#MusicMay-hem: The Black Keys' "Dropout Boogie"

Don't be surprised if years from now, in the annals of music history, there is an entry about May 2022. The sheer number of mega-watt, eyebrow-raising music releases in this short period of time is unlike anything I have experienced in my (admittedly short) time as somewhat of a music junkie. On a single day, in fact, Friday the 13th, we witnessed the return of Kendrick Lamar, arguably the greatest rapper in the game today, indie darling Florence & The Machine with her first release since 2018, and The Black Keys, arguably one of the biggest and most important American rock bands in the last decade. If that wasn't enough, that smattering of new material came one week after the latest album from Arcade Fire, one of the biggest alternative-rock groups in the World, and one week before the new release from Harry Styles, one of the biggest pop stars in the World. It's a good thing Frank Ocean hasn't also decided to resurface this month-- yet!! --otherwise I think the Internet might actually fold in on itself.

After a 6-year hiatus, which involved both members doing side projects, The Black Keys have come back in full force, with now 3 albums in a 4 year span. 2021's Delta Kream was a unique entry from the band, a record full of covers of different Blues greats, but that was sandwiched between two albums-- 2019's "Let's Rock!" and May release Dropout Boogie --that are wholly Black Keys originals.

While the trio of recent albums all represent a return to the more "familiar" Keys after their previous latest album, Turn Blue, featured their biggest departure from their regular style, Dropout Boogie does still feel like somewhat of a sequel to last year's cover album. Where "Let's Rock!" very much felt like listening to The Black Keys in their Brothers days, this latest release, more than anything, is a return to the 'pre-fame' Keys, with a thick, heavy Blues and Garage Rock sound.

Reading up on interviews with band members Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, it sounds as if this was very much intentional; in this Rolling Stone article in particular, they talk often about rediscovering their roots and going back to a time when making music was just about the fun. That comes through in the album. The music and lyrics of Dropout Boogie reflects the same ideas they've spouted in the latest press tours: it very much seems as if this is an older, more mature duo, who have had their taste of fame and now are more interested in eschewing rock music that will fill NBA arenas in favor of the rock they fell in love with at an early age.

To sing the praises of this album's successes is not to decry the band's 'arena rock' era in the least, mind you. Call me a poser, a bandwagoner, a simpleton, what have you, but I do still prefer the music from that time above all else in their discography. There's nostalgic value tied to it of course, since they were hitting their peak in my late high school/early college days, but even without sentimentality attached, anthems like "Tighten Up," "Next Girl," "Lonely Boy," "Gold On The Ceiling," "Little Black Submarines", and "Fever" just can't be beat for replay value. And conspicuously, there's no track on Dropout Boogie that's remotely as instantly memorable.

But just as importantly-- arguably even more so --there's also nothing BAD on this album. Even Brothers and El Camino, brilliant as they were, had some noticeable deadweight that could have been trimmed, and doing so would have actually made those albums better. Dropout Boogie, for its lack of memorable highs, certainly never goes low. It's a fun, easy, bluesy rock from start to finish. Lead single "Wild Child" and "It Ain't Over" are a great one-two punch out of the gate, and the energy continues throughout the album with other tracks like "Good Love", "How Long", and "Baby I'm Coming Home." Even the few slower songs on the tracklist don't drag down the pace of the album, something they've been guilty of in other recent records.

So, while it would be fair for Black Keys fans to listen to this and yearn for that period of time when "Tighten Up" and "Gold On The Ceiling" ruled the radio, it would be quite unfair for them to decry the Keys as sellouts or argue their best days have passed. Dropout Boogie is old-school rock at its best, showing these two 43-year olds can still kick ass in the studio and on stage.