The Black Keys – “Brothers” Music Review

Music Review

The Black Keys – “Brothers”

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

The Black Keys are one of those bands that fit perfectly in a gritty hole-in-the-wall bar, where locals look at outsiders with distain. They have a sound and persona about them that harks back to the birth of rock and roll. Their DIY recordings create an imperfect sound, but those clicks and mistakes add something to the tracks that clean songs are missing. Their latest album, “Brothers,” loses some of those imperfections in favor of a sleeker sound.

“Brothers” is an easy album to fall into. As I listened, I forgot to take notes; instead, I just let the music fade over me like a cloud of smoke. They have a more cohesive, less gritty sound--it’s cleaner as well. I miss their dirty cigarette smoke sound, but they still sound bluesy, which is what makes me love them. As a whole, “Brothers” is a fairly solid piece of work.

The song “Howlin’ for You” is ridiculously awesome. Whereas “The Only One” has a hypnotic sound, it is utterly hipster romantic. The Black Keys falter a bit with “Too Afraid to Love You.” The song has a confusing sound about it. They recover their stride with “Sinister Kid.” The tune’s quick, successive build-up pushes the listener right into the thick of the song. “I’m Not the One” has that soulful rock and roll sound that makes the Black Keys the Black Keys. They end “Brothers” with an epic song known as “These Days.”

Although this is not my favorite piece of work by them, their sound is still solid and their music still rocks. They don’t alienate their fan base as they move in a different direction. I miss their grittier days but bands change over time and this is the path they have chosen.

“Brothers” works and it’s still the Black Keys.