It’s fitting that the first album I really fell in love with after moving to Columbus after college was from Ohio homegrown legends The Black Keys. 2011’s El Camino was Akron duo Dan Aurbach and Patrick Carney’s 7th studio album together, the follow up to their multiple Grammy winning commercial breakthrough Brothers. It peaked at number two on the Billboard album chart in the United States and prompted my first opportunity to see them live.

Most of The Black Keys discography lived on my iPod for the four years I spent in college from 2006-2010, so I was not new to their greatness by this point. This was another example of an album that just fell to me at a perfect time in my life in addition to being loaded with great songs. It kicks off with, “Lonely Boy” which won them three more Grammys that year including best rock album. With its delectable chorus and lyrics of a man at wits end, “Well your mama kept you, but your daddy left you, and I should have done you just same.” The lead guitar piece drives it so well and you can hear almost immediately why this was a hit.

The best song on the album comes a few tracks later with the organ infused, “Gold on the Ceiling.” Following the wonderful guitar intro we are introduced to an organ from decades gone by and a crowd of rhythmic hand claps. “They wanna get my gold on the ceiling, I ain’t blind, just a matter of time, before you steal it, it’s alright, ain’t no blood in my eye.” This is the kind of song that fills an arena, and it was at capacity on that day as I scribbled notes of a show review to be passed on to a co-worker’s website.

Before the album’s through, the duo lament an indecisive lover on the compelling “Nova Baby”, “All this love of mine, all my precious time, you waste it ‘cause you don’t know what you want.” There are several other non-singles that live up to Black Keys polish such as, “Run Right Back” and “Stop Stop.” All of The Black Keys albums are, “just push play” intuitive to me, but this album’s cup runneth over and should be likable to just about anyone with ears. If I went deaf I would learn braille so I could read the lyrics to their next scornful love song.

My boss at the time let me cut out early to scalp tickets for their show at the Schottenstein Center in support of the album and they did not disappoint. Certainly I’m biased, but I challenge anyone to name a better rock band from Ohio. I would certainly be thrilled if they would choose a Black Keys song for the Buckeyes to kick off to. I say this because Jack White of “Seven Nation Army” fame is from Michigan and that usually seems to be an important detail down here. Buckeye football aside, El Camino should be listened to at high volume.