The Black Keys And Brothers Mellow Out

The list goes on, and on, and on when reminiscing about the career of The Black Keys. They’ve done the grunge-blues thing. They’ve done just grunge, just blues, and even tested the waters of mainstream pop. After that, the Ohio duo went their separate ways and released two solo records. From there the band ventured into the rap world and after partnering with hip-hop artists from around the world, recorded a full length hip-hop album as Blackroc. All that leads up to the present and The Black Keys most recent album, “Brothers.”

After listening to six Keys records and one Blackroc album, it would be easy and understandable to assume that “Brothers” would be similar to something from their back catalog. It really is not. Obviously, it has similar Black Keys semantics like the rest of their collection, but “Brothers” shines alone as a step away from the norm from a band hell bent on reinventing themselves time and time again. First off, as a whole, “Brothers” is slower than anything The Black Keys have done before. Songs like Everlasting Light and Next Girl, both slow, ballady blues tunes, kick start the record and set tone right off the bat. Everlasting Light even finds room for some shoops. Would you ever think a Black Keys album would find room for shoops? Me either. It fits, though, and sounds perfect. Other songs on the record like Black Mud and These Days highlight the tempo transition that differentiates this Black Keys album from all the rest.

Of course, The Black Keys always had a blues sound to them. Though in addition to the blues, the Keys always incorporated their own style of grunge to the typical blues sound. While it is semi-prevelant on “Brothers,” that grunge factor is certainly turned down a few notches. Songs like Howlin For You and Sinister Kid highlight this change. Both contain the blues and the thrashy grunge, but it comes in that exact order, blues first, then grunge. Sinister Kid also contains one of the best guitar solos from lead guitarist and singer, Dan Auerbach.

Tighten Up is the most popular and radio friendly track on the record, which is why it was the obvious choice as the first single. The song has a great guitar riff along with a catchy blues beat and catchy lyrics. Comparatively, it sounds most like Strange Times, the first radio single off the previous Black Keys album, “Attack And Release.” While it is the most pop sounding track on the record, it does stay in line with the mellowing out theme that is so active.

Lyrically, Dan Auerbach clearly has a chip on his shoulder in regards to a previous relationship. Lines like, “Oh my next girl, Will be nothing like my ex-girl, I made mistakes back then, l’ll never do it again,” from Next Girl, do an obvious, but good job in relating just where Auerbach is in his life. Like always, the backbone of the album is in the percussion section headed up by Patrick Carney. Although a little different than previous albums, Carney still effortlessly strikes the drums with the utmost precision creating the perfect counterpart to Auerbach’s bluesy riffs and raspy voice.

The Black Keys are rolling into Chicago for Lollapalooza the first weekend in August. All the songs on “Brothers” should translate well into a live setting. Not only will the songs stand alone on a set-list, they will compliment the louder Keys songs even better.

Overall, this is a must listen for any Black Keys fan and even newbies to the Keys world. While it would be kind of a backwards transition from “Brothers” to earlier albums, the fact that this record is just a good stand alone album shouldn’t be overlooked. It is different, but it is excellent. Kind of a theme for The Black Key’s career don’t you think?