Hear the Black Keys Prank Call Their Record Label
Taking advantage of what seems to be copious downtime before the release of their next album, Turn Blue, the Black Keys have released a five-minute video in which they prank call the A&R departments at Nonesuch and Atlantic Records. Stifling their laughs as they call back repeatedly, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney plead with the suits to listen to their new-age band, Quartzazium. They ask one man to take a helicopter to Newport News at one point – “It’ll be our last gig until the spring solstice,” one Key said, blithely unaware that no such astronomical event exists – and at another juncture tell a man they’re bringing their PA and lighting rig to the label’s office.
How the Black Keys Found a Deep New Groove on Psychedelic ‘Turn Blue’
The ribbing follows the duo’s preacher-themed video for the Turn Blue track “Fever,” which came out earlier this week. Directed by Theo Wenner, the video captures Auerbach getting sweaty as he proselytizes a crowd of the faithful and Carney nods along in the background. In one scene, Rolling Stone’s David Fricke pledges $300 to Auerbach’s faith.
Turn Blue is set to come out on May 13th, a few days after they appear as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live. The pair recorded the album in Los Angeles, Michigan and Nashville with co-producer Danger Mouse. “We were sort of making a headphone record,” Auerbach told Rolling Stone in April. Drummer Patrick Carney added, “It pays off to listen more than once.”