The Black Keys’ fourth studio album, and their first for Nonesuch Records, marked a pivotal stage in the Akron duo’s development while preserving the stripped-back recording approach of their early work.
by Paul Cashmere
The Black Keys’ Magic Potion turns 12 September, marking two decades since Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney released the album that became their fourth studio record and their first for Nonesuch Records. Released on 12 September 2006, the album represented a significant step for the Akron, Ohio duo: all 11 songs were original compositions by Auerbach and Carney, while the recording itself was made in the basement of Carney’s home using inexpensive equipment.
The album arrived after three earlier releases that had established The Black Keys as a distinctive two-piece built around Auerbach’s guitar and vocals and Carney’s drums. The Big Come Up was self-released in 2002, followed by Thickfreakness in 2003 and Rubber Factory in 2004. Magic Potion moved the duo to Nonesuch while retaining the low-fi environment that had helped define their recordings.
The decision to record in a basement was deliberate. Rather than moving into a conventional studio after signing with a larger label, The Black Keys returned to the same kind of environment that had shaped their earliest work.
Auerbach explained that the band was attracted to the acoustics and physical character of the room.
“We like the sound of odd rooms. It’s got concrete floors and walls. The upstairs floor is the ceiling.”
Auerbach said he wanted the album to sound like a band playing in a basement in the American Midwest, with the imperfections of the environment contributing to the character of the recording.
Carney later expressed reservations about the finished sound. He recalled that the album cost comparatively little to master and said the duo discovered a lack of bass when they listened to the completed master. The record was subsequently sent to Warner Bros., with Carney describing the decision as one of his biggest regrets.
Despite those concerns, Magic Potion documented The Black Keys at a crucial point in their development. The album was recorded and produced by Auerbach and Carney at The Audio Eagle Nest in Akron, with Chris Keffer handling mastering at Magnetic North. Nonesuch released the album on CD and vinyl on 12 September 2006.
The 11-song sequence opens with “Just Got to Be” and continues through “Your Touch”, “You’re the One”, “Just a Little Heat”, “Give Your Heart Away”, “Strange Desire”, “Modern Times”, “The Flame”, “Goodbye Babylon”, “Black Door” and “Elevator”. Nonesuch lists Auerbach and Carney as the album’s writers, with both musicians responsible for the complete composition of the record.
“Your Touch” became one of the album’s recognised songs and was later joined by “You’re the One” and “Just Got to Be” as singles. The record’s material retained the blues foundations of the duo’s earlier work while demonstrating a growing emphasis on original songwriting.
The album also represented a transition in The Black Keys’ recording history. Their debut, The Big Come Up, had been made independently, while Thickfreakness became their first album for Fat Possum. Rubber Factory followed in 2004 after the duo established a rehearsal and recording space in an abandoned tyre factory. Nonesuch’s release of Magic Potion placed the band within a larger label structure without requiring them to abandon the recording methods that had developed during their independent years.
That balance between greater institutional support and deliberately modest production became important to the group’s later trajectory. Attack & Release followed in 2008, introducing a collaboration with producer Danger Mouse, before Brothers in 2010 and El Camino in 2011 expanded their audience considerably. Noise11 has previously documented the progression from those early records through the later Nonesuch catalogue.
Nonesuch continues to list Magic Potion among The Black Keys’ catalogue, alongside subsequent albums including Attack & Release, Brothers, El Camino, Turn Blue, Let’s Rock, Delta Kream, Dropout Boogie and Ohio Players.
The visual presentation of Magic Potion was similarly distinctive. Its front cover features a Fabergé egg, while an image of a fried egg appears inside the album and a falcon is depicted on the back cover. The artwork was designed by Michael Carney.
Twenty years later, Magic Potion remains a useful snapshot of The Black Keys before the major commercial expansion that followed. Its significance lies not in elaborate studio construction, but in the continuity between the duo’s earliest recordings and the larger career that followed. The album captured Auerbach and Carney working within familiar limitations while beginning a new chapter with Nonesuch.
Tracklisting
Just Got to Be
Your Touch
You’re the One
Just a Little Heat
Give Your Heart Away
Strange Desire
Modern Times
The Flame
Goodbye Babylon
Black Door
Elevator
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