self-proclaimed lo-fi blues rock duo dan auerbach and patrick carney started creating music in dan's acron, ohio basement in 2001, and released their debut album the big come up in 2002.  the band got their name from an artist friend who used the term "black keys" to describe people who weren't quite right".

attack and release, the band's fifth l.p. and first album actually recorded in a recording studio, was produced by d.j. and super producer, danger mouse (of gnarles barkley).  it dropped april 1, 2008.

the black keys' music has been described as being "concentrated and hermetic, utilizing rudimentary equipment to create terse but soulful rock that seems to have time-traveled into the pair's amps from some long-ago radio show."  in fact, according to musician/music writer michael hill, "the black keys have been able to make something ferociously noisy, deceptively melodic, and surprisingly sincere out of the simplest tools and riffs."

there's an extensive collection of live performances available online for your listening pleasure.  click here, or here for a pair of shows recorded at d.c.'s 9:30 club by npr's all songs considered, from 2008 and 2007 respectively.  click here and here for two quick sessions from wxpn's world café, also from 2008 and 2007.  click here for an in-studio performance on kcrw's morning becomes eclectic. finally, click here for a full 16 song gig, video recorded at amsterdam's melkweg-old hall.

the black keys are touring in support of their album.  click here to find out if the black keys are playing near you.

as always, please buy this album from your local independent music store and not from retailers like wal-mart (soulless, globally-homogenizing, community-killers) or i-tunes (albums should be listened to as an entire composition with album cover and liner notes in hand).  incidentally, these two companies sell more music than any other retailer in the united states.  that my friend, bites.