The Black Keys – Beautiful People (Stay High) Review

Knowing nothing and feeling nothing for The Black Keys is likely the best place to be. That is not a slap to the face of fans of theirs but if you get to your mid-twenties and the first image you see of the pair is them slumped on a couch with Noel Gallagher, the highs of their efforts are surely past. Still, their blues-rock blend lives on and rightly so. It sounds as good as their dedicated fans will proclaim it, and Beautiful People (Stay High) settles in nicely. A short and sweet number which will get your foot-stomping crowds out into the middle of the floor. It feels like this is the point – crunch along to the demon-slaying lyricist and his heavy bass riffs which set the scene for Ohio Players.  

Catchy and not sticking around long enough to cause a fuss is the best way for The Black Keys to be. They learn their lessons from previous efforts and mark Beautiful People (Stay High) as a short and sweet song. Repetitive, simple and catchy. The big three of bits needed to bring people into the songs which would be used on the Borderlands soundtrack if those games were still of relevance. A neat and independent funk styling filters through, the lower notes and backing vocals far more interesting than the leading man. Dan Auerbach is an indifferent frontman for this one, very static stuff and not at all engaged but he gets the job done. Freed up to focus on different instrumentals, the clapping and rhythm to this is the key focus. 

Forget the lyrics then, they are there as placeholders for where the beats should go and do little else other than grind their way into the skulls of every listener from here to the depths of the North Atlantic. The Black Keys are inescapable and giving yourself a break between repeat listens of this is the best way to experience it – not because it helps you value the song more but because the riff is that nice patch of forgettable but enjoyable. It feels like a funk and groove song without the tonal shift necessary to create much to kick up a fuss about. Solid efforts but nothing wise to pour through it. The worst a song can be is inoffensive – and here it is. The Black Keys must have something more behind them, but right now, it sounds as though nothing is there to be uncovered. 

Leave it to linger a little and it reaps nothing. The Black Keys provide a short and sweet piece which, at best, can be a bridge between two album tracks for the upcoming Ohio Players. What do they play, though? Nothing much. By the sounds of it, they are keen to maintain the line between memorable riffs and forgettable charm. Beautiful People (Stay High) coasts on through, annoyingly so as it has more than enough going for it to mark a real, solid landing. Instead, the duo relies on repetition and a nasty case of weightless materials. Nothing horrid and certainly listenable, but an eye-opener which should spark a few concerns for those seasoned fans.