The Black Keys - Brothers
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Music CD Cover
Artist: The Black KeysBrand: Baker & Taylor
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2010-05-18
Music Label: Nonesuch
Soundtracks:
- Everlasting Light
- Next Girl
- Tighten Up
- Howlin' For You
- She's Long Gone
- Black Mud
- The Only One
- Too Afraid To Love
- Ten Cent Pistol
- Sinister Kid
- The Go Getter
- I'm Not The One
- Unknown Brother
- Never Gonna Give You Up
- These Days
Free Music Notes for Brothers
Free Music Review: SUPERB!
Hit: 5 Stars
After hearing much hype, particularly surrounding the album Attack and Release, I decided to finally purchase a Black Keys album. After purchasing and listening to the exceptional Brothers, I found myself wanting to `kick myself' for not purchasing and getting into The Black Keys sooner. There is not a dull moment on this effort, which finds superb, bluesy arrangements/productions executed by the band and superb, bluesy vocals sang by frontman Dan Auerbach. ' Brothers' is Grammy-worthy by all means, and I hope that the band receives a nod for this finely constructed effort.
"Everlasting Life" opens up the album off to a brilliant start, finding a nice soulful, bluesy groove setting the tone for the cut and the album itself. Here, a folk-roots rock connection is alluded to given the use of tambourine, mixed with a minimalistic groove. Auerbach's vocals are exceptional, adding a soulful dimension to this indie-rock cut. Follow-up "Next Girl" is equally alluring, keeping the `roots-rock' feel alive. The songwriting is superb, with a simple, but enjoyable hook: "my next girl, will be nothing like my ex-girl/I made mistakes back then, I'll never do it again." Also noteworthy is that The Black Keys have a great feel for the importance of space in a song, and they do not rush the pacing of the lyrics.
"Tighten Up" features exceptional gritty lead vocals by Dan Auerbach (kudos to the vocal production work here) and another well developed, standout groove. The guitars sound top-notch throughout, playing a big contributing factor to the effectiveness of the cut, not to mention a taste of organ. "Howlin' For You" keeps up the pace with a cliché drum groove that works great here. The use of keyboards here add even more to the consummate musicianship of The Black Keys. "Howlin' for You" is as consistent as everything else. "She's Long Gone" features a superb guitar solo, easily channeling the sound and vibe of blues-rock and classic rock and roll. "Black Mud," an instrumental cut, fits perfectly into the pacing and overall feel of this album, allowing this musically talented group to show off their great skill.
"The Only One" is another well mixed/engineered number. Here, Auerbach's vocals are hushed here, contrasting his usually overt vocals. The band remains focused on minimalist progressions and grooves, adding tasteful touches of other instrumentation and sounds to vary the overall timbre. "Too Afraid To Love You" features a nice full bass line and a completely different timbre - aided greatly through the keyboard work. Auerbach's vocals are fully present and overt as ever on this cut where there is really nothing to quibble about.
"Ten Cent Pistol" continues the band's thriving on simple harmonic progressions. Organ and bluesy guitar playing help to shape this cut. "Sinister Kid" features the prodigious knack of spacing by the band, not to mention more superb production work and songwriting. "The Go Getter" is an oddity, though in a positive sense, as the groove takes a couple of seconds to really settle in the listener's ears. Here, the groove changes, which is a nice effect. "I'm Not The One" is a solid as everything else, though not necessarily as creative.
"Unknown Brother" shows some brilliant guitar work, with the constantly repeating riff standing out. This cut has a happier vibe than previous cuts, marking a nice change of pace. Soul cover "Never Gonna Give Up" finds the band intelligently recreating the 1970s soul sound nearly perfectly. Auerbach's vocals capture the grit of 1970s soul superbly here. Closing cut "These Days" slows down the tempo and finds Auerbach's once overt vocals once again withdrawn (though always nuanced). The refrain here is clever, and also marks a change of intensity about the final cut: "These blood red eyes/don't see so good/but what's worse is if they could/would I change my ways?" While this cut is one of the longer cuts on the album, the length does not play a factor because the band draws you into their superb, masterful performance. "These Days" is by all means an engineering masterwork if nothing else.
What else can you say about one of the best albums of the year? This album is at the top of my list for one of 2010's best efforts by all means. '
Brothers Poster
The maturation of the Black Keys as record makers and performers has been both subtle and startling. With their 2008 Nonesuch release 'Attack & Release' - the fifth album of their eight-year career which doubled the sales of their previous album and Nonesuch debut 'Magic Potion' - guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney illustrated the durability of their few-frills sound, a mysterious and heavy brew of seventies-vintage rock, classic R&B and timeless, downhearted blues. Producer and pal Danger Mouse, their first outside collaborator, didn't try to reinvent their sound but further isolated its essence with the help of a few carefully chosen guest players and some retro-modern electronic gear. It didn't need to get slicker to get better, or, as the Boston Globe put it, ''Attack & Release' proves that cleaning up the boys still won't stop them from tracking mud all over the house.'Danger Mouse returned to co-produce 'Tighten Up' on 'Brothers,' but for the most part, the duo was on its own, spending ten days at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama and coming up with the an even more intensely focused, deeply soulful set that includes a cover of Jerry Butler's 'Never Gonna Give You Up.' The performances are inventive and impassioned: Auerbach extends his vocal range to falsetto on the lead-off track 'Everlasting Light' and 'The Only One'; 'Howlin' For You' opens with a Gary Glitter-style drum riff and the chorus practically invites singing along. The tunes offer a surprising amount of lyrical candor and more than a little dark humor; the grooves alternate between ballsy swagger and bluesy rumination. The album reflects where Auerbach and Carney have been lately, most recently collaborating with a who's who of New York City MC's, including RZA, Q Tip, Mos Def and Raekwon on the 2009 BlakRoc super-session organized by hip-hop impresario and Black Keys fan Damon Dash. They've also pursued projects on their own, Auerbach with his solo 'Keep It Hid' album and tour, Carney with his band Drummer and its debut disc, 'Feels Good Together.' Their maturation didn't happen just in the studio, though. Carney admits, 'Dan and I grew up a lot as individuals and musicians prior to making this album. Our relationship was tested in many ways but at the end of the day, we're brothers, and I think these songs reflect that.'
'Brothers' was primarily cut in Muscle Shoals, a setting that turned out to have more in common with the Akron, Ohio factories where the Black Keys used to record. The place was desolate, the town depressed, so once again the duo slipped into a world all its own. They did additional recording at Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound System in Akron and The Bunker in Brooklyn. The album was mixed by engineer Tchad Blake, a veteran of sessions with Los Lobos, Pearl Jam and Peter Gabriel. Says Carney, 'The way he approaches mixing is the same way we approach making music. Respecting the past while being in the present.'
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