The Black Keys – Turn Blue

Turn Blue is The Black Keys at their most nocturnal and widescreen, trading some of their early rawness for a more psychedelic, melancholic kind of groove. Released in 2014 as the band’s eighth studio album, it was made with Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, and that partnership gives the record its hazy, cinematic pull. Where earlier Black Keys albums often hit with direct riffs and swagger, this one leans into atmosphere, patience and mood, with Weight of Love setting the tone beautifully from the start.

What makes Turn Blue rewarding is that beneath the polish there is real emotional weight. Dan Auerbach later described it as the band’s most personal album, recorded while he was going through a brutal divorce, and that inward turn gives the record a bruised, reflective quality that suits its slower pace. It is not the most immediate Black Keys album, but it may be one of their richest mood pieces: a record that works best when you let it wash over you rather than chase individual hooks.

Reviews

“a genuine turning point – into a decisively original rock, with a deeper shade of blues” – Rolling Stone

“polished and commercial, but never craven or compromised” – The Guardian

“Turn Blue achieves a fully mature, cosmopolitan polish” – Slant Magazine

“a rather fine record, hugely engaging on the audiophile level” – The Guardian