Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzzkill
I know this is a weird question, but I was thinking about the Black Keys. They're regarded by a lot of people as one of the great bands of the last few years, but I don't think they can qualify considering they just rehashed and refined a sound that had already been well established decades ago.
Brothers was a really good album in that it had a lot of awesome songs on it, but it really didn't do anything "new". So in my mind, they're a nice little band with a very accessible and enjoyable sound, but I can't consider them as one of this generation's "great" bands.
A lot of this hinges on what your definition of "great" is I guess.
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Nah. And especially nah to the example you used. Just needs to be good. I don't really agree with the comparison either. Like, sure they didn't do anything NEW, but look at the state of music in the last few years-ish. Compared to what radio-rock has become, and how certain genres have fallen out of the spotlight and others have come up, The Black Keys ARE pushing the envelope. I don't think you can expect bands to really come out with something completely new and unheard of these days. Everything has roots in other sounds, and there's just not a whole lot that hasn't been done. So to come out and just make music that kicks you in the teeth and takes a certain sound that may not appeal to everyone, but does that sound WELL, takes balls IMO.
You also have to look at more than just Brothers. It took 6 albums for them to get mainstream recognition, and I still never hear them on the radio. Over the course of those six albums, I think there is a little bit of something for everyone, but I wouldn't say they have a very accessible sound at all except to people who are really into music and 'classic' sounds. I have had a hard time turning people on to their music. Only a single friend of mine thinks they are as good as I do, and the rest just don't seem to "get it". I find their entire collection to be a fantastic progression that explores their depth as artists. From classic blues with their first album, to more experimental and guitar driven sound, and then gradually refining their sound and adding a bit of fullness to it. There's even a bit of a hip-hop vibe to some of their songs to show that they're not
just blues musicians. Their albums never sound the same, and yet they still keep a familiar tone to their sound that you know is them.