Brothers, the breakthrough album for Ohio natives The Black Keys, turned ten at the end of last year. The release was the first mainstream success for the duo since their formation in 2001, yet it almost didn’t come to fruition. After the release of ‘Attack and Release’ The Keys took a break in 2009 – Dan Auerbach worked on his solo debut ‘Keep It Hid’, without consulting Patrick Carney. Carney went in a different direction with a new band until the two resolved the conflict, eventually resulting in the creation of ‘Brothers’.
Beginning as a blues rock band, heavy on the blues – this album was a turning point into an unknowingly (at the time) commercial sound with soul influences, resulting in an album chock full of Keys classics.
Kicking off with ‘Everlasting Light’ led by Auerbach’s falsetto vocals featuring harmonies and kick drum beat acting as the back bone of the track, courtesy of Carney. The music is not out of the ordinary for the band now, yet it sounds vaguely more upbeat and groove-driven than anything they had produced prior – making it a perfect opener for this album.
‘Tighten Up’ produced by Danger Mouse, is the album’s lead single, the band’s most successful at that point. The track is led by whistling melodies with complimenting guitar riffs, it’s a darker sound similar to the albums before it but has a fresher, polished edge.
‘Howlin’ for You’ in a similar vein to ‘Tighten Up’, features the darker edge we’re used to hearing from The Keys – but this track has the classic bluesy rock roots from their previous work. Both tracks have a psychedelic feel to them, ‘Tighten Up’ mainly down to producing by Danger Mouse but the guitars on ‘Howlin’ for You’ have both electric and Western-esque riffs.
‘She’s Long Gone’ and ‘Black Mud’ have the traditional Keys sound, heavy rock guitar riffs with a roll flair. The two tracks have a strong resemblance to Muddy Waters’ 1968 album ‘Electric Mud’, with ‘She’s Long Gone’ sampling the guitar riff from ‘She’s Alright’.
‘Too Afraid to Love You’ has a mystical, dream-like feel down to the use of a harpsichord on the track – an instrument co-producer Mark Neil requested to be a part of the album. The odd strumming guitar riff and Auerbach’s fuzzy, soulful vocals add to the mystique of the song.
Finally, closing out with ‘These Days’ – a slow, soulful ballad led by a whining guitar riff and Carney’s kick drum acting as the heartbeat of the track. You can feel the pain in Auerbach’s voice, a mix of heartache and regret. There are multiple interpretations on what ‘These Days’ is about: drug abuse, addiction, a failed relationship etc. but we do know that around the time the duo recorded this album, they were tired. It’s probably one of my favourite album closers ever, along with being up there as my personal favourite Black keys track.
Brothers is probably the duo’s most iconic album to date. The body of work was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama – a legendary studio of the 60s and 70s where greats such as The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Etta James, to name a few, had recorded. It’s only natural the band felt inspired to keep to their blues roots whilst exploring a more rock and soul focused sound. It catapulted them to mainstream success and since its release, The Black Keys have only grown further.
Words by Alyce Ruby