Wednesday, May 21, 2014

The Black Keys' "Turn Blue" debuts at #1 on Billboard 200 chart


“…the best, most consistently gripping album the Keys have ever made…Turn Blue is as apocalyptic, in its way, as that Clash epic [London Calling]: loaded with risk, distress and payoff.”—Rolling Stone

The Black Keys’ highly anticipated new album, Turn Blue, debuted this week at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This is the highest chart debut yet for the acclaimed duo, whose previous album, El Camino, debuted at #2 in 2011. It is also the first #1 album for The Black Keys’ worldwide label, Nonesuch Records, which is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. Turn Blue is also the band’s highest charting album to date internationally, debuting at #1 in Canada and Australia, #2 in the U.K and New Zealand, #3 in Ireland, #4 in France and Switzerland and #5 in Austria and Holland. The album also charted in the top ten in Germany, Belgium, Finland, Norway and Portugal.

Produced by Danger MouseDan Auerbach and Patrick CarneyTurn Blue. comprises 11 new tracks, including the first single, “Fever,” which is currently #1 on Alternative radio for the second straight week and #1 on AAA radio for the sixth straight week. Additionally, the album has received critical praise, with NPR Music calling it “…expansive and irresistibly catchy,” and USA Today saying it is “…an engrossing collection that takes daring leaps while embracing the primal energy and minimalism of the duo’s early records.”

In celebration of the release, the duo recently returned to Saturday Night Live for their third musical guest appearance, performing “Fever” and “Bullet in the Brain.” The band also performed  “Fever” and “It’s Up to You Now” on Late Show with David Letterman in addition to performing a longer set, from a stage on a closed-down West 53rd Street, for the Live on Letterman online series. The duo concluded their whirlwind release-week schedule with an interview and performance at The Colbert Report.
 
The Black Keys will embark on an extensive North American tour this fall with special guests Cage The Elephant, Jake Bugg and St. Vincent. Promoted exclusively by Live Nation, the tour begins September 5 at Columbus, Ohio’s Schottenstein Center and runs through December, with dates at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, among others. See below for complete worldwide tour details. Tickets are on sale now.

Turn Blue was recorded at Sunset Sound in L.A. during the summer of 2013 with additional recording done at the Key Club in Benton Harbor, MI and Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound in Nashville in early 2014. Of the new album, the band says Turn Blue could refer to:

A: Suffocation
B: Sadness
C: Numbness from extreme cold
D: A Cleveland late night TV host from the 1960s named Ghoulardi
E: All of the above

Carney also adds, “We are always trying to push ourselves when we make a record—not repeat our previous work but not abandon it either. On this record, we let the songs breathe and explored moods, textures and sounds. We’re excited for the world to hear Turn Blue.”

This is the eighth full-length album from the duo and the fifth on Nonesuch, in collaboration with its parent company Warner Bros. Records. Turn Blue follows 2011’s critically and commercially acclaimed El Camino, which is now certified RIAA Platinum. Internationally, El Camino is Gold in Belgium, Spain, Italy and Holland; Platinum in Ireland, France and the U.K.; and double Platinum in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The record also resulted in three awards at the 55th annual Grammy Awards—Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album. The band now has a total of six Grammy Awards including three in 2010 for their breakout, RIAA Platinum album, Brothers 

THE BLACK KEYS TOUR
June 20                                           Neuhausen Ob Eck, Germany                            Southside Festival
June 22                                                     Scheessel, Germany                                   Hurricane Festival
June 24                                                        Zagreb, Croatia                                         Inmusic Festival 
 June 27                                                 St. Gallen, Switzerland              Open Air St. Gallen (sold out)
June 28                                                   Beuningen, Holland                            Down The Rabbit Hole
June 29                                                              Pilton, U.K.                                                   Glastonbury
July 2                                                            Gdansk, Poland                                          Open’er Festival
July 4                                                     Pas-de-Calais, France                              Main Square Festival
July 5                                                       Werchter, Belgium                               Festivalpark Werchter
July 6                                                              Belfort, France                                        Les Eurockennes
July 8                                                                Rome, Italy                                               Rock In Rome
July 11                                                         Lisboa, Portugal                                             Optimus Alive
July 12                                                         Bilbao, Spain                                         Bilbao – BBK Live
July 15                                                        Nîmes, France                                             Festival de Nîmes
   July 17                                             Les Vieilles Charrues, France                         Les Vieilles Charrues
July 20                                                           Suffolk, U.K.                                            Latitude Festival
July 22                                                       Nyon, Switzerland                                            Paleo Festival
September 5                                                 Columbus, OH                                 Schottenstein Center*
September 6                                                  Cleveland, OH                               Quicken Loans Arena*
September 7                                               Grand Rapids, MI                                   Van Andel Arena*
 September 9                                               Milwaukee, WI                      BMO Harris Bradley Center*
September 10                                                Louisville, KY                                     KFC Yum! Center*
September 12                                                   Detroit, MI                                            Joe Louis Arena*
September 13                                              Pittsburgh, PA                           CONSOL Energy Center*
September 14                                               Rochester, NY                                      Blue Cross Arena*
September 16                                                 Toronto, ON                                     Air Canada Centre*
September 18                                                Montreal, QC                                                Bell Centre*
September 20                                            Philadelphia, PA                                  Wells Fargo Center*
September 21                                                   Boston, MA                                                  TD Garden*
September 24                                              Brooklyn, NY                                           Barclays Center*
September 25                                            Washington, DC                                          Verizon Center*
September 27                                                 Chicago, IL                                               United Center*
 October 24                                                 Minneapolis, MN                                          Target Center†
October 25                                                    Winnipeg, MB                                              MTS Centre†
October 27                                                   Calgary, AB                              Scotiabank Saddledome†
October 28                                                   Edmonton, AB                                              Rexall Place†
          October 30                                                 Vancouver, BC                                       Pacific Coliseum†           
October 31                                                     Portland, OR                                              Moda Center†
November 1                                                     Seattle, WA                                                    KeyArena†
  November 9                                                San Diego, CA                       Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl†
November 10                                                Phoenix, AZ                                   U.S. Airways Center†
 November 12                                           Salt Lake City, UT                                      Maverik Center†
November 13                                                  Denver, CO                                                Pepsi Center†
November 15                                                 Houston, TX                                            Toyota Center†
November 16                                                 Dallas, TX                             American Airlines Center†
December 4                                                  Baltimore, MD                                       Baltimore Arena‡
December 5                                                      Raleigh, NC                                                 PNC Arena‡
December 6                                                Richmond, VA                                Richmond Colliseum‡
December 8                                                 Nashville, TN                                     Bridgestone Arena‡
December 9                                                 St. Louis, MO                                        Scottrade Center‡
December 11                                                   Atlanta, GA                                              Philips Arena‡
 December 12                                               Charlotte, NC                        Time Warner Cable Arena‡ 
   December 13                                                Greenville, SC                 Bon Secours Wellness Arena‡    
December 15                                           Ft. Lauderdale, FL                                         BB&T Center‡
December 16                                                 Tampa, FL                            Tampa Bay Times Forum‡
December 17                                                Orlando, FL                                            Amway Center‡
December 19                                                 Austin, TX                                      Frank Erwin Center‡
December 20                                                  Tulsa, OK                                                  BOK Center‡
December 21                                             Kansas City, MO                                           Sprint Center‡
 
*with special guest Cage The Elephant
†with special guest Jake Bugg
‡with special guest St. Vincent

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