Black Keys, The
Rubber Factory
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 2016 180gm Repress Of The 2004 Album. Fat Possum Records Hype Sticker, No Download Card. "Rubber Factory Finds The Duo Expanding, Stretching, And Improving, Coming Into Its Own As A Distinctive, Original, Thoroughly Great Rock & Roll Band. With 2003's Thickfreakness, Guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach And Drummer/producer Patrick Carney Delivered On The Promise Of A Raw, Exciting Debut By Sharpening Their Sound And Strengthening The Songwriting, Thereby Upping The Ante For Their Next Record, And Rubber Factory Doesn't Disappoint. Instead, It Surprises In A Number Of Delightful Ways, Redefining The Duo Without Losing The Essence Of The Band. For Instance, The Production Has More Shades Than Either The Big Come Up Or Thickfreakness -- Witness The Creepy Late-night Vibe Of The Opening "When The Lights Go Out" Or How The Spare, Heartbroken, And Slide Guitar-laden "The Lengths" Sounds Like It's Been Rusted Over -- But It's Also Harder, Nastier, And Uglier Than Those Albums, Piled With Truly Brutal, Gut-level Guitar. Yet Through These Sheets Of Noise, Vulnerability Pokes Through, Not Just On "The Lengths," But In A Lazy, Loping, Terrific Version Of The Kinks' "Act Nice And Gentle." On a sheer gut level, they're intoxicating and that alone would be enough to make Rubber Factory a strong listen, but what makes it transcendent is that Auerbach has developed into such a fine songwriter. His songs have enough melodic and lyrical twists to make it seem like he's breaking rules, but his trick is that he's doing this within traditional blues-rock structures. He's not just reinvigorating a familiar form, he's doing it without a lick of pretension; it never seems as if the songs were written, but that they've always existed and have just been discovered, which is true of any great blues song. Carney gives these songs the production they deserve -- some tunes are dense and heavy with guitars, others are spacious and haunting -- and the result is the most exciting and best rock & roll record of 2004." Review By Stephen Thomas Erlewine.