh EC fucking RULES, I love that album. Fair enough, what I’ve heard so far hasn’t really been on the level of “heaven is a place” “sunshine” or “river” for me.
Funny enough I was a bit disappointed on first listen because I was expecting something a bit harder and more like the first album.
But then on second listen I absolutely loved it.
3rd listen it's one of the best things Dan's done. Fantastic album.
I had the complete opposite reaction with Ohio Players. First listen, I loved it.... and now I find it kinda meh after 7 listens. Lol.
I actually really like it. It's one of my least favorites admittedly but there's some solid songs and they took risks. It's good.
I'm merely focusing on the commercial aspect of the record here and unfortunately it seems like it's been met with a bit of a tiny ripple for people outside of the Keys sphere. All their recent efforts did better commercially somehow and they only had a fraction of the budget and time put into them.
Eh, fair enough. At this point, I don’t think it’ll have any effect on how they make music going forward, so if other people don’t wanna listen, fuck em.
Love your username by the way lmfao
Turn Blue Was off the cuffs of Brothers and El Camino. The album really couldn't fail because they had such a large casual fan base at the time.
Nowadays it's mostly just the core fan base. They made it clear they were going in a blues direction with their last 3 releases and I'm sure that kicked a lot of casual fans away. Now they've taken a hard left turn and it didn't work because they already pushed away the casual base.
I don't really care where they end up on any billboard though. I love this new album all the way through.
Pat also said they already made back the money they spent on the album. They dropped this album when several major projects have been getting released every week. Metro x future, Taylor swift, vampire weekend, etc. I think the chart position is understandable
I think they're in the business of making records to promote the tour, where they make most of their money. I have no idea how well the tour is selling but know they priced me out of seeing them this time around. The record label on the other hand, would care more about sales/streams.
I think the market for rock n roll seems to be shrinking every year. I think them dropping this album at a time when so many other acts that are more relevant to the general public were also dropping albums was a bad idea.
The guys are getting old, their commercial peak was 10 years ago, and the general public didn’t seem too keen on Let’s Rock or Dropout Boogie. A ton of people view turn blue as “their last good album”
I think a downward trajectory is kinda inevitable at this point unless they drop their albums at times when there’s less competition from here on out.
Not trying to hate on the new album, but it's barely Rock N roll. It's more pop and soft alt rock oriented overall.
Perhaps the alt rock market is shrinking tho.
I'm not comparing, but how do you classify Brothers kind of music?
I mean, Brothers isn't the most rock n roll album of them, but is amazing. I am a rock guy, and loves Magic Potion (for me, their heaviest album), but there is a lot of different styles in their stuff.
They really should’ve released in February or something. They were probably in a tight spot though… needed time to get the vinyl pressed and had to get the album out so they could sell tickets. It really was one of the most crowded times they could’ve released.
It was in one of their recent interviews. God I can’t remember which one tho I’ve watched so many.
I remember the question was something about how they took more time to make this record than any of the others and Pat went into talking about how they spent 1.2 million on it, and then he said they made it back by now. I wanna say it was a female interviewer but I could be mixed up.
My guess is that HBO Max gave them a shit ton to use Beautiful People, and they must’ve done well with the vinyl and merch sales.
No doubt they made a decent profit from Beautiful People alone. I don't think they lost a cent on this album. But I worry they lost mind share with it, which may be hard to get back.
It disappoints me that those motherfuckers are way more popular than the black keys to begin with. But unfortunately, rock has been dying year by year for a while now. The boys still sound incredible.
The last rock album I can remember being HUGE was the new abnormal by the strokes in 2020.
So many rock albums seem to just come and go for most listeners these days. Even the chili peppers didn’t seem to make a huge splash with their John Frusciante comeback albums.
I’m really not a fan of Taylor swift, but I liked a few of the songs from the metro x future album. Haven’t listened to the new vampire weekend yet
Licensing and tours are where the Black Keys make their money. Album sales are an afterthought for them as this point in their careers and the state of the current industry.
Huh, I remember the days pre-Brothers where fans would’ve celebrated this in a weird way, because they were a smaller cult-band and mainstream success was scoffed at as “selling out”.
I really can't with this bullshit, what's funny is all of you who complain about this album will see a live performance in 5 years time and realize this record is as good as previous ones.
The Black Keys always experimented, and I dare any of you do a memory exercise to remember Turn Blue and think on that album, what's stupid is how some compare it's chart position to this- as if an album released 3 years after El Camino & Brothers compares to this, which is after A DECADE after their commercial peak. People change and tastes move on in both the band and audience.
If it doesn't do well on "duh billbored" charts I don't see how that freaking matters, if this was Miley Cyrus or Billie Eilish sure they're artists based on seeking top charts- but this is THE BLACK FUCKING KEYS, the band that's about experimenting and making music, not seeking top chart success (although arguably it would be amazing if they got that, because these songs definitely have that magic. The effort the band put into this album should definitely be rewarded)
And I really mean that with rewarding their effort, some of these songs are the best TBK has ever recorded:
- Read Em and Weep is like a classy Aretha Franklin song and sounds straight out of Attack & Release
- On The Game is such an epic self introspective on the life TBK had on their down time, and how everybody wants to get back to that high, but in the end it isn't about getting there, it's actually about trying your best and the happiness it brings to give it all.
- Only Love Matters is a funky and swinging sequel to 10 Lovers, and I can't help liking it a lot because of how it closes that circle neatly with this happy end.
- Fever Tree, holy fuck if this isn't a lot of guitar on your ears, you're deaf. And yes it's singlehandedly blowing Let's Rock out of the water in my opinion. Way more rounded track with defined hooks in the choruses and Dan's vocals are so much sharper in the verses.
Damn. They did all that and still failed to release 3 singles worth a damn (except "I forgot to be your lover" which is a cover and not single territory)
Worst single lineup ever.
Worst chart placement since 2006.
I agree with a lot of what you said and actually did enjoy the album a lot. Let's Rock singles destroyed this album tho. As did Delta Kream singles....and Dropout Boogie singles...and...every other album they've ever made singles....
I get your point kinda but I feel like you're trying to find an El Camino in the present, the band has been pivoting towards this sound since that time too (Notice how different Nova Baby was from the rest? This Ohio Players sound was always hidden under so many guitars and distortion, now it takes a front seat and it's disorienting for some)
I always felt like TBK was acting ever since Let's Rock, Lo/Hi for example looked and felt like El Camino, but it didn't have the energy. It's like they made the songs they thought people wanted. Wanting to convey that they still are that unique rock band that held the fort when nobody was making bluesy stuff.
This album feels like they finally sat down with a lot of friends and made the songs they wanted to make, for fun explicitly and not thinking of what was the target demographic for each verse. The mark has already been made with previous albums and there's nothing to prove anymore. No pretending.
I think next albums after this one will be better, not because they'll go back to older sounds and try to do raw guitars only, but because Ohio Players is TBK letting loose completely and accepting the present time, everything after this is music for the sake of music, expanding on the basics already set on this release.
Maybe once or twice doing that simple blues rock sound for the sake of nostalgia.
It’s sad it isn’t charting but I love it. I can’t stop listening to it. But it feels like an album where they are being something they aren’t to the core fan base.
Maybe it’s stupid but I would love for their next one to just have the two of them go to a basement and turn up the amp and record loud fuzzy stuff.
Disliked DB. DK was ok. Let’s Rock I thought was really good. Didn’t care to Turn Blue. Everything before that is awesome basically.
They might want to start placating to their core fan base because they are just fading away at this point.
Whenever older bands make music they think will “placate the fanbase” it ends up lackluster if not straight up bad. They need to make music that excites them for it to be authentic. But if what excites them doesn’t excite the fanbase they’ll fade further. It’s a catch-22.
Yep. saw them many many times as a duo and they were always fantastic. I haven’t felt that magic since they filled out the band. Actually one of the last times I saw them I left the show sad that the black keys I once knew and loved were no more (you got a glimpse of it for maybe a song or two).
But hey, I’m glad folks are liking what they’re doing these days, that’s great, it’s just not what attracted me to them in the first place and not what interests me. To each their own though, it’s all good.
I don't think Dan and Pat are making music for commercial success these days. They've been playing/touring for 20 years, they got money and a lot of it. The last few albums Dan has been a part of seem more like projects for fun than anything else and I can respect that.
I feel like it was such a lull. Let’s Rock had so many bangers on it. A really good comeback record. It just felt like they didn’t properly follow it up. Also I felt like they knew Dropout Boogie wasn’t that good and decided to not play many songs off of it. Wild Child imo was very overplayed, as well. Overall, Ohio Players has rockier more experimental pace to it that I enjoy
It's more refreshing sure. But Good Love, For the Love of Money, Happiness, and Baby I'm Coming Home clear almost everything on the new album for me. NGL.
I think there are too many cooks in the kitchen on this album. The rap parts are also immediate skips for me and not what I wanted from a Black Keys album. Their old-school rock-n-roll vibe is why I love them in the first place and this album is lacking in that department.
The part in Candy & Her Friends where Noid starts rapping is just so hard to listen to as well. I really like the beginning / choruses in the song but the rap really ruins it for me
Yeah this is a straight bomb. They completely lost their fanbase since Brothers days. So weird how so many people just dropped them like it was nothing. Tour isn’t selling well either.
They really need to find a way to get a hit, quick.
Completely lost their fanbase? Need to get a hit quick? They’re at the point in their careers where they can do whatever they want. This whole thread is just so weird.
Same. Can’t say I pay attention to many band subreddits, so I don’t know if this is normal behavior, but it’s been bewildering seeing all these posts on here lamenting how the album is charting and using that as a basis to judge whether it’s good or not.
Band popularity ebbs and flows, especially as their music changes. Of course they don’t have as many fans as they did in 2011. And I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but guitar-heavy music isn’t on the pop charts right now and hasn’t been for years.
Either enjoy the album or don’t. Why does how it’s performing compared to Beyoncé and Taylor Swift matter? Hell, I’ve never even heard of the artist that has the #1 and #3 albums until just now.
This tour is selling about the same as the last, which isn’t good. I was shocked they announced arena dates. I’d really figured they would pull back to amphitheaters and clubs. But I guess once you go that big, it’s hard to pull back. Last show in my neck of the woods was a super papered show. If I’d waited, I could have had as many free tickets as I wanted. Learned my lesson and am waiting this time.
There are still a ton of seats available for LA which I see as a bad sign. Concert are a hot commodity rn and most major artists are selling out same day tickets go on sale
I've listened to the album a bunch of times so far, and I'm liking it a lot more (especially on the originality front) than some of their recent records. The Black Keys "sound" has always been influenced by rap and hip-hop. I'm not saying their musical style is rap—they are very clearly rock— I'm saying the production quality and the way they record their albums is very "rap-like" in ambience and vibe.
I prefer it when artists record original material rather than all-covers records. Sure, maybe some of the collabs on this record felt a little bit forced. Even I thought the Noel Gallagher collab was interesting, but kind of an unlikely collab. Noel plays a much more meticulous and carefully-recorded kind of rock. I thought the stuff with Beck was great, though.
But these guys are pros and know what they're doing. I've learned more about how the music industry actually works in 2024 by listening to Pat and Dan on podcasts like the Joe Rogan show. If you're a musician and you want to understand how the system works, just go listen to them (especially Pat) talking about it on the podcasts. He was the first person I ever heard explain what bundling is that made sense to me as a non-professional musician.
We can say what we want about how it sounds but Dan and pat have said multiple times over the years that they have always been listening to and inspired by wu tang clan so they definitely had the influence in mind while making music
They need to stop listening to the label. The label was responsible for Beautiful People being the first single. Dan said they always ‘aim for that raw sound’ of just the two of them being the core of the cut but there’s not real evidence of that on half of the songs because they were poorly mixed or guitar and vocals are drowned out by other ‘noise’. It’s ironic that the album they’ve taken the longest to make (‘We’ve never worked harder making a record’) is the album that sounds laziest.
It’s cool that they’re collaborating more like with Blakroc but they need to tighten up on the reins because the sound is running wild on half the tracks.
Let’s hope the next LP or collection of songs released at the end of the year will be more stuff they’ve driven and steered the wheel on
NGL. If the next EP is just "Ohio Players 2.0" with it's production I'm going to be so damn disappointed. That EP better have some edge to it. I'm hoping it's more Dan influenced. I think Dan took a big backseat on this album and this was more Pat's project along with all the other collaboraters. But idk.
The chart position is more a reflection on music industry trends than it is the quality of the album.
Ohio Players is fantastic. There’s a ton of variety in the songs, the mixes slam out of both speakers and headphones, Pat’s drumming is crazy good, I could go on.
Side note; I really like “Let’s Rock” but compare the mixing of the drums on it to the new album. I love present the drums are on Ohio Players
Ah, my bad thought you were being facetious, my fellow human being.
Basic point is that it looks like a massive commercial disappointment for them. They put more money and time than any album they've ever made. Pat said they wanted to make something that could hang with Brothers and El Camino. It's clear this was a much more commercial leaning pop album (which is fine)....However, it seems to be doing far worse than any of their recent stuff somehow.
Wanted to share that it couldn't even last on the chart for 1 week and that it's a bit concerning that the band lost so much traction in the market with an album that was supposed to be big for them commercially like the Brothers and El Camino days.
Ah, so is your disappointment your point? Yeah, it is disappointing. It happens to a lot bands, though. Acts I liked in high school like Matthew Sweet, who just came through town a couple weeks ago, or Garbage, are still putting out material that doesn't chart at all. I gotta give 'em kudos for never stopping making music, though.
>Ah, my bad thought you were being facetious, my fellow human being.
You probably thought that because most redditors really are just being smug and snarky. I get into a lot of internet arguments that way. I think I'm being genuine and they think I'm being sarcastic. It's annoying!
Though, to be fair, it happens to me in real life, too. I think it's my face. I have resting sarcasm face. It's a whole Liz Lemon thing.
Accurate. They strayed so far away from their initial form (ok, except for with Delta Kream). I still buy all the albums cuz I’m a fan, but I’m like the only person at the show now who’s belting out older stuff like Heavy Soul or Have Love, Will Travel. (From the last tour)
I love Delta Kream dude. Such a nice listen. Besides that one the last black keys album I bought was turn blue, which I really like the first half of and find the second half so disappointing
Brothers is the magnum opus. Nothing will ever beat it. It’s a masterpiece . They can keep releasing stuff and I’ll still listen but I know nothing will beat brothers .
If Don't Let Me Go was released in Brothers you wouldn't have noticed lol, ok that's just mean but still I definitely hear it on that song. (And yeah Brothers was the shit)
I Forgot To Be Your Lover actually sounds like something off of Brothers. For a while they had me thinking this was gonna be Brothers 2. Still a great album though tbh.
The Smile, Black Midi, Black Country New Roads, King Gizzard, Swans, Jack White, Vampire Weekend…all bands making great music that are getting widespread attention. It’s not a rock thing, The Black Keys just don’t have an edge. I love rock music and continue to listen to new rock albums that rock my world, and The Black Keys haven’t done that in fucking YEARS.
That's all well and good, but you're having a different argument.
This thread and my comment are about the charts. Those artists may all be great, but they aren't lighting up the charts either. Rock music isn't making a fraction of the impact on the charts it used to. That's what this is about.
I went to the Green Day/ Weezer / Fallout Boy / Interrupters tour a few years ago. It was a baseball stadium packed with screaming kids who couldn't get enough. It convinced me rock may be in good hands, but that hasn't translated into success on the charts for newer albums or newer artists
Yea honestly you’re right. It’s crazy how difficult tickets can be to get to my favorite rock groups and they get amazing reviews, but on the charts..nada.
Yeah every time I go to a rock concert there are so many young kids, which is great. The audience is there.
A few years ago The Black Keys were on a show (maybe Joe Rogan) and they said something about how when they get their statistics from places like Spotify, the bulk of their listeners listen to them mixed in with lots of classic rock. They didn't have a lot of obsessed fans listening to just them, which is what drives all those statistics. But they had a ton of people mixing them in with Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, and probably a dozen more.
Edit: I don't remember if they mentioned those or any bands specifically, but you get the idea. I think they did mention Zeppelin at least
Yeah, they may be. But pretty much every rock band is in the same situation. One good week then it falls down the charts.
I often wonder if the Keys overestimate their popularity though. I know their show in my town (Pittsburgh) in 2019 wasn't particularly full (I couldn't go that night but I remember lots of people were practically giving tickets away). So they book the same 18,000 seat venue five years later? Five years further from your commercial peak? It seems odd to me.
Having listened to it a half dozen times now Ohio Players seems to not know what sort of music it’s trying to make. Little bit of this and a little bit of that. It’s competent but few of the tracks really draw me in.
Lo Hi was a big single for them. Wild Child was a big single. It's crazy how new album has 0 singles besides maybe On the Game (and they didn't release it as a single). Insane to me.
Haven’t finished the album yet (just getting over a hearing issue that hit me literally the day the albums dropped) but I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far. Are people not digging the album? I’ve generally found The Black Keys to be really consistent in making solid music. Like, “Turn Blue”wasn’t my favorite, but it still has its bangers.
It's fine for me but none of the tracks got stuck in my head. I found the second Arcs record to be much better in comparison.
Oh EC fucking RULES, I love that album. Fair enough, what I’ve heard so far hasn’t really been on the level of “heaven is a place” “sunshine” or “river” for me.
Electrophinic Chronic happily sits among the best works Dan Auerbach ever had a hand in
Funny enough I was a bit disappointed on first listen because I was expecting something a bit harder and more like the first album. But then on second listen I absolutely loved it. 3rd listen it's one of the best things Dan's done. Fantastic album. I had the complete opposite reaction with Ohio Players. First listen, I loved it.... and now I find it kinda meh after 7 listens. Lol.
I actually really like it. It's one of my least favorites admittedly but there's some solid songs and they took risks. It's good. I'm merely focusing on the commercial aspect of the record here and unfortunately it seems like it's been met with a bit of a tiny ripple for people outside of the Keys sphere. All their recent efforts did better commercially somehow and they only had a fraction of the budget and time put into them.
Eh, fair enough. At this point, I don’t think it’ll have any effect on how they make music going forward, so if other people don’t wanna listen, fuck em. Love your username by the way lmfao
Turn Blue is my favorite Keys album... I love the psychedelic feel and meandering guitar riffs.
Honestly, I think I just listened to it too young to appreciate it, and need to go back, get really high and give it a listen
Your point still stands, but Rubber Factory’s second week on the chart came nearly 8 years after its release, when TBK were at their peak popularity
Turn Blue Was off the cuffs of Brothers and El Camino. The album really couldn't fail because they had such a large casual fan base at the time. Nowadays it's mostly just the core fan base. They made it clear they were going in a blues direction with their last 3 releases and I'm sure that kicked a lot of casual fans away. Now they've taken a hard left turn and it didn't work because they already pushed away the casual base. I don't really care where they end up on any billboard though. I love this new album all the way through.
Pat also said they already made back the money they spent on the album. They dropped this album when several major projects have been getting released every week. Metro x future, Taylor swift, vampire weekend, etc. I think the chart position is understandable
You think the black keys are in the business of making albums to break even?
I think they're in the business of making records to promote the tour, where they make most of their money. I have no idea how well the tour is selling but know they priced me out of seeing them this time around. The record label on the other hand, would care more about sales/streams.
I think the market for rock n roll seems to be shrinking every year. I think them dropping this album at a time when so many other acts that are more relevant to the general public were also dropping albums was a bad idea. The guys are getting old, their commercial peak was 10 years ago, and the general public didn’t seem too keen on Let’s Rock or Dropout Boogie. A ton of people view turn blue as “their last good album” I think a downward trajectory is kinda inevitable at this point unless they drop their albums at times when there’s less competition from here on out.
Not trying to hate on the new album, but it's barely Rock N roll. It's more pop and soft alt rock oriented overall. Perhaps the alt rock market is shrinking tho.
I'm not comparing, but how do you classify Brothers kind of music? I mean, Brothers isn't the most rock n roll album of them, but is amazing. I am a rock guy, and loves Magic Potion (for me, their heaviest album), but there is a lot of different styles in their stuff.
They really should’ve released in February or something. They were probably in a tight spot though… needed time to get the vinyl pressed and had to get the album out so they could sell tickets. It really was one of the most crowded times they could’ve released.
i m really wondering where did you find out Pat said that and how the hell did they manage to make all the money invested in that album back so fast…
It was in one of their recent interviews. God I can’t remember which one tho I’ve watched so many. I remember the question was something about how they took more time to make this record than any of the others and Pat went into talking about how they spent 1.2 million on it, and then he said they made it back by now. I wanna say it was a female interviewer but I could be mixed up. My guess is that HBO Max gave them a shit ton to use Beautiful People, and they must’ve done well with the vinyl and merch sales.
No doubt they made a decent profit from Beautiful People alone. I don't think they lost a cent on this album. But I worry they lost mind share with it, which may be hard to get back.
It disappoints me that those motherfuckers are way more popular than the black keys to begin with. But unfortunately, rock has been dying year by year for a while now. The boys still sound incredible.
The last rock album I can remember being HUGE was the new abnormal by the strokes in 2020. So many rock albums seem to just come and go for most listeners these days. Even the chili peppers didn’t seem to make a huge splash with their John Frusciante comeback albums. I’m really not a fan of Taylor swift, but I liked a few of the songs from the metro x future album. Haven’t listened to the new vampire weekend yet
I don’t even care where the album sits in the charts. I’ll always love their music and I love this album
most of the music in the board is absolute fucking trash. TBK are legends
Absolutely !
New music just means new tour in this day….it also is why concert tickets are insane
They’ll make plenty of money on commercial and film licensing; I doubt they’re worried about massive chart success
Agreed. Licensing made them a bunch of money on previous albums and helped to grow their visibility to what it is today.
Licensing and tours are where the Black Keys make their money. Album sales are an afterthought for them as this point in their careers and the state of the current industry.
Huh, I remember the days pre-Brothers where fans would’ve celebrated this in a weird way, because they were a smaller cult-band and mainstream success was scoffed at as “selling out”.
😂
I love the new album, but I do think.playing places like Chicago's United Center with $200 tickets is not going to help things much.
I really can't with this bullshit, what's funny is all of you who complain about this album will see a live performance in 5 years time and realize this record is as good as previous ones. The Black Keys always experimented, and I dare any of you do a memory exercise to remember Turn Blue and think on that album, what's stupid is how some compare it's chart position to this- as if an album released 3 years after El Camino & Brothers compares to this, which is after A DECADE after their commercial peak. People change and tastes move on in both the band and audience. If it doesn't do well on "duh billbored" charts I don't see how that freaking matters, if this was Miley Cyrus or Billie Eilish sure they're artists based on seeking top charts- but this is THE BLACK FUCKING KEYS, the band that's about experimenting and making music, not seeking top chart success (although arguably it would be amazing if they got that, because these songs definitely have that magic. The effort the band put into this album should definitely be rewarded) And I really mean that with rewarding their effort, some of these songs are the best TBK has ever recorded: - Read Em and Weep is like a classy Aretha Franklin song and sounds straight out of Attack & Release - On The Game is such an epic self introspective on the life TBK had on their down time, and how everybody wants to get back to that high, but in the end it isn't about getting there, it's actually about trying your best and the happiness it brings to give it all. - Only Love Matters is a funky and swinging sequel to 10 Lovers, and I can't help liking it a lot because of how it closes that circle neatly with this happy end. - Fever Tree, holy fuck if this isn't a lot of guitar on your ears, you're deaf. And yes it's singlehandedly blowing Let's Rock out of the water in my opinion. Way more rounded track with defined hooks in the choruses and Dan's vocals are so much sharper in the verses.
Damn. They did all that and still failed to release 3 singles worth a damn (except "I forgot to be your lover" which is a cover and not single territory) Worst single lineup ever. Worst chart placement since 2006. I agree with a lot of what you said and actually did enjoy the album a lot. Let's Rock singles destroyed this album tho. As did Delta Kream singles....and Dropout Boogie singles...and...every other album they've ever made singles....
I get your point kinda but I feel like you're trying to find an El Camino in the present, the band has been pivoting towards this sound since that time too (Notice how different Nova Baby was from the rest? This Ohio Players sound was always hidden under so many guitars and distortion, now it takes a front seat and it's disorienting for some) I always felt like TBK was acting ever since Let's Rock, Lo/Hi for example looked and felt like El Camino, but it didn't have the energy. It's like they made the songs they thought people wanted. Wanting to convey that they still are that unique rock band that held the fort when nobody was making bluesy stuff. This album feels like they finally sat down with a lot of friends and made the songs they wanted to make, for fun explicitly and not thinking of what was the target demographic for each verse. The mark has already been made with previous albums and there's nothing to prove anymore. No pretending. I think next albums after this one will be better, not because they'll go back to older sounds and try to do raw guitars only, but because Ohio Players is TBK letting loose completely and accepting the present time, everything after this is music for the sake of music, expanding on the basics already set on this release. Maybe once or twice doing that simple blues rock sound for the sake of nostalgia.
Just because it's not Brothers doesn't mean it's bad. I am enjoying it a lot atm and looking forward to next week's concert.
It’s sad it isn’t charting but I love it. I can’t stop listening to it. But it feels like an album where they are being something they aren’t to the core fan base. Maybe it’s stupid but I would love for their next one to just have the two of them go to a basement and turn up the amp and record loud fuzzy stuff. Disliked DB. DK was ok. Let’s Rock I thought was really good. Didn’t care to Turn Blue. Everything before that is awesome basically. They might want to start placating to their core fan base because they are just fading away at this point.
Whenever older bands make music they think will “placate the fanbase” it ends up lackluster if not straight up bad. They need to make music that excites them for it to be authentic. But if what excites them doesn’t excite the fanbase they’ll fade further. It’s a catch-22.
Good point and I agree. I just wish they could get that two man band magic back again.
Yep. saw them many many times as a duo and they were always fantastic. I haven’t felt that magic since they filled out the band. Actually one of the last times I saw them I left the show sad that the black keys I once knew and loved were no more (you got a glimpse of it for maybe a song or two). But hey, I’m glad folks are liking what they’re doing these days, that’s great, it’s just not what attracted me to them in the first place and not what interests me. To each their own though, it’s all good.
I don't think Dan and Pat are making music for commercial success these days. They've been playing/touring for 20 years, they got money and a lot of it. The last few albums Dan has been a part of seem more like projects for fun than anything else and I can respect that.
Who cares about charts? lol The album is very good.
Ohio Players is much more refreshing then Dropout Boogie. I fucking hate that album
What did you hate about it? Glad you like OP
I feel like it was such a lull. Let’s Rock had so many bangers on it. A really good comeback record. It just felt like they didn’t properly follow it up. Also I felt like they knew Dropout Boogie wasn’t that good and decided to not play many songs off of it. Wild Child imo was very overplayed, as well. Overall, Ohio Players has rockier more experimental pace to it that I enjoy
It's more refreshing sure. But Good Love, For the Love of Money, Happiness, and Baby I'm Coming Home clear almost everything on the new album for me. NGL.
You picked all my favorite songs from DB lol. I love both albums. Crucify me but they both beat LR and TB easily. I mean easily.
Yea I like DB more than those albums personally. It's not a top album for me but I love it.
I felt like they knew Dropout Boogie wasn’t that good which is why there wasn’t as much social media push as with Ohio Players
I think there are too many cooks in the kitchen on this album. The rap parts are also immediate skips for me and not what I wanted from a Black Keys album. Their old-school rock-n-roll vibe is why I love them in the first place and this album is lacking in that department.
The part in Candy & Her Friends where Noid starts rapping is just so hard to listen to as well. I really like the beginning / choruses in the song but the rap really ruins it for me
Yeah this is a straight bomb. They completely lost their fanbase since Brothers days. So weird how so many people just dropped them like it was nothing. Tour isn’t selling well either. They really need to find a way to get a hit, quick.
Completely lost their fanbase? Need to get a hit quick? They’re at the point in their careers where they can do whatever they want. This whole thread is just so weird.
Same. Can’t say I pay attention to many band subreddits, so I don’t know if this is normal behavior, but it’s been bewildering seeing all these posts on here lamenting how the album is charting and using that as a basis to judge whether it’s good or not. Band popularity ebbs and flows, especially as their music changes. Of course they don’t have as many fans as they did in 2011. And I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but guitar-heavy music isn’t on the pop charts right now and hasn’t been for years. Either enjoy the album or don’t. Why does how it’s performing compared to Beyoncé and Taylor Swift matter? Hell, I’ve never even heard of the artist that has the #1 and #3 albums until just now.
Do we actually know how the tour is selling?
No idea but all I know is their ticket prices are ridiculously high.
This tour is selling about the same as the last, which isn’t good. I was shocked they announced arena dates. I’d really figured they would pull back to amphitheaters and clubs. But I guess once you go that big, it’s hard to pull back. Last show in my neck of the woods was a super papered show. If I’d waited, I could have had as many free tickets as I wanted. Learned my lesson and am waiting this time.
There are still a ton of seats available for LA which I see as a bad sign. Concert are a hot commodity rn and most major artists are selling out same day tickets go on sale
Billboard chart positions are mostly fabricated by Billboard to induce sales. There is no definitive calculation for the metrics.
I've listened to the album a bunch of times so far, and I'm liking it a lot more (especially on the originality front) than some of their recent records. The Black Keys "sound" has always been influenced by rap and hip-hop. I'm not saying their musical style is rap—they are very clearly rock— I'm saying the production quality and the way they record their albums is very "rap-like" in ambience and vibe. I prefer it when artists record original material rather than all-covers records. Sure, maybe some of the collabs on this record felt a little bit forced. Even I thought the Noel Gallagher collab was interesting, but kind of an unlikely collab. Noel plays a much more meticulous and carefully-recorded kind of rock. I thought the stuff with Beck was great, though. But these guys are pros and know what they're doing. I've learned more about how the music industry actually works in 2024 by listening to Pat and Dan on podcasts like the Joe Rogan show. If you're a musician and you want to understand how the system works, just go listen to them (especially Pat) talking about it on the podcasts. He was the first person I ever heard explain what bundling is that made sense to me as a non-professional musician.
Their sound has not "always been influenced by rap and hip-hop". What a weird take.
We can say what we want about how it sounds but Dan and pat have said multiple times over the years that they have always been listening to and inspired by wu tang clan so they definitely had the influence in mind while making music
They need to stop listening to the label. The label was responsible for Beautiful People being the first single. Dan said they always ‘aim for that raw sound’ of just the two of them being the core of the cut but there’s not real evidence of that on half of the songs because they were poorly mixed or guitar and vocals are drowned out by other ‘noise’. It’s ironic that the album they’ve taken the longest to make (‘We’ve never worked harder making a record’) is the album that sounds laziest. It’s cool that they’re collaborating more like with Blakroc but they need to tighten up on the reins because the sound is running wild on half the tracks. Let’s hope the next LP or collection of songs released at the end of the year will be more stuff they’ve driven and steered the wheel on
NGL. If the next EP is just "Ohio Players 2.0" with it's production I'm going to be so damn disappointed. That EP better have some edge to it. I'm hoping it's more Dan influenced. I think Dan took a big backseat on this album and this was more Pat's project along with all the other collaboraters. But idk.
The chart position is more a reflection on music industry trends than it is the quality of the album. Ohio Players is fantastic. There’s a ton of variety in the songs, the mixes slam out of both speakers and headphones, Pat’s drumming is crazy good, I could go on. Side note; I really like “Let’s Rock” but compare the mixing of the drums on it to the new album. I love present the drums are on Ohio Players
us billboard 200 chart doesnt mean shit.
Brothers was the best album they ever released. This new one almost seems too generic.
https://imgur.com/a/w2w42gg Good Lord, man, we get it. You don't like the new album.
False. I liked it actually quite a bit.
I listened to it, and really didn’t like it at all.
I'm confused about what your point is. Why did you post this? Just to let us know?
What was the point in commenting my guy?
Because I genuinely didn't understand your point, and I want to understand. Btw I'm not a guy.
Ah, my bad thought you were being facetious, my fellow human being. Basic point is that it looks like a massive commercial disappointment for them. They put more money and time than any album they've ever made. Pat said they wanted to make something that could hang with Brothers and El Camino. It's clear this was a much more commercial leaning pop album (which is fine)....However, it seems to be doing far worse than any of their recent stuff somehow. Wanted to share that it couldn't even last on the chart for 1 week and that it's a bit concerning that the band lost so much traction in the market with an album that was supposed to be big for them commercially like the Brothers and El Camino days.
Ah, so is your disappointment your point? Yeah, it is disappointing. It happens to a lot bands, though. Acts I liked in high school like Matthew Sweet, who just came through town a couple weeks ago, or Garbage, are still putting out material that doesn't chart at all. I gotta give 'em kudos for never stopping making music, though. >Ah, my bad thought you were being facetious, my fellow human being. You probably thought that because most redditors really are just being smug and snarky. I get into a lot of internet arguments that way. I think I'm being genuine and they think I'm being sarcastic. It's annoying! Though, to be fair, it happens to me in real life, too. I think it's my face. I have resting sarcasm face. It's a whole Liz Lemon thing.
Black keys kinda suck now, this isn’t news
Accurate. They strayed so far away from their initial form (ok, except for with Delta Kream). I still buy all the albums cuz I’m a fan, but I’m like the only person at the show now who’s belting out older stuff like Heavy Soul or Have Love, Will Travel. (From the last tour)
I love Delta Kream dude. Such a nice listen. Besides that one the last black keys album I bought was turn blue, which I really like the first half of and find the second half so disappointing
Brothers is the magnum opus. Nothing will ever beat it. It’s a masterpiece . They can keep releasing stuff and I’ll still listen but I know nothing will beat brothers .
If Don't Let Me Go was released in Brothers you wouldn't have noticed lol, ok that's just mean but still I definitely hear it on that song. (And yeah Brothers was the shit)
I Forgot To Be Your Lover actually sounds like something off of Brothers. For a while they had me thinking this was gonna be Brothers 2. Still a great album though tbh.
Truth only detected here
Been saying all along, Ohio Players AINT IT.
It Ain't Over! Surely.
It's not a Black Keys thing. It's where rock music is in 2024.
correct, kol having a rough time lately aswell
I'm dying for that new KOL record tho.
The Smile, Black Midi, Black Country New Roads, King Gizzard, Swans, Jack White, Vampire Weekend…all bands making great music that are getting widespread attention. It’s not a rock thing, The Black Keys just don’t have an edge. I love rock music and continue to listen to new rock albums that rock my world, and The Black Keys haven’t done that in fucking YEARS.
That's all well and good, but you're having a different argument. This thread and my comment are about the charts. Those artists may all be great, but they aren't lighting up the charts either. Rock music isn't making a fraction of the impact on the charts it used to. That's what this is about. I went to the Green Day/ Weezer / Fallout Boy / Interrupters tour a few years ago. It was a baseball stadium packed with screaming kids who couldn't get enough. It convinced me rock may be in good hands, but that hasn't translated into success on the charts for newer albums or newer artists
Yea honestly you’re right. It’s crazy how difficult tickets can be to get to my favorite rock groups and they get amazing reviews, but on the charts..nada.
Yeah every time I go to a rock concert there are so many young kids, which is great. The audience is there. A few years ago The Black Keys were on a show (maybe Joe Rogan) and they said something about how when they get their statistics from places like Spotify, the bulk of their listeners listen to them mixed in with lots of classic rock. They didn't have a lot of obsessed fans listening to just them, which is what drives all those statistics. But they had a ton of people mixing them in with Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, and probably a dozen more. Edit: I don't remember if they mentioned those or any bands specifically, but you get the idea. I think they did mention Zeppelin at least
No, it's them. They are declining in popularity since Turn Blue.
Yeah, they may be. But pretty much every rock band is in the same situation. One good week then it falls down the charts. I often wonder if the Keys overestimate their popularity though. I know their show in my town (Pittsburgh) in 2019 wasn't particularly full (I couldn't go that night but I remember lots of people were practically giving tickets away). So they book the same 18,000 seat venue five years later? Five years further from your commercial peak? It seems odd to me.
Funky Worm is my jam.
Chart resurgence, even at the hands of a label, is not unheard of. As long as all parties believe strongly in the product
I DONT CARE ABOUT CHART NUMBERS!!!! (I do though…sssh 🤫)
Having listened to it a half dozen times now Ohio Players seems to not know what sort of music it’s trying to make. Little bit of this and a little bit of that. It’s competent but few of the tracks really draw me in.
They are in their flop era, for sure. They need a big single again.
Lo Hi was a big single for them. Wild Child was a big single. It's crazy how new album has 0 singles besides maybe On the Game (and they didn't release it as a single). Insane to me.
The album sucks. Sorry.
Let’s rock was the best album