The Black Keys' debut "The Big Come Up" was released in 2002 on Alive records. An impressive heap of critical praise followed, and Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney's career was launched. Their minimalist approach to rock is similar to what the late-70s New York City duo Suicide's has been to electronic dance music: The Black Keys have been able to make something ferociously noisy, deceptively melodic, and surprisingly sincere out of the simplest tools and riffs. (Unlike Suicide, though, they're more congenial than confrontational with their audiences.)
