(December 20, 2011) — The Black Keys aren’t YouTube-famous, Twitter-famous, or any type of outrageous twenty-first century, sell-your-soul famous. They gained fame in the early zips as the down home, biscuits and gravy band that you felt like you should kick hay to in an alt-rock sort of way. Reapply it to a modern equation when aggressive dubstep is stacking chips and pop is making a heavy comeback, and you think the minimalist “we’ll use bass if we need it” ensemble of the Black Key’s would fail with El Camino . I mean, even the White Stripes tossed in the rag this year. Did they keep the romance alive with their newly attained fan base? Far from the grit of their debut The Big Come Up, astray from the sleek art-rock aesthetic of thrice Grammy-winning Brothers , and dissimilar in production to the other four records in between, El Camino keeps it interesting. Maybe it’s Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton’s, ever-present production and refinement of the Keys’ sound that goes back to 2008’s Attack & Release and “Tighten Up”. “B. Burton” was credited with bass, additional keyboards, and songwriting in his name. Or maybe it’s their ability to adapt. Whatever it is, it’s a step in an exciting direction if not the right one. Where Brothers was murky and cosmopolitan, El Camino is airy and straightforward. It’s a downright good time hankering for some fun. The music video for “Lonely Boy” couldn’t be more appropriate starring an eccentric man named Derrick Tuggle bringing the Carlton dance to a whole new level with hips-that-don’t-lie like Shakira. Or maybe a part of the Black Keys’ success is attributed in their art direction — of which Carney’s brother and graphic designer, Michael Carney, produces. The artwork is ironic (again). What’s more confusing than naming your record “El Camino” and then slapping 23 pictures of miscellaneous Dodge Caravan’s circa-1985 laying around Akron, Ohio? But as always, there’s meaning to the madness. Taken as a phrase, the Dodge Caravan literally led “the path” of the Black Keys as their first tour bus. The junkyard ploy pays homage to their aesthetic and their relationship as “two best friends making music.” Yet perhaps their success might come from their brotherly interviews (pun intended) that feel as casual as dinner conversation — they finish each other’s sentences, crack jokes and have a particular type of awkward introspective moments. In an interview with MTV, Patrick Carney opened by commenting on the promo for El Camino: “We got to spend an hour and a half leaning up against a concrete wall to get the most original rock ‘n’ roll band photograph.” Auerbach finishes his next setence, they laugh, and the lights fade out too soon. The Keys might not tend to take their PR too seriously, but the same can’t be said for their music. Between non-stop touring, licensing agreements (alongside disputes) and public appearances, El Camino came unexpectedly quick. They probably could have spent another year riding the coattails of Brothers, but instead broke in Auerbach’s new studio and in July and reported the recording of a new and unannounced album was finished in May. In October they set the Dec. 5 release date. It seemed sudden and unlikely that they would even release. But sure enough, they produced eleven songs running a comfortable 38 minutes. The album opens with the uptempo feedback of their single, “Lonely Boy” and ends with a set of three slinky pop songs, “Stop Stop,” “Nova Baby” and “Mind Eraser.” The entire record as a whole is a lot poppier than their earlier rough discography; but it works really well with their Ohio-branded rock-roll flare. Their sound has evolved as much as Dan’s songwriting; with a poppier record came the demand for more vocals and lyrics than burying a four-line refrain amidst intricate guitar work that was so familiar to them. El Camino picks up where they left off in 2010, recounting vague happenings of anguished love, unexplained actions and relationships instead of dropping two liners that double as the track title. Auerbach tackles an unwanted love that he’s “so above” that “it’s plain to see” in the first track. El Camino’s lyrics prove the most in-depth lyrics written in their discography, written completely by Auerbach, Carney, and Burton. Where guitars have been synthesized down by effects, Auerbach’s vocals are front and center. On “Sister,” he sings “Wake up, your going to wake up with nothing/ break up / don’t break up whats coming / and when your heart is hollow / another pill to swallow” with an impressive vocal range. There may be parts where they sound like they’ve dissolved into a more “mainstream” approach, the shedding of their woeful blues comes naturally and is delivered well.