Black Keys v. Grizzly Bear

TAKE OF THE DAY: “I know nothing about the music business. I couldn't write a hit song if you put me in a room with Paul McCartney, Max Martin and the Neptunes. But I can speak with a reasonable level of intelligence about what comes through my ears. And based on that, it's pretty obvious why El Camino has sold 1.1 million copies and Shields has not. I'm not saying El Camino is better than Shields. (I like them both for completely different reasons.) I'm saying that one record sounds like it was conceived with a particular group of people in mind, and the other sounds like it was conceived for a much broader group of people. Put another way: Shields is an exquisite, gluten-free, red velvet cupcake, and El Camino is a cheeseburger. As a rock fan, I want both kinds of records.” —throwback rockcrit Steven Hyden, comparing the intentions of The Black Keys and Grizzly Bear, from the seventh and final installment of his insightful serial essay, “The Winners’ History of Rock and Roll,” on Grantland. (2/22a)