The Black Keys- Brothers
The Black Keys are back with their new album Brothers, released May 18, 2010.
If you're unfamiliar with this band, the black keys are a blues-rock duo consisting of singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. This band has had some great albums in the past, and this isn't one to differ.
Brothers takes us back to some of the band's earliest albums, such as Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory, with it's raw guitar and drum driven sound of which the band is notorious for. Attack and Release, their previous album released in 2008, is much more clear-sounding compared to Brothers. The band seems to have gone back to their incredibly gritty, dirty sound which Attack and Release was slightly missing.
Despite this, the band still manages to incorporate many different instruments and styles into this album and experiment around a bit. This album clearly reflects the band's development over the years with it's variety. It's almost as if the band combined all their albums into one. Brothers has a little something for everyone. For example, the aggressive wah guitar tones and backing vocals in "Next Girl" present a wonderful groovy sound while "The Only One" presents a soulful sound instead. "Ten Cent Pistol" gives us back the band's raw blues sound while "Tighten Up", the first single off the album, has strong catchy riffs quite similar to tracks off Attack and Release.
The only real issue with this album is it's lyrics. I don't hate them, but I surely don't love them. They are catchy and enjoyable but often use simple rhyming patterns and definitely lack complexity. Despite this, the lyrics are brought through with lots of emotion and soul, making up for the lyrics below average creativity.
In conclusion, if you like bands like The Animals, The Doors, and The Kinks, you will most likely find interest in this album. I give this album a 8/10.
