The Black Keys, Brothers

There’s a double dose of posts today (to make up for the downtime over the last week)! Be sure to check out Christian’s other new review, Band of Horses’ Infinite Arms!

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The Black Keys, Brothers

Reviewed by: Christian Hagen

It’s a fairly well-regarded (or at least commonly posited) theory of some rock critics that the best rock and roll bands of all time are the ones that have figured out how to present the blues to the masses in a new or unusual way. The theory goes that bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Queen, etc, have all been, to some extent, blues bands that experimented with and transformed the blues style for a new generation. Whether you embrace this theory or not (it’s easy to argue that this leaves out a significant number of musical styles borne from rock), it’s been used as a benchmark by many classic rock critics to examine the potential lasting impact of more recent artists.

Arguably the two clearest examples of bands utilizing the classic blues-rock formula in modern music are The White Stripes and The Black Keys. Much has been said about the two bands from a comparative standpoint: other than the photo-negative names, each group has two members, each duo’s lead singer has a distinctive voice, each lead singer has worked on solo or side projects, and each, at least initially, focused heavily on a hard-edged, garage blues sound. Still, similarities between the two groups mostly end there. Whereas The White Stripes grew to international fame and have experimented so heavily with their signature sound that at times it’s as if the blues are no longer present in their music.

The Black Keys have, on the other hand, remained close to their roots for the most part. Anyone buying a Black Keys album knows to expect a highly energetic, fuzzed-out guitar and drum clinic, replete with lyrics about sadness and love lost. Dan Auerbach’s guitar will surely wail and Patrick Carney’s drums will certainly rollick with a tempered power, never really straying from a simple beat structure but always fitting neatly into a sense of controlled chaos necessary for the soul of the blues to survive. And all of that is present on Brothers. In fact, with few exceptions, the songs on Brothers could sit easily beside any other tracks in the band’s library.

However, the few unusual songs on the album stick out beautifully and punctuate a shift into a more matured, exploratory songwriting style. The outset of the album stomps and chugs along in a fairly typical garage fashion. But suddenly, Dan Auerbach presents a straining falsetto. Slowly, in creep the backup singers, and you can almost hear them swaying and snapping their fingers as they sing, “Shoop-shoo-ah” like the spirit of Motown dropping in for a guest spot. And for all its repetition (there is really no variation on the beat or the guitar throughout the song), “Everlasting Light” is a surprisingly refreshing piece of music, and it prepares the listener for what could be the most unusual Black Keys release to date.

“Next Girl” returns to the standard blues-rock formula; the majority of the songs on Brothers focus heavily on women, as most great rock songs seem to do. But following that song is another defiantly atypical track for the Black Keys, “Tighten Up,” the obvious first single. With its whistling intro, not to mention the shine of Danger Mouse’s capable production (returning for this one song after producing the Keys’ Attack and Release in 2008), “Tighten Up” stands head and shoulders above the rest of the music on this album. The tempo shift in the middle simply adds dimension and reveals the flexibility of the bands’ performance; fast or slow, these songs are still tight and easy to latch on to.

None of the other songs have the same wowing effect as “Tighten Up,” and indeed even though a few other tracks maintain this spirit of stretching the blues genre with a little more fun, the album as a whole relies almost too heavily on the formulaic, cut and paste nature of the blues. In lazier hands, the production might collapse under its conventions, but Auerbach and Carney are extremely talented musicians, as they continue to prove on songs like the psychedelic instrumental “Black Mud” and the beautiful Jerry Butler cover “Never Give You Up” (no, not the Rick Astley song…unfortunately). The latter, in particular, gives Auerbach a brilliant showcase for his vocal talents, as he masterfully scales back the power to punctuate the soul of the music, his voice swimming just at the surface of the mix as its body drowns in the emotional center of the piece.

The closing track, “These Days,” isn’t flashy or unique; a soft blues-rock ballad to fade the album into nothingness isn’t a new concept. But it’s executed well. It’s so easy to get behind and become lost in the sound of The Black Keys, and “These Days” seems to epitomize the reasons why: Without breaking the mold, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney show an extreme sensitivity to and passion for the genres to which they are essentially paying tribute, and this makes these genres not only palatable but actively exciting to hear. The Black Keys might not be the best band of all time, but when it comes to presenting the blues to a new generation, few do it better, and by that standard, some might just consider them destined for greatness.

Rating: 88%