El Camino (The Black Keys album)
Encyclopedia
El Camino is the seventh album by American blues-rock
duo The Black Keys
. The album was announced on October 10, 2011 by Pitchfork Media
and will become the band's fourth release from Nonesuch Records
on December 6, 2011. The album was leaked on the Internet in late November.
for their well received album Brothers
, the band announced that they're currently working on their seventh album. On October 9, 2011, The band placed an ad in the Akron Beacon Journal
featuring a 1994 El Camino for sale with the description at the bottom reading:
with the number leading you to a recorded message of Patrick Carney
describing the car and asking for the caller to leave a message.
More information about releasing of the album announced by Pitchfork Media
on October 10, 2011. on the exact same day, the band posted a trailer on YouTube
which spoofs a used car commercial. At the end of the trailer a small blurb appears that reads the band’s name and the words “El Camino” followed by the release date of December 6. The actor in the video is comedian and actor Bob Odenkirk
known for his roles on Mr. Show
and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
as well as Saul Goodman in the AMC series Breaking Bad
.
Besides of all their marketing, The band launched a website that continues the hype for the album at Wanna Buy a Van. In addition to the faux website, The band launched a new portion of their official website, detailing preorder options.
, but rather a first generation Chrysler Town & Country
, the album has a received an average critic rating of 87/100, based on 8 reviews. Spin
gave the record an 8/10 rating, calling it "irresistibly gaudy" and "catchier, glitzier, ballsier". The reviewer said the songs contain "classic cock-rock sonic tchotchkes: handclaps, talk-box guitar breaks, rainbow keyboards. The overall effect is something akin to ZZ Top
with glitter in their beards." The review concluded, "El Camino is all action." Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly
gave the record an "A–", writing that the group "make a small-room racket that sounds massive enough for a bigger-is-better world". Maerz said that "El Camino trades the soulful stylings of Brothers for harder-driving, faster-riffing rock & roll". James Lachno of The Telegraph
rated the album four-stars-out-of-five, praising Danger Mouse for "sharpen[ing] up the sweet, melodic choruses that offset the duo's unholy racket" and give each song a "timeless quality, as suited to a Seventies mid-west saloon as a students' indie disco". Despite what Lachno judged as "tawdry" lyrics, according to him, "the Black Keys are here to rock, not talk. On this evidence, few bands right now do it better." The Observer
gave the album a rating of three-stars-out-of-five, commenting that it sounded like Danger Mouse "tightened up the Black Keys' act rather than loosened it" and that "El Camino may be fast and fun, but it is also somewhat undemanding." The reviewer noted that the album had "increased vigour", but that it came at the expense of "the subtleties that made Brothers such an intriguing ride."
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
duo The Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
. The album was announced on October 10, 2011 by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
and will become the band's fourth release from Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
on December 6, 2011. The album was leaked on the Internet in late November.
Background
After winning Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music AlbumGrammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
for their well received album Brothers
Brothers (The Black Keys album)
Brothers is the sixth album and Grammy Award-winner of Best Alternative Music Album by American blues-rock duo, The Black Keys. The album was announced on March 2, 2010 by Pitchfork Media and became the band's third release from Nonesuch Records on May 18, 2010...
, the band announced that they're currently working on their seventh album. On October 9, 2011, The band placed an ad in the Akron Beacon Journal
Akron Beacon Journal
The Akron Beacon Journal is a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States, and published by Black Press Ltd.. It is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper places a strong emphasis on local news and business...
featuring a 1994 El Camino for sale with the description at the bottom reading:
with the number leading you to a recorded message of Patrick Carney
Patrick Carney
Patrick J. Carney is a multi-instrumentalist best known as the drummer for The Black Keys, a blues-rock band from Akron, Ohio...
describing the car and asking for the caller to leave a message.
More information about releasing of the album announced by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
on October 10, 2011. on the exact same day, the band posted a trailer on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
which spoofs a used car commercial. At the end of the trailer a small blurb appears that reads the band’s name and the words “El Camino” followed by the release date of December 6. The actor in the video is comedian and actor Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk
Robert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
known for his roles on Mr. Show
Mr. Show
Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series featuring former Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross...
and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim comedy block and ran until May 2010...
as well as Saul Goodman in the AMC series Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
.
Besides of all their marketing, The band launched a website that continues the hype for the album at Wanna Buy a Van. In addition to the faux website, The band launched a new portion of their official website, detailing preorder options.
Album art
Despite its name, the vehicle shown is not a Chevrolet El CaminoChevrolet El Camino
The Chevrolet El Camino is a coupe utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1959–1960 model years in response to the success of its rival, Ford Ranchero. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the...
, but rather a first generation Chrysler Town & Country
Reception
El Camino has received favourable reviews from critics. According to review aggregator website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the album has a received an average critic rating of 87/100, based on 8 reviews. Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
gave the record an 8/10 rating, calling it "irresistibly gaudy" and "catchier, glitzier, ballsier". The reviewer said the songs contain "classic cock-rock sonic tchotchkes: handclaps, talk-box guitar breaks, rainbow keyboards. The overall effect is something akin to ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
with glitter in their beards." The review concluded, "El Camino is all action." Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the record an "A–", writing that the group "make a small-room racket that sounds massive enough for a bigger-is-better world". Maerz said that "El Camino trades the soulful stylings of Brothers for harder-driving, faster-riffing rock & roll". James Lachno of The Telegraph
The Telegraph
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
rated the album four-stars-out-of-five, praising Danger Mouse for "sharpen[ing] up the sweet, melodic choruses that offset the duo's unholy racket" and give each song a "timeless quality, as suited to a Seventies mid-west saloon as a students' indie disco". Despite what Lachno judged as "tawdry" lyrics, according to him, "the Black Keys are here to rock, not talk. On this evidence, few bands right now do it better." The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
gave the album a rating of three-stars-out-of-five, commenting that it sounded like Danger Mouse "tightened up the Black Keys' act rather than loosened it" and that "El Camino may be fast and fun, but it is also somewhat undemanding." The reviewer noted that the album had "increased vigour", but that it came at the expense of "the subtleties that made Brothers such an intriguing ride."
Track listing
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Alt. | US Rock Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
CAN Rock Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
CAN Alt. Rock Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
||
| 2011 | "Lonely Boy Lonely Boy (The Black Keys song) "Lonely Boy" is a song by rock band The Black Keys, and it is the first single from their 2011 album El Camino. The song is also the A-side of a promotional 12-inch single, released in commemoration of Record Store Day's "Back to Black" Friday event.... "A |
94 | 3 | 4 | 48 | 6 | 1 |
- A Current single.