Dan Auerbach may have taken a break from The Black Keys, but in many ways, The Black Keys haven’t taken a break from him. Although he brings new formulas and ideas to the table with each of his many side-projects and musical adventures, he still carries the voice and essence of The Black Keys wherever he goes. Auerbach has been taking more frequent breaks from his enigmatic partnership with Patrick Carney of late, firstly to produce Lana Del Rey’s latest record Ultraviolence, and secondly to record with some old musical comrades under the name of The Arcs.
The record in question, which was released on September 4th, features 14 tracks and is titled Yours, Dreamily. Auerbach originally meant the album to be a solo project but it soon morphed into a collaborative effort with the Black Keys frontman being joined by musicians Leon Michels (Aloe Blacc), Richard Swift (The Black Keys, The Shins), Homer Steinweiss (Bruno Mars, St Vincent), and Nick Movshon (Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse), who all share songwriting credits throughout.
Full of star power and experience, the album instantly feels like a thorough job. No stone is left unturned, and creativity has been allowed to flow by the bucket load. It’s most certainly an Auerbach record from the get go; he’s calling the shots, he’s overseeing the ins and outs, for better or worse. You can take Auerbach’s vocal out of The Black Keys (at least short-term) but you can’t take The Black Keys out of his vocal. Distinctive, bluesy and at times raspy, that signature Ohio serenade we’ve become accustomed to remains. What separates The Arcs from anything he’s done before then? Well, quite simply its diversity and variety. It’s pleasing to finally hear what has been itching to come out of his soul for years and this collaboration is so fresh and varied it’s utterly inspiring to listen to.
The opener is the one you listen to and think okay this could’ve been on a Black Keys record; ‘Outta My Mind’ has the slick guitar licks of The Black Keys but the sound is bigger, the soul runs deeper, and there’s complexity he’s never delved into before. Choir-backed vocals, chiming organs, double-layered drums equal new depths for Auerbach.
Sequential variety that blows Christmas selection boxes out the water soon follows as ‘Put a Flower In Your Pocket’ & ‘Pistol Made Of Bones’ team American soul with 90s trip-hop bass and ska rhythms creating the head bop, hip-shaker of dreams. The latter oozing blues swagger is amongst its long-list of pluses. The albums’ lead release ‘Stay In My Corner’ follows and takes things down a notch to melodic blues symphonies, which is surprising considering its roots are firmly wedged in the bright lights of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight earlier this year. Blues strutter ‘Cold Companion’ twangs its way into the stunningly sublime ‘Velvet Ditch’ to raise the bar once more and keep the creativity flowing right to the chequered flag.
The Arcs have brought out a new lyrical side of Dan Auerbach, one that we may never have known existed without this record falling into place in this way. Who knew Auerbach’s warm and fuzzy tones sounded so lush beside a piano and saxophone? Who knew he longed for such lyrical complexity and variety? Lyrical arcs range from breaking down his own ego, to a soldier away at war writing home to his lover, thus showing a whole new side to Auerbach’s song-writing. Delivering lines about western-gun slingers and soldiers lost in war with the same gusto as his own personal lyrical battles is just one of the excellent traits this record has brought to the surface.
That said, Auerbach won’t eclipse The Black Keys with this project, nor should he want to – after all, it’s a side-project for a reason. It has, however, brought out a whole new side to him that I for one never knew existed. He’s flexed his musical muscles and let his creative mind and soul run wild and the end product is quite staggering.
Yours, Dreamily the debut album from The Arcs is out now on Nonesuch Records.
Words Jake Marley