The Black Keys never did much for me. I’ll turn on television sports programming if I want to hear beer commercial jingles. The music made by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney often sounds like the calculated product of a boardroom committee rather than the earthy brilliance of the artists who inspired the duo.
Nonetheless, Auerbach played an integral role in some of the fun I’ve had in recent weeks. He produced Yola’s glorious July 30 release Stand for Myself, a throwback roots album that’s intensified my late-night revelries. Thanks to Auerbach’s steadying influence, Shannon and the Clams’ Year of the Spider may be even better. The producer balances the band’s proclivity for sloppy mayhem with the professionalism characteristic of the Black Keys.
Shannon and the Clams outdo the Black Keys by occasionally improving on the classic sounds of their primary influences. Hearing the Black Keys makes me long for the likes of R.L. Burnside and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Year of the Spider songs including the title track and "All of My Cryin'" rival the timeless glory of Del Shannon, the Shangri-Las and Little Eva.
Auerbach is on a roll. Based on the Velveteers’ stellar advance single "Motel #27" from the forthcoming album Nightmare Daydream, Auerbach’s hot streak doesn’t seem as if it will stop anytime soon. And should songs by Yola, Shannon and the Clams or the Velveteers wind up in beer commercials, I may require an intervention.