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Jun 26, 2014This record is guaranteed to indiscriminately piss off both kinds of Black Keys fans: the diehard purists yearning for the blues rock halcyon days and the recent devotees primed for another round of hooky singles.
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May 12, 2014Songs stretch out longer here than they have on any previous Black Keys LP, but this doesn't feel indulgent due to the precision of the production; things may seem to drift but every bit of fuzz and echo is in its right place.
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May 15, 2014Turn Blue is the most masterful representation to date of the duo’s successful transformation from lost-in-the-milieu garage rockers to game-changing, widely appealing songwriters.
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Jun 19, 2014Turn Blue pivots on such low-stakes grooves, the same ones sold so effectively to the mainstream. You could do a lot worse, but that of course is both a blessing and curse.
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May 12, 2014The Black Keys' eighth long player isn't loaded with obvious hits, and that's more than okay--because this is a brave, varied and engaging collection of songs.
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May 13, 2014The best tunes are the first and last in “Weight of Love” (where Auerbach unleashes a two-minute guitar solo of vintage psychedelia) and the Stones-like punch of “Gotta Get Away.” Otherwise, most songs merely drift away.
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May 12, 2014Over seven increasingly ambitious albums, they refined the approach, and Turn Blue contains their most atmospheric and somber music yet.
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Apr 28, 2014Turn Blue is pure searing sexiness, hotter than a Nashville afternoon. Their best yet.
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Classic Rock MagazineDec 18, 2014For diehard fans and the inevitable new army of converts, however, this blue period is one to marvel at. [Jul 2014, p.94]
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May 12, 2014Turn Blue, though, is the sound of Auerbach and Carney eagerly and grandiosely taking things into their own (and, if you want, Burton’s) hands.
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May 12, 2014Much like that fancy sports car, Turn Blue is big, bombastic and very well made. Just, at points, a teensy bit ostentatious.
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May 13, 2014If you were hankering for a return to their garage-rock roots, then Turn Blue is going to disappoint; however, if you’ve liked where the band have gone since Dangermouse came on board, you’ll find plenty to appreciate here.
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May 5, 2014It's meticulously executed but slightly (and sleepily) monochromatic.
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May 9, 2014It all sounds great, but the songs don't sink in, don't push past the surface.
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May 13, 2014A pronounced feeling of descent pervades Turn Blue.
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MagnetJun 18, 2014Turn Blue is a soft pack of post-coital smokes, and Marlboro Lights 100's at that. [No. 110, p.51]
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MojoMay 15, 2014With its Magic Fly synthetic hustle, single Fever pulses with the same reductive pop genius, but doubtless deterred by the laws of diminishing returns the Keys have eschewed ab blanket reiteration--with mixed results. [Jun 2014, p.91]
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May 12, 2014This is another step along that path of evolution destined to appear on end of year best album lists, and (ducks from those crazed blues-starved fans of old) it’s quite possibly The Black Keys’ own best ever long player.
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May 12, 2014There’s a lot to like about Turn Blue, but it’s a cruel irony that the heaviest hand in Dan Auerbach’s warts-and-all confessional sometimes seems to belong to his producer.
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May 13, 2014Turn Blue may not rock as resoundingly as past works, but the added soul in Auerbach’s vocals, and the extra beauty of the tunes, give the album a slow-burn warmth.
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May 13, 2014As good as they are stepping into that spotlight, it’s hard not to wish they’d plumb the darkness even further.
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May 13, 2014Throughout Turn Blue, it's difficult to tell how invested these guys actually are in the music they're making, an indifferent attitude that encourages the listener to act in tandem.
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May 16, 2014Many will look for the moment when they can declare that the group has officially “sold out” or has become so entrenched in success than they no longer try anything new. This album shows neither of these characteristic and although far from a perfect album, the Black Keys have successfully added to their already impressive album with another solid record.
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May 12, 2014El Camino was the sound of The Black Keys flexing their muscles as they reached for that sword, but Turn Blue is the sound of The Black Keys baring their soul and testing the parameters.
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Q MagazineMay 20, 2014Auerbach and Carney don't tear up their blueprint, but tripping out their sound suits them. [Jun 2014, p.102]
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May 29, 2014On Turn Blue you can tell the duo remain integral and solidly at the core, new influences or not.
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May 5, 2014Turn Blue is a genuine turning point--into a decisively original rock, with a deeper shade of blues.
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May 12, 2014There's still a two-man garage band in there, but Auerbach and Patrick Carney are currently catering to earbuds rather than stadiums.
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May 14, 2014It's not White Blood Cells or Icky Thump, but at least they no longer sound like they're producing records in a Black Keys factory.
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May 13, 2014Feelings are always “heavy” or a “burden,” and love is consistently “dark” or “light”; it’s thematic territory that feels stale for the band, and the result is an album that aspires to talk about the complex nature of relationships, yet has nothing meaningful to say.
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May 8, 2014For all its musical diversity, Turn Blue never sounds incoherent.
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Apr 28, 2014There’s an ever-expanding diversity of appeal to Turn Blue that should win new fans and please the faithful.
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May 12, 2014Turn Blue’s stealth seduction suggests this much: their wrong-footing instincts should keep them on the right track.
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May 12, 2014It’s surer and more satisfying than either of those previous albums [El Camino and Brothers], and seems less labored.
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May 12, 2014Turn Blue is less immediate than its predecessor, more sprawling and--according to the band--designed to be savoured in headphones.
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May 14, 2014At 11 tracks, Turn Blue doesn't quite fall prey to the late-album bloat of Brothers, but it is still one song too long.
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May 16, 2014This may be the most raucously uplifting divorce album ever heard.
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UncutApr 28, 2014If El Camino was the Keys' catchiest album. Turn Blue turns out to be their sneakiest, subtlest and most seductive. [Jun 2014, p.65]
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Jun 17, 2014It tries hard enough to break away from their mold, and even if it doesn't quite nail what they were going for, it rejuvenates The Black Keys enough to warrant a few repeated listenings.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 160 out of 204
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Mixed: 34 out of 204
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Negative: 10 out of 204
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May 13, 2014
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May 16, 2014
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May 16, 2014