The Black Keys – Attack & Release

Attack & Release thus became The Black Keys' first collaborative effort, as it morphed into their own album with Danger Mouse as producer. By recording in an actual studio (another first), guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney were given the opportunity to add a variety of instruments to their usual simple set-up-including organ, moog, and banjo. "After recording our previous albums in a basement, we were ready to go somewhere else," Auerbach confesses. "Danger Mouse came in as our collaborator. He has a real ear for melody and arrangement and that was a big part of this record, as was the studio...a really special place." Carney concurs: "The place is covered with dust, it smells like a moldy cabin, and it looks like a haunted house. It was fitting for our first time going into a real studio." He continues, "I think Dan and I were intrigued to work with somebody as a producer, and with an engineer like Paul, because we both realized we couldn't teach ourselves anything more and it was best to start learning from other people."

Besides Auerbach, Carney, and Danger Mouse's work, other contributions on Attack & Release include guitarist Marc Ribot and multi-instrumentalist Ralph Carney (Patrick's uncle)-both veterans of, among other things, Tom Waits' band. The closing track, "Things Ain't Like They Used To Be," features Auerbach singing along side eighteen-year-old bluegrass/country-singer Jessica Lea Mayfield