The Black Keys - The Big Come Up

The Black Keys' first album was a total revelation. Sure, the world had already seen a bluesy two piece drum and guitar combo before The Black Keys hit the scene, but this album showed that the depths of that form had not even begun to be plumbed. The Big Come Up combines blues purism with a garage rock sensibility and unbridled enthusiasm. It's gritty, honest, and downright exciting. Never before have two men and only two men caused such a glorious ruckus. You honestly couldn't ask for more in a debut.

The vinyl version of this album contains three alternate versions of the songs which appear on the CD version, and it also contains bonus track, which just happens to be a cover of one of my favorite Stooges tracks, "No Fun." Also appearing on this album is one of the very few Beatles covers I'll ever sign off on: "Se Said, She Said." Perhaps my favorite track on the album is the closer "240 Years Before Your Time" in which Dan Auerbach's guitar holds a conversation with the audio track from an old educational film. Every time I listen to it, I think I can actually understand what the guitar is talking about. It's like that episode of Home Movies. You know the one.