By Kalina Nedelcheva

Turn Blue is exactly the kind of album I picture myself listening to after a night of intoxication and substance abuse. The bluesy rhythms with a dash of alternative rock, in combination with Dan Auerbach’s calm, melodic voice, make this album the perfect remedy for a tormented soul (or, in my case, a tormented liver). Straying from their usual bold approach, this album seems to encompass more desolation than their previous EPs. If “Lonely Boy” was the high, then “Turn Blue” is the burnout.

Opening with “Weight of Love,” this album gives off the first impression of an instrumental diary of feelings. Patrick’s drumming leads the melody like a metronome, while a steady guitar hook sets the pace. And then, at the 2:09 mark, Dan swoops in with “I used to think, darlin’, you never did nothin’, but you were always up to somethin’.” Unsurprisingly, the lyrics of Turn Blue’s songs still capture the mind in expressing the kind of stuff you would write in your journal while trying to sound poetic. You would think that in a few songs the Black Keys would have return to their old selves but, on the contrary, they stick with the drastic shift in their music. By the time the tenth track, “In Our Prime,” occupied my speakers, I came to two realizations: first, the lyrical-to-instrumental ratio was obviously uneven. However, by adding distortion with the help of fuzz pedals and sound engineers, the Black Keys say more with their chords than they could ever put in words — and it also adds to the uniqueness of their repertoire; second, it is hard to treat lines like “Why you always wanna love the ones who hurt you, then break down when they go and desert you?” as if they were meaningless. In an interview with NPR Music, Dan Auerbach shared that each song was influenced by the breakup the guitarist went through with his ex-wife. But, as the saying goes, “Everything will be alright,” and by the last song, “Gotta Get Away,” all is forgotten. The music moves away from the gloomy, dark cave of heartbreak and adopts the familiar upbeat notion of the Black Keys. After all this pain, the only thing left to do is get away. Despite the depressing theme of the album, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and Turn Blue describes that exact journey.

Even though this album is by far not their best, the Black Keys displayed a significant change in their sound, and where there is change, there is room to grow. Patrick and Dan will always be able to surprise us, and I’m already looking forward to their next album. (Nonesuch)