Brothers

Mid lol

Great album. This is a band people now love to hate, maybe because this album got so overplayed. Not deserved tho these songs are great. If it was 10 minutes shorter I would have done 5 stars

I quite liked it for a bit but it was overly long without delivering new ideas. I've always wondered why I'm not more of a Black Keys fan and after listening to an album I now know why - its all so samey.

good but most of the songs kinda sound the same

When I was 16 years old in 2015 or so, I was kind of a big Black Keys fan and I actually bought this album on iTunes, one of my treasured gift-card-off-the-Walmart-rack purchases. Today I have mixed feelings about the Black Keys and their sound. To sum it up, they sometimes feels like the beer commercial version of a much better band. But isn’t that kind of an elitist take? The Black Keys were a valuable window into a wider world of rock music for me, and I imagine I can’t be alone in that. Maybe in the years since they blew up in the early 2010s, they’ve actually become under-appreciated? Anyway, the album. There are a few great songs here alongside a variety of mid bluesy filler. The production is objectively pretty strong, as everything’s very clear and sharp, but something about this fuzzy yet clean sound isn’t clicking for me. I could definitely get in a mood where this album hits for me, but it’s telling that I can remember finishing Brothers for the first time as a teenager and feeling my love for the Black Keys starting to fade. There’s something about this album, and this band as a whole, that just feels hollow and overcooked. But hey, they can still write some great singles and you can still have fun listening to them. Best song: Everlasting Light

21st Century vanilla flavoured blues and soul simulacrum. If The White Stripes are too Bohemian and Two Gallants too junior murder ballad. There's nothing really wrong with it but there's nothing really right either. Or maybe I'm just too old for these younger white guy's version of old music.

It’s just sort of alright. I think it feels pretty samey and tame, I wish it either just rocked harder or lightened up and did something more airy. Where it sits just feels boring.

Listening to The Black Keys' “Brothers” brings me back to a significant time in my life—my wife and I's first apartment together in 2010. Our place was in a historic chair factory converted into lofts, right off the city square. The building’s past was palpable, with remnants of its old self peeking through the renovations. This sense of history juxtaposed with the new made for a unique living experience that mirrors my connection with this album. Released during that time, “Brothers” was on heavy rotation in our apartment. As a longtime fan of The Black Keys, having enjoyed their previous work like “Rubber Factory”—which was recorded in an old rubber factory—I couldn’t help but notice the parallel between the settings of their recordings and my living space. “Brothers” was originally recorded in the abandoned Muscle Shoals Studios before its renovation, much like our loft had remnants of its past. The band’s ability to capture something historic and transform it into something fresh resonates deeply with me. The Black Keys' dynamic is beautifully complementary: Patrick Carney’s drums are bold and thunderous, while Dan Auerbach’s guitar, bass, and vocals provide the soulful core of their sound. The music feels raw and almost on the verge of disintegration, yet it always remains cohesive and moving forward. This quality gives “Brothers” its distinctive, human touch. Standout tracks for me include “Howlin’ for You,” “Too Afraid to Love You,” “Sinister Kid,” “I’m Not the One,” and “These Days.” Each song encapsulates that blend of historic grit and modern energy, much like the environment in which I first experienced the album. “Brothers” is a testament to The Black Keys' ability to breathe new life into old spaces, both literally and metaphorically.

I recognize a couple of these songs, Tighten Up and Howlin' for You. This is like some Mississippi delta music or some Bayou music, or something. It's ok, but not my favorite type of music. I don't really have an interesting critique of this album. It doesn't move me, but it isn't terrible. I like the guitar, keys, and at some points, the vocals. The drums are just basic rhythm most of the time (The Go Getter is an exception), which I think is what bothers me about the album. I feel like I could play these drums, which isn't good because I can't play drums. Not trying to hate on it. It definitely fits this album. It isn't a bad album, but I wouldn't ride around listening to this. The back half of the album is much better. Tracks 7, 8, and 11 were a few of my favorites on here.

This is a review by evon. The name of the reviewed is Brothers by The Black Keys. The distortion on "Everlasting Light" is crunchy yet warm, the rhythm funky, and the backing vocals add a gospel to this blues. Perfect opener. "Never Give You Up" is another great highlight, musically in line with early Temptations. I know this album, and I still sing "I'm Not the One" and "These Days," so some of these songs do have staying power. On the latter song, the nostalgic sadness (in not only the lyrics but how they're sung) of "The little house . . ./ is where I felt most alive/ . . . that old Ford / I miss it Lord, I miss it Lord" gets me every time. It reminds me of a time when everyone I ever knew was still alive, blissfully unaware of a life any other way. We had it so good at one point, guys. --------------------------------------------- This was a fun re-listen. Music can do so many things; it came make you feel rebellious against injustice, get you lost in a distant land, shake your booty, or question our purpose. I tend to lean more towards the self-reflecting soul-searching over just musical entertainment. The songs are fun and mostly upbeat, and combines blues with R&B and garage rock, and I am thoroughly entertained, but for me most songs lack some gravitas; it's just fun. But when it hits, it hits hard.

I never listened to the Black keys before but a few songs in and I'm like, yeah, I've heard this before. In like, a whole bunch of commercials? I'll have to look it up to be sure, but it seems like some of this has been licensed a lot. Anyway, it grew on me. I love how they took elements of old soul, blues, r&b and 60s rock, and put a new spin on it. Their sound is consistent and unique to them. Now I'll be able to recognize who it is when I hear their stuff. And I wouldn't mind listening to more from them.

This was an interesting one. A mix of soul and funk. They went for more of an overall vintage sound throughout the album. I feel like a lot of the songs may have grown out of loose jam sessions rather than maybe someone showing up with a riff or a chorus to build a song around. There were not too many hooks in many of the songs to me. It was sort of a play in the background type of album. Not bad, but nothing really jumping out at me either. I'd heard of the Black Keys for years but had never listened to anything by them. For some reason while listening to them I thought to myself that this is the type of band that might be able to tour with the Alabama Shakes and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night sweats. Also, for some reason I have the Black Keys lumped in a category in my mind called Millennial Music. That sound usually features some form of group singing at some point in songs, some decent music skill and not too many spikes in emotion. Sort of like some decent vanilla ice cream. Music that is ok to have on in the background but you wouldn't necessarily sit and listen to in a focused way.

Love the bluesy feel to many of these tracks :)

It just sounds fantastic.

Good album with a very distinctive sound. Alternative groove with blues and Motown(?) influence. The last few songs were standouts including "Sinister Kid", "The Go Getter", "I'm Not The One", "Unknown Brother" and "These Days".

Great album

Very enjoyable early 2010's white boy music. Some good stuff in there. Not revolutionary but extremely nostalgic, and sometimes that's all that people want.

Car commercial SHLOCK. Was decent at the time but now all I picture for this one is millenials with mustache tattoos, or ads telling me about a 0% APR financing special I could get on a new Hyundai

Nice record

I wanted to like this and for the first half of it I thought it might be a rare, first time listen, 4-star rating. But then it all got a bit samey and there wasn’t really any variation in any of the sound or vocals. Maybe that’s their vibe, I don’t know. Anyway, it’s ended up as a mid rated album, which I’m not really fussed about ever hearing again

Jeder Song funky und macht Spaß

One of my favorite of their albums.

Foi o álbum que conheci o Black Keys. Não sei dizer ao certo se já era uma banda estourada ou pelo menos bem reconhecida no cenário indie, mas posso afirmar que depois desse álbum era impossível alguém que gostasse minimamente de outras bandas indie não conhece-los. Com esse álbum a dupla se consolidou no cenário musical da época definiu a sonoridade característica de suas músicas: um indie com muita inspiração no rock clássico, bastante distorção "Lo-Fi" nas guitarras e acompanhada por uma bateria simples, porém bem marcada e precisa. A organização do álbum diz muito sobre o que eles queriam apresentar para o público. Na primeira metade estão os sucessos que a banda emplacou. São as músicas mais manjadas, com mais reproduções e que tem videoclipe. O início da segunda metade, pra mim, se dá com "Black Mud", uma música instrumental mais morna mas ainda assim muito boa, que funciona como interlúdio para o restante do álbum. A outra metade foi uma descoberta pra mim, mas foi uma surpresa bem agradável. Descobri outras músicas menos manjadas, com riffs menos "chiclete" mas que tem a mesma qualidade que fez com que gostasse do Black Keys na época.

I'm missing some outstanding music experiance. Nice modern blues-rock ...

Jeez, I’m glad that’s over. I mean I really like The White Stripes, you just have to look at my summary. But this lot just leave me cold and I’m not sure I can articulate why. There’s not a lot of passion there, it’s kind of soulless, and in the end all merges in to one. I was willing it to be over. Dull

3.5

Sometimes you just need good, solid, unpretentious blues rock. The Black Keys deliver.

it's ok

I know this is considered like a perfect album and I think it probably is very good but I only kinda like some of the songs.

This is the first Black Keys album I’ve listened to from front to back. I really liked it!!

Love it! I can't listen to disc 2 (not available on Spotify) but it's fine since it's live versions of some songs from disc 1

Nice sound. I'd listen to it again

Their 2nd best album and one of the best of 2010s.

This album is essentially one long song but at least its an ok-ish song. After listening to this album if anybody ever asks you "Hey have you heard this Black Keys song called-" You can just cut them off and say yes.

It’s always tough when you’re best songs we’re produced by other people. I think they have a cool and unique style that feels modern western inspired, but a lack of creativity around that style leaves me thinking there is some unrealized potential in this album. I did really like the singles but when they run out of money for outside producers the album falls a little flat.

Not bad. Not great, but certainly listenable.

The black keys should not be on this list. And if they were they should be on this list with El Camino

Steady. Not something I’d opt for straight away but I wouldn’t turn it off either

8/10

I feel like I've heard the style of "blues-rock-pop" presented on this album so many times and in so many songs...yet I've always mapped it to the Black Keys exclusively. I tacked on the "pop" tag because if there's one thing the Black Keys were incredible at in their heyday, it was making their music attractive to almost any ear that meets it. This formula of smokey and reverb vocals singing these catchy phrases, these punchy, loud drums, and so many layers of guitar distortion were more than enough to excite anyone upon initial impact. Unfortunately, when it comes to their albums, after the first few songs, the honeymoon phase wears off. And in this album's case, considering it's quite lengthy, it's hard to mask how repetitive it gets near the end. With that said, it never gets unenjoyable. Aside from the truck commercialism of 'Howlin For You' that I can't stand, there isn't a *bad* song here. There are certainly some great ones though like 'Tighten Up' especially. I also really love the sentiment presented in the song 'Unknown Brother'. It's a weird album, by an even weirder band. An album that has all the pieces to be, in theory, incredible - but to me at least, the Black Keys style does not complement this longer album format. I feel like I've heard the style of "blues-rock-pop" presented on this album so many times and in so many songs...yet I've always mapped it to the Black Keys exclusively. I tacked on the "pop" tag because if there's one thing the Black Keys were incredible at in their heyday, it was making their music attractive to almost any ear that meets it. This formula of smokey and reverb vocals singing these catchy phrases, these punchy, loud drums, and so many layers of guitar distortion were more than enough to excite anyone upon initial impact. Unfortunately, when it comes to their albums, after the first few songs, the honeymoon phase wears off. And in this album's case, considering it's quite lengthy, it's hard to mask how repetitive it gets near the end. With that said, it never gets unenjoyable. Aside from the truck commercialism of 'Howlin For You' that I can't stand, there isn't a *bad* song here. There are certainly some great ones though like 'Tighten Up' and the dramatic closer 'These Days'. I also really love the sentiment presented in the song 'Unknown Brother'. It's a weird album, by an even weirder band. An album that has all the pieces to be, in theory, incredible - but to me at least, the Black Keys style does not complement this longer album format.

A modern blues album. All the songs have a similar structure which perfectly reflects that of Blues: that's the only problem that I found on this album. It doesn't really add anything to Blues, it just try to bring it in the present and sometimes it feels like there isn't real creativity behind it. The Camino, despite being more mainstream, is more original and the songs haven't the same structure. Still 🔥 by the way

Not a fan at all. The voice doesn’t work for me. I like the instrumentals but the voice comes on and I drift off and not in a good way. Only a couple of songs I liked, the rest I felt nothing for.

Enjoyed. Blues rock ish? I’m not good at reviewing ! But I listened to it on the way to work and I didn’t turn it off.

Good album with some great tracks. Not one I'll rush back to though.

Es ist ein abwechslungsreiches Rock-Album, das spielerisch auf rockige und Retro-Elemente wie die E-Orgel zurückgreift. Die Band schafft es, einen einzigartigen Sound zu kreieren, der sowohl nostalgisch als auch frisch wirkt. Besonders hervorzuheben sind die Titel “The Only One” und “Howlin’ for You”, die mit eingängigen Melodien und kraftvollen Riffs überzeugen. Ein weiterer Geheimtipp auf diesem überraschend guten Werk aus dem Jahr 2010 ist “Too Afraid to Love You”, das mit seiner emotionalen Tiefe und atmosphärischen Klängen beeindruckt. Insgesamt ist “Brothers” ein gelungenes Album, das sowohl alte Rock-Fans als auch den Erst-Hörer (wie mich) begeistert. Wir hören uns wieder.

Only really cared for the songs I've heard. The rest was extremely forgettable.

It's alright. There's a little energy to it. I like the rock revival 10 years prior with the strokes and the white stripes etc better tho.

2.5☆/5 07.20.2024

Loved it. Great album.

Generic blues rock, thought El Camino was better.

Liked it

Bit boring, funny to hear "Tighten up" that has been used in several intros. Nice sounding guitar at times

Pissed this isn’t the album with “Little Black Submarines” but I guess I’ll get over it. It’s vibey. It’s just the first song but I like “Everlasting Light.” It’s giving Arctic Monkeys realness or 1975…. Is that illegal to say? Maybe. “TIGHTEN UP”!! Ok I understand why this album is on here because “Howlin for You” is also on here. I like “Unknown Brother.” I like this album.

its eh. none of the songs really stood out to me. cool blues rock i guess but it felt so samey. not sure why this is on the list because of that. the middle especially just blended into each other and made it pretty boring to sit through. it really feels like most of these can fit in a truck commercial, and i dont mean that in a good way. id give it a 2.5 but probably wouldnt bump it to a 3 since i didnt enjoy the listen. 2 personal favs: everlasting light

Never managed to get into The Black Keys that much, though some of their earlier blues-ier stuff i've heard was pretty good. Expected this to be fairly commercial blues rock, and it is, but there's some really good songs especially stacked at the front. It gets tiring by the time you reach the end, but you could definitely pick a few songs off here and enjoy them on your own time.

....

Not my favorite Black Keys album, but it's a good one.

Great sound

Don't have the energy for a thoughtful review today.

Meh, it's ok It kinda feels like blues for people who don't like blues music; pop blues.

4.6

Very well executed project, kind of monotonous at certain times, but the quality is there.

grungy and swampy. Decent, but not sure why it' on this list.

i quite liked it actually! not much big standouts to me but i liked the album and the vibe of the songs overall ☺️ would give it a 3.5 if i could but alas…

Really enjoyed the first 5 or 6 songs but a lot of what they did started to sound very similar

Love this album. Pretty perfect to me. Old school sounds, bluesy, full of hits and “classics”

I need to listen again.

This was ok, didn’t think there was much variation though—it sounded all very samey.

Too Afraid to Love You, The Go Getter, I’m Not the One, and These Days are too slow

I wanted to like it but it just didn’t hit the spot for me. A couple of tracks were bangers (howlin for you, chop and change), and I didn’t hate the sound but it just fell a bit flat.

I quite liked this. Bluesy, grungy but I also hear some glam. Yeah, I'd give another of their albums a fair go.

Nothing to do on a Sunday evening, staring into the sunset.

After reading the comments, I was poised to actively hate this album, but I didn’t?

great album, higher than 4 lower than 5

Sounds like a bunch of generic indie songs made up for car commercials. And the fact that they named a song 'Never Gonna Give You Up' that didn't even have to do with Rick Astley is just slander. Not bad though.

Ну это мой любимый альбом моих любимых исполнителей

Rock

Retro rock

7/10 I had a nice time listening to this. I like the older feel with the distortion. It worked for me, what can I say 7-1-2024

Actually pretty good, I was surprised. One major flaw, though - they also use the white keys (see the video for 'Too Afraid To Love You'), so their name is a misnomer. I plan to litigate for false advertising.

It sounded exactly like I expected it would based on the 1 or 2 songs from these guys that I've heard.

Classic

I hadn't heard of the Black Keys before. I like the album. I'll definitely listen to it again. 4/5

Like a totally solid indie/blues rock album that I wouldn’t ever turn off if I hear it on the radio. But there were no big highlights for me, it’s really samey, and kinda reeks of 2010s commercial indie music lol. 5/10

Pablum. Blues without much soul. Sounds like the soundtrack to mediocre TV. Not terrible, but fluffy and overlong.

Fuck sake some of the sounds here are really cool but it's just so repetitive and kinda formulaic. Not to mention there's 15 songs here, which is just way too many for a modern bluesy album. It's not bad, Lime I said there are some cool sounding parts but just all together I was getting sick of it slowly and slowly as I went. Fav songs: - Everlasting Light - Howlin For You - Black Mud

Bluesy soft rock riffs. One key mostly. Ok. A bit funky. Affected vocals. But gimmicky. 5.5 out of 10

Mid

Another one of those bands that I've been aware of but never really dug into. I quite enjoyed this and certainly think it's worth another spin in the future. For now, faves are Everlasting Light, Sinister Kid

I liked the single "Next Girl" when it came out, and have given this album a couple of spins over the years, though I don't know it well. It's pretty good! Very pleased with myself, because at some point I was thinking "Huh, this kinda reminds me of "Kiwanuka" by Michael Kiwanuka, and I found out that's because they both have Danger Mouse doing production! Kiwanuka does it better, though. I find the amount of hate this album's getting in the reviews kinda surprising! Fave tracks - "Next Girl", "The Only One", "Ten Cent Pistol"

Might be nostalgia but it’s got such a bluesy feel to it. Love it!

- good vibes, very enjoyable - love the rock n roll - loses the energy in the second half but gets a lot more bluesy which is kinda cool - solid 3.5

- this is peak 2010s alternative - sounds like high school - some really great songs but a few fillers as well

Good album, but could have been stripped back. Can see the influence in the likes of Hozier today

I enjoyed this one a lot.

Great album with so many good songs including Next Girl, Tighten up and The Only one. Good variety of vocals with an instrumental track

Would I listen to it again: yes Is it a no-skip album: yes Do I like it: yes

9 / 10 Durante un tiempo fueron uno de mis grupos favoritos. Sus primeros discos con un sonido más "crudo" son todos muy buenos. Este Brothers y sobretodo El Camino son una pasada. Después han empezado a comercializar su sonido y a perder mi interés.

absolute banger of an album. no notes.

It sounds good, but it also misses something. Feels very much like a copy of something.

Great rock album that starts out great and kinda of peters off at the end.

Not my vibe

3.6 to be listen later once again

Not my style

Liked it more than I thought I would at first.

LOVED the first track and then the rest of the album kind of fell flat.

Didn’t much care for this. Disliked the vocals, the songs were so-so at beast.

“Everlasting Light” and the rest.

Sounds like the Black Keys I guess. Not too special to be honest.

Un disco excelente de principio a fin. Después publicaron otro igual de bueno (me gusta menos), el premiado El Camino, pero aquí fue donde desplegaron todos sus recursos y dieron con la fórmula mágica que luego no fueron capaces de continuar. Suena a Muscle Shoals (que por fin volvió a registrar un disco muchos años después, aunque en realidad fuera un edificio vacío). Repite producción con Danger Mouse (en realidad solo en Tighten Up) y este logra un refinado cóctel de garage rock pantanoso pero con buenas melodías y estupendo sonido. El sonido es básico (destacan bajo y batería-bombo), rudo, pero muy simple y eso facilita el lucimiento de las excelentes melodías. Funciona perfectamente. La portada y diseño está perfectamente estudiada y cuidada (con guiños a Howlin' Wolf y la tipografía de Muscle Shoals). La apertura con Everlasting Light marca la pauta de todo el disco, seguida por la tirada de éxitazos Next Girl (la primera en ser grabada), Tighten Up, Howlin' for You. Tres canciones que suenan radiantes. La triada I´m not the one, Unknown brother y Never gona give you up (versión del clásico de Jerry Butler) es una maravilla. Ten cent pistol y The only one son otras dos joyas, aunque cualquier tema tiene un nivel muy alto. Lo escuchas del tirón y quieres repetir. Otros discos de 2010: Best Coast- Crazy for you, Joanna Newson- Have one on me, Twin Shadow- Forget, Tracey Thorn- Love and its opposite, Caribou- Swim, Vampire weekend- Contra, Crystal Castles- Crystal Castles, Sufjan Stevens- The age of Adz, Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, The National - High Violet, Delorean - Subiza, LCD Soundsystem -This Is Happening, The Drums - The Drums, Arcade Fire -The Suburbs, Janelle Monáe - The Archandroid, Deerhunter -Halcyon Digest, Beach House - Teen Dream, Radio Dept. -Clinging to a Scheme, Belle and Sebastian- Write about love, Lana del rey- Lana del rey, Sade- Soldier of love, MGMT - Congratulations, Band of horses- Infinite arms, Superchunk- Majesty Shredding, Elton John and Leon Russell- The union...

This is right up my alley

I love this vibe.

Real feelin.

I think this might be their best album and was definitely their last truly solid album. Was gonna give it five stars but I forgot there's a few filler tracks, specifically Black Mud through Ten Cent Pistol and the two tracks after Sinister Kid. The Go Getter has some pretty dumb lyrics. The rest of the album rocks though.

I just fucking love The Black Keys. This might not even be their best album, but it absolutely fills my soul with joy. Top fucking notch! 👏👏👏👏

Solid blues rock album

Halfway through the album and I find myself jumping through the songs. too many songs sounds almost exactly the same. Jeremy Renner loved this album I bet

Good. Pool playing. Carrie likes them. All was just good and cool. Nothing great.

Ridiculously fun, oversaturated blues rock. Every instrument on this album is mixed so thickly, it’s really crunchy and full. Such a cool sound!

Quite boring

Great album to proclaim that rock is not dead.

I get it, but it's not for me. They use a lot of things that I like, but this isn't getting the same response. It's like eating someone's else's favorite flavor of ice cream. It's not bad, but it feels like this is for someone else.

Solid straight ahead rock. I would love to listen to this in a medium-sized venue, kinda intimate atmosphere, but entirely understand why their arena tour fizzled.

keep

I remember really enjoying this on release but I don't think time has been kind to this one. It's perfectly fine of course, but endless licensing to TV and commercials has dulled its appeal and contributed to its overly-clean-production-with-hot-vocals sounding cliché. It's unmistakably the sound of 2010 and possibly even a contributing factor to rock music's decline. Too harsh? Upon relistening I quite enjoyed the lesser-exposed back half I hadn't heard in many years and would probably give it a 3.5 if I could.

I did enjoy it, however it didn't really stand out much. It reminded me of Lucifer's OST. Update, Lucifer used these songs a lot a lot

having not been a huge Black Keys fan in the past, this album really surprised me! i super enjoyed it and think that i am going to be keeping it in rotation. even with the second half of the album slowing down a bit, i really don't feel like it ever lost steam and I was super into it all the way through. this is one album i am truly waffling between a 4 and 5 stars. for now, it gets a four, but if I end up keeping this in my rotation more, I'll switch to a 5

2,5

Long, repetitive and ultimately I got bored

My first exposure to The Black Keys was in 2008 when they opened for My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks. I went in not knowing either band and left with my mind blown. What an incredible night - afterwards I dove deep into both bands' catalog. I had The Black Keys first 5 albums in my regular rotation for months afterwards and was stoked when they released Brothers 2 years later. At the time, I remember listening to it quite a bit, talking with friends who were also fans about it, etc. But now, 16 years later, it doesn't strike the same chord, which I'm kind of surprised about. I hadn't listened to this in years and was excited to see it pop up today, but I'm leaving underwhelmed. Yes, it's still good. But I think this album was the beginning of the end of my regular listening of these guys. I saw them again in 2012 and left disappointed to see a band that was once raw and unpolished, which was most of the appeal for me, playing a repetitive stadium tour with the exact same set list every night. What a bummer. This album is the perfect representation of just that - a band that started with a raw and unpolished sound that evolved into one that's overproduced, cookie-cutter, and redundant. It is what it is - very representative of the "Black Keys" sound, but it all sounds pretty much the same. I think that personally the luster has worn off and the fact that they've just released more of the same after same stuff has soured me a bit on these guys. Don't get me wrong - this isn't music that I immediately turn off when it comes on - but it's not something where I look forward to listening to an entire album of anymore, and in my opinion, not anywhere close to The Black Keys' best.

👌🏻

Ganz interessant, aber aufdauer ein wenig langweilig. Die Band hat einen besonderen Sound. Das ist interessant

Bog standard 2010s rock, for better or worse

I mean, it's fine. A bit dull. The production technique of "every mic is slightly too hot" for that vintage sound started to wear on me by the end.

This is just a generally great root-rock album

Throwback soul/blues-rock is fine, but this kind of falls into a weird in-between where it sounds like music for a car commercial. Grab your Sunny D and head to the beach.

This is like, the soundtrack of BBQ and beer commercials from the 00s-10s. It's not BAD music but they've been licensed so much for that shit it's hard to take it really seriously. The songs aren't terrible, and some of the riffs/melodies are really nice - I would listen to them again but right now, I'm gonna go buy some ribs and Pascifico.

I thought I already got this album but honestly I don't care if it's the second time because I could listen to this album on loop endlessly. The first four tracks are each all-timers and the rest of the album keeps up the momentum to make my favorite black keys album and one of my favorite albums in general. This also sounds great live.

Nearly all of the songs sounds the same, with those bassy riffs just plodding on and on. I get that they want to sound very big, but they sound like nothing at all. The melodies are forgettable. The lyrics are trite. "Oh, my next girl, yeah / Will be nothing like my ex girl" made me lol. There is very little about Brothers that i enjoy. Predictable and safe music. It makes me think of going to the mall. I'm sure their songs have soundtracked plenty of Apple commercials.

Every song is the same for 55 minutes. Absolutely should have stayed in 2010.

Ihan ok, vähän tylsä

# 245 : I don't love it. I don't hate it, it is ok but it's not particularly exciting and doesn't have anything catchy enough to make me want to give it a second listen. I feel like sometimes this list mistakes "you must listen to this ALBUM before you die" with "Hey this was popular during 20xx, or had a couple hits on it" with importance.

some good songs but still can’t shake the car commercial music vibe

Transported me back to 2010. Talking about who want a TBH from me on Facebook.

Like their sound, especially the buzzing high-gain guitar tones on most of this album. I feel a sense of melancholy when I hear a song by The Black Keys over some new Ford car commercial, but the music is still nice.

its okay it just bores me

This is a quite good album, however, it does get a bit repetitive. I like the Black Keys, but many of the songs on this album - while individually good - sound very similar. Another album that, in my opinion, suffers for going over the hour mark. I really wish I could give this a 3.5. 3 stars doesn’t do it justice, but I just don’t know if it’s 4 stars good.

The Black Keys make the occasional banger but even the bangers sound the same. Pretty boring and not one I'll come back to.

I like to think the number of Spotify listens on each track represent people's actual reaction to listening to the songs in order. "Hey, this is pretty cool. Nice bluesy synthy rock mash-up genre. I dig it. ... Holy smokes, this is great! Tighten Up, Howlin' For You... very catchy. A nice fresh take on the genre. ... Ah, the next track kind of sounds the same. Oh well, every album has its filler. ... Oh. A lot of these tracks sound exactly the same. They're in the same key, similar tempos, and use an identical instrument line-up. Really, the only difference is occasionally swapping out acoustic with electronic percussion (or vice versa). ... Yep, pretty much all the tracks after the big singles sound the same as one another. I mean, sure, it's good music, but it completely lacks versatility. This could probably get higher than a 3 from me – but it would be a stretch. The high-pitched singing, most prevalent in the opening track Everlasting Light, is really funny, showing that The Black Keys had the ability to not take themselves too seriously. They vaguely emulate that feel throughout the rest of the album, but that initial flurry of excitement and weirdness is never quite recaptured. The album also lacks distinctive guitar riffs or solos. The entire mix has a sort of blustery, lo-fi filter put over it (but it's subtle), greatly reducing the audio quality. It almost sounds like a 40s or 50s rock record if not for the synths. Not that that's a bad thing, but it just lacks what makes really convincing blues. 3/5 Key tracks: Everlasting Light, Tighten Up, Howlin' For You, I'm Not The One, Unknown Brother

Good album.

Tour cancelling

There are lots of reviews commenting on a lack of authenticity; why not just listen to actual blues; etc. I don't really know enough about where the Black Keys sit, to judge. It didn't strike me as try-hard or pretentious, as some have said. I did clock the resemblance to the White Stripes, who sound cooler imo. I enjoyed it (it was a bit long) and would go 7 out of 10, but perversely, perhaps, would also comment that I don't think it belongs on this list, because I don't think it particularly adds to or illuminates the story of music. So there you go, I did judge in the end.

I really do feel like this is a great album for the early 2010s. More hill country than what you typically hear in terms of newer blues rock

Great album. I've listened to it before, but it's interesting to put it up next to the classic stuff we've heard lately. It definitely holds it's own. Fun songs. Clean recording. Distinctive style.

I had a big Black Keys phase when I lived in Mississippi, but I was more into El Camino at the time (since it had recently been released). Now that I have revisited the band, Brothers is SUCH a tight, cohesive, and phenomenal album. Every song is filled with feeling, danceability, and soul, but also manages to keep each song feeling unique and valuable to the album as a whole.

Muito legal! Gosto praticamente de todas as fases da banda!

Blues, rock and all the nonsense that comes with the Black Keys.

It was good, liked the instrumentals and background a hell of a lot more than I liked the actual vocals and lyrics. But still a good listen.

I bet they would be fun to see live.

Pretty good music

First listen to this and first full Black Keys album. No bad!

Just an all around good album. 4/5

1. light - 1 2. nezt - 0 3. tighten up - 1.5 4. houuling - 1 5. long gone - 1 6. black mud - 1.5 7. the only one - 1 8. too afraid - 1 9. piztol - 1.5 10. zinizter - 1 11. go getter - 0 12. the one - 0 13. brother - 0 14. give you up - 1 15. theze dayz - 0

Tight, tuneful and not a lot more to say. Do they have anything massively original to say in terms of music or lyrics. Not sure they have, but they wear their influences well.

White guys doing blues! What could go wrong? To be tbh with you I like this record a lot. It’s fun, it has some groove, and I think it sounds great. I don’t know a lot about the band but the hits were pretty big back when this came out. Did they have some scandal at some point? I don’t know. All these guys kinda blend into each other. The first few tracks are pretty good. There’s some riffs in there for sure. The single Tighten Up had its moment and a cute video with some kids but it’s a solid tune. It’s definitely got that radio friendly vibe but every 2010 alt rock band did lol. Same kinda thing for the other big single Howlin For You- you might tap a toe or something. The rest of the record has some really cool bluesy but modern sounds, the vocals are fun, coupla two tree riffs. The track The Only One has a sick organ track, and I am famously a sucker for that. I think my favorite track is Ten Cent Pistol because it really has a unique sound. Kinda sultry? Sure I’ll go with that. For a modern-ish band it uses some classic techniques that don’t feel faked. I’d definitely be into seeing them live but for what it is, it’s a decent album.

Feeling weird about his one. On the one hand I really like all the styes it seems to borrow from; soul, blues, punk, garage. On the other, something seems off. I want to call it contrived, but that doesn't seem entirely fair. I didn't find anything off-putting about it, just didn't find a single thing that really got me excited about listening to it. If I wanted to hear this style of music there are far better options that if I had to guess, were probably this band's inspiration.

This is a review of an album by the Black Keys I like El Camino better!

I liked it quite a bit.

couple hits but the sound has aged a bit for me

I enjoyed this listen very much. I love the blues sound and grooves. I marked several fav tracks. A very unique style with a splash of rockabilly in places and some smooth R &B also. Yet another band I wish I had seen live at some point. 3.75/5

This was a solid listen, albeit a little too long. It probably ventures into 5* territory if there were some songs cut since it did start to sound repetitive on the backend. Still, I can dig the analog production which plays perfectly for two guys known for jamming in the garage.

Definitely the album that took these guys from Ohio garage band to giant commercial success. While this album makes me miss their more raw, unproduced, two man jam sound, this is such a great album loaded with some of their best songs.

Forgot about this album so good to see it pop up and back in the rotation. Really solid album with great songs and most enjoyable guitar.

I favorited like six tracks on this album but for some reason I’m having a hard time giving it a 5*. I like it. It rocks. I have a great time listing to it. It’s prob like 4 songs heavy. Would have preferred a tight 38-43 minute album. I don’t really know what I’m talking about. Mavs won. Gummy kicking in. Fuck it, 5*!!! LFG!!! #MFFL 4.5/5

Eh

65/100 Favourite Song: Tighten Up

4.25

this is a 55 minute album made up of 15 songs that sound the same, have the same lyrics, and are all equally boring. lyrics are very dull and the album is 3x longer than it should be.

4.5 stars. Revisiting after listen to this dozens of times as a teen, I was ready to realize wasn't as good as I remember, but it still holds up very well. "Next Girl" and "Only One" are great. Every song a simple but subtly complex with excellent production. "Black Mud" is a very bluesy instrumental, and "TATLY" has a great vocal performance by Dan Auerbach, with a very dramatic piano-y beat. My least favorite songs were actually the singles. "Tighten Up" sounds very pop-py, especially with the whistling. It was more fresh sounding at the time, and the switch up at the end of the track is interesting. "Howlin for You" is a song that, if I were listening to for the first time today, I would find rather boring until the last minute where the track progresses. "Unknown Brother" is a really touching song that I'm just now realizing may have inspired the title of this album. "These days" is nice, but it's kind of a sleepy song. I would rather have "Never Gonna Give You Up" as the album closer.

A strong mix of classic blues rock created using both new and old recording techniques. You can definitely feel the power of the instruments here, particularly the grief-addled drums reverberating through the defunct recording studio.

4.5

Great stuff

Solid album 5/10

Car commercial ass music

Forgot how much I liked them!

Non particolarmente bello, alcune carine, non lo ho finito di ascoltare

the bangiest black keys album and the beginning of the decline

This is the album that got me into the Black Keys. I've always understood this is a take-off of the blues, but I've never considered them to be a blues band. I think the Black Keys are a rock band with a southern blues influence. The Black Crowes if the Black Crowes were not from Georgia. I'll call this urban rock-blues. Anyway, this is a great album and I can always trim 3 tracks off this album to make it 12 songs of great songs. The front half feels like the traditional urban blues sound they have, while the back half is just as strong with slower songs that I enjoyed the variety of. This is the second album in the really good trilogy they put out from 2008 through 2011. You can feel them go from the more experimental Attack & Release, to the more urban blues and rock of Brothers and finally towards more mainstream rock with El Camino. This is a must-listen album in my opinion.

Enjoyed

8/10. Great album. Vibes were good. Not consistent enough to get 9 or 10 - but enjoyed throughout. 4 songs made the 5 ⭐️ list.

# Playlist track - Tighten Up # Notes - Great mix of rock and blues. Catchy riffs. - A bit too long at 1h 17min.

Some good tunes on here...but I don't by the concept of this making the list

Hard to think of what to say about this one. It’s that soft indie rock I feel neutral about. Eeh

I got excited when I saw Black but then realized that Keys is not Puma. It's actually a fantastic album though.

I enjoyed it. But I remember nothing of it.

They get extra points for being so explicit with the album name, making it so very clear which is the band and which is the album title. And I really enjoyed the music. Not sure I believe the sentiment at all times but very nice to listen to.

Great band, Great album. Ohio’s finest!

Aha, the first band about which I can say ‘I saw them before they were famous’. That was is their early pure two-piece rawer blues encarnation, which I liked (and I guess they lucked out slightly that the White Stripes opened the door on that style renaissance). This album seems to be the point they transitioned to a more popular sound, which I also like. However, I think other later albums are probably stronger at the latter. So this sits in a bit of a hinterland. It’s got some stronger tracks early on, but felt like the album dragged a bit to me. Other ones of theirs might be a 4, but think this is a 3 for me.

My nephew likes them and some good sludgy bluesy rock. Much better than Adele.

Classic

I don't think I had listened to The Black Keys before. I enjoyed this.

The Black Keys are an interesting group. They took blues rock and made it commercially successful all while being from Ohio. This album is really one of the best rock albums post 2000. This album has many hits along with great softer songs. The whole album is very rounded out and produced in a way that makes it easy to go track to track again and again. This is a terrific album. 8.8/10

Pretty solid stuff. If I ever needed an album that at least 70% of the people in the room would enjoy I reckon this is the pick. Probably a 3.5 rating overall.

Solid grooves and kinda blah

Don't like the bits where it sounded like they had covered the mics in greaseproof paper. But other than that not bad at all. Would I buy it possibly so if it was to do something like make up a 3 for offer. Got to be a 4 then.

Sensational album. Perfect bluesy rock. Story telling. Great vocals. Interesting throughout. Riffs that just stick in your head for the rest of the day. The whole thing just hangs together - nothing to skip. Can’t really pick a favourite track, as it depends on how the mood catches me. Today’s mood was ‘Ten Cent Pistol’ for the lovely noodling on the lead guitar. Oh, and the slow groove of ‘I’m not the One’.

El Camino is a great album, but not ventured further than that, so when this came up instead, I was surprised and intrigued to hear what this would be like. It seems a lot more effects laden than I expected. Their sound is a slower bluesy garagey style, which is a bit different to their later stuff, but I like it. Are there any standout tracks? On first listen, the songs seem to blend into each other in a nice enough way, with quite a bit going on in each song, gentle guitar licks here and there, but when he gets going the guitar playing is excellent. Maybe its a bit too American vintage blues sounding for my regular tastes, but it is good enough for a high 3

El Camino's poppy sound is better imo.

This all just sounded like the home depot soundtrack. do not like

this is what my hands look like after buying my new ford pickup. but then there was someone who coughed a little bit of calming slime on my hands near the end so i was like wow thats nice.

I cannot believe that this album came out in 2010. How is that possible? Wasn't as spectacular as I remember. 3/5

This album is fine. There’s not really much notable about it, it’s just fine. I knew The Black Keys were fuzz rock, but I don’t really like the blues direction on this one.

Synes den bliver monoton og for lang, men det lyder sgu meget godt. Danger Mouse produktioner i 00'erne 🤌🤌

Synes lyden er rigtig fed, men sangene var ret forgettable. Garage rock revival plader skal ikke være længere end 40 minutter!! [Bemærk: jeg havde aldrig en black keys fase i gymnasiet, ville ellers have været ret in character for mig]

I begyndelsen lød det lidt som et lidt mere moderne take på Jack White, men det er lidt mere sin egen stil. Der er nogle bangers på den her plade, men den bliver tynd mod slutningen.

This is really solid. Not perfect, but definitely very good. Saved a bunch off this. 4/5

The Black Keys make some good music. It’s not the best, but definitely not the worst. There’s a good mix of soul and blues and some old classic rock that makes it hard to pinpoint what era this belongs to at some points. There are a couple solid tracks that help to keep the rest afloat. I’ll definitely listen to them again, but their not going to be my go-to group.

Listened to this album while riding a bike through town. Perfect album for such a day!

Top review says it all.

A nice, easy listen for a Monday morning. Can't stop thinking about the review that said this was made for a FIFA video game soundtrack. I'm still laughing. That's so accurate.

Totally acceptable white boy blues rock slog from the worst decade of music!

Instrumentals aight, not a big fan of the vocals

too long, didn't really like the singing it makes every song sound the same. The one song he sings a little different is on 'the only one' and idk it still kinda sounds the same 4/10

I love this album. If you were looking for the heads, they’re not here. If you’re looking for the songs that gave the sound that led to the hits, this is the perfect spot for you. It’s a perfect mix of the blues in its true form, combined with the power of the keyboards. Honestly, honestly, it makes me happy to listen to.

One of my favorite bands. Uncomplicated and fun!

Different I really liked this whole album

WHAT A BANGER, would like to listen plenty of more times.

TA BIEN WENO. 9/10

Great album, probably one of the best rock albums from the 10s.

Highly enjoyed

How do you drain the excitement out of the stomp-thump genre? Decaffeinated rock. It sounds like Portugal the Man overslept for the exam and had to copy off of Imagine Dragons' paper.

Prefer their older albums, but this one still rocks.

In 2010, I was back of for the summer from college. A few of my friends went to an amusement park and one of my friends brought one of her friends. In retrospect, that gal was almost certainly gay, but that didn't stop me from developing a crush on her immediately. While we were there, Tighten Up came on and she told me how much she loves that song. I wanted to seem cool so instead of admitting to not really knowing The Black Keys, I said "Oh yeah. Have you heard their latest album? It's awesome!". Which is the story of how I went home and listed to the album named Brothers multiple times so I wouldn't embarrass myself further the next time I saw her. Much like that pathetic attempt at seduction, this album is dead on arrival. Vapid, boring, and repetitive. It can be fine as some background music, but not really an album to listen to before I die.

I enjoyed revisiting this after not listening to it in many years.

Okay.

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: ikonische, Grammy-prämierte Howlin' Wolf-Hommage Mix: 🎧😎🤌 Musik: 🎧😎🤌 Wertung: 😎😎😎😎(😎)/5

Liked, although most songs sounded the same. Reminded me of Alabama Shakes, but not sure if they're really that similar. Favourite song: Tighten Up (that tracks... it did win a Grammy)

Good

Almost as boring as modern rock can get. Not sure how these guys get a pass but Nickelback has been hated forever. Just generic classic rock with absolutely no edge whatsoever. These guys have hints of glory for a minute in each hour of music they produce - which is a terrible ROI. Yeah I'd like to listen to this over some other albums on this list just given the genre. But it's completely and utterly boring.

Long time since I listened to it. Sounds like White Stripes' garage with a more folky blues feel and pop-like anthems. Sonically coherent, and they have their own identity, but it's a bit repetitive. Strong start (Everlasting Light is a classic that stuck with me), dips in the middle and struggles to bring back up the energy. At 53mn, it drags on too much. It feels like every song could be used as background music in TV shows: as enjoyable as it is forgettable. 6/10

The last solid album that the Keys put out. There are some absolute gems (Everlasting Light, Tighten Up) that still shined the creativity and song-writing prowess of Dan Auerbach before El Camino and the commercialization of the band fully took hold.

4/22/24. I do enjoy The Black Keys, but this album seemed a bit... boring? Repetitive? I likely have a built in bias due to my preference to Jack White and Gary Clark Jr., but this one feels a little slow in places and hard to keep me engaged. Far from a bad album though.

Not bad

I really enjoyed this, although I wished I was listening to the White Stripes a lot of the time. Also the tracks 'Tighten Up', 'These Days ' and 'Never Gonna Give You Up' got my hopes up that they might be cover versions of Nico / Rick Astley / The Untouchables but they just turned out to be more of the same. Solid 3/5.

Coulda been 4, but that Howlin For You song is so annoying. It needs to be dragged out in the snow and shot then thrown into a woodchipper.

Peak white people music. very consistent sound throughout which I appreciate. good album for driving in america.

First band among this thousand albums that was new to me that I liked. This is good - nice sounds.

i'm a bit torn about this one. i used to be very into the black keys about a decade ago and this was my absolute favorite by them. nowadays i am not a huge fan of their music, so at this point in time, i don't really feel like giving them a score of what i probably would have a decade ago. overall, i still think this is a good album. i don't think it's anything mindblowing and i think a lot of their contemporaries make music that i think feels more genuine and sounds better. the album still has a bunch of bops on it - and i can't get tired of 'tighten up' and their cover of jerry butler's 'never give you up' - what i think are highlights of the album.. the production on this one feels a little stale but when they are loose, i think this album can borderline rip. the musicianship on this one is pretty good and i think the songwriting is solid. to me it sounds very early '10s commercial now, which i didn't at the time (but this sound has been co-opted by truck commercials for years). i think at the time it felt a little more novel than it does today. honestly, i still have a little bit of a soft spot for it.

I used to listen to this album a lot. It still is pretty good, relatively one-note but in a way where they nailed what they are going for with a few standout tracks. Reminds me of other alt-pop-rock-ish stuff.

The Black Keys have gone platinum in this household, I know that’s for true

This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers. The Black Keys went on quite the run in the early 2010s, with this (2010) and El Camino (2011) in back-to-back years. My understanding is that they weren't particularly well-known before Brothers and it's their sixth album, so this was a real breakthrough. Credit where it's due, this album is awesome. It has a truly iconic start, with "Everlasting Light", "Tighten Up", and "Howlin' For You" as three of the first four songs (and "Next Girl" is no slouch either). I knew the hits already, but I was impressed by how deep the rest of the album is. It's certainly top-heavy (how could it not be), but there's plenty of good stuff throughout. They manage to do the bluesy / garage-rock / Jack White / Alabama Shakes vibe while keeping the sound fairly fresh and interesting throughout (speaking of Jack White, apparently he hates them and thinks they ripped off his sound). It might've benefitted from being a few songs shorter (15 songs at 55 minutes on the original release, with a few misses), but hard to knock it too much. This is about as good of a 2010s rock album as I know of, both from a "hits" perspective and a "top-to-bottom" depth perspective. I'd probably give it a 4.5 if I could, but there's plenty here to round up. Favorite song: Everlasting Light Other: Next Girl, Tighten Up, Howlin' For You, She's Long Gone, The Only One, Too Afraid To Love You, Ten Cent Pistol, Sinister Kid, I'm Not The One, These Days 4/17/24

10 out 10

Never really bought into The Black Keys hypetrain. I think they are fine enough, but I have never found their music all that compelling. That said, I understand the appeal; they tap a certain chord just right in the indie resurrection of a bluesy sound. Like a much cleaned up White Stripes. They certainly have a distinctive sound -- I can best describe it as "dusty" with effect-laden vocals often ghosting about the instrumentals. Howlin' for You is a fine enough song that always makes me think of Rock and Roll Pt II. I also enjoy the instrumental jam Black Mud. It is a bit rough around the edges, giving an improvised atmosphere to it all, but the groove is undeniable. Mostly had this on in the background this Monday morning. I really didn't mind it at all, but there were very few points that really captured my attention. I like how cohesive this all feels from a production standpoint and did like the little bits of psych influence. While the songs themselves are tight, I felt like nearly an hour straight grew a little tiring. To my ears this is a solid enough high 3.

Likely my favorite/most listened Black Keys album. So many jams that I could listen to anytime. 5 stars all the way

The bass and drums sound so clean and clear in the headphones. Black Mud is great. I really liked the stretch from Black Mud -> Ten Cent Pistol. Never was a huge fan of The Black Keys hits, but there is a lot more depth to this album than I would have expected.

I forgot how many songs on this album I already knew. I guess I have listened to it more than I remember. The Black Keys play an awesome style of rock which I wish I got into more in the early 2010s. This album is a mix of straight up rock, blues, and some slower pop like songs. Tighten Up is awesome with unmistakable intro to it. I hope there's more Black Keys coming up

Great album front loaded with jams. It starts to tail off at the end for me. Still good but in no way stacks up to the front half. High af 4

I can imagine this is the sort of music that sounds amaaaazing if you've not heard much music before. By which I mean, it's bluesy, yes. It has grooves and keeps it simple, cool. It's a bit like other things but not as good, yeah? Cream, come to mind. As do Hendrix, old blues guys, etc. But also, less salubrious counterparts like Wolfmother or... Well, alright, just Wolfmother. It's a bit light a low-octane Wolfmother. Maybe with the occasional touch of later, crooning, Artic Monkeys. Or that guy with the hat. What was he called? ...Hozier! It all seems kinda bullshit to me. Like people pretending to do "proper" music but dumbing it down a bit to make it popular. It's alright. But so what?

Nice work!

Everlasting light & tighten up & howlin for you & the only one

Imagine devoting your whole career to essentially making multiple demo reels proving you are the perfect band to make the opening song to a James Bond film and yet you remain unselected. One star.

Listen, I love the Black Keys. Or at least I LOVED them. They were my favorite band for years after I heard Rubber Factory for the first time. I subsequently bought a bunch of their records and a guitar pedal or two to try to sound like Dan Auerbach. This was one album after the one where they started to lose me. It's not terrible, but they started to get too slick and clean-cut. On the one hand, I was glad they weren't sticking to their predictable low-fi garage blues rock, which I'm sure would've gotten old. On the other hand, I didn't want them to go so radio-friendly. Good for them for making a living on their craft. Bad for me. I still have their first few albums on vinyl - except, somewhat ironically, for Rubber Factory - and I might put one on after listening to this. ...honestly, after listening, this still has some kickass tracks, but what I said above is still accurate and this is still a 3/5 at best.

Very nice album with a splendid cover.

Iconic album, slaps, cool, good, 3.6

3 mostly an album of ok songs. Very samey sounding and way too much use of that awful over-amplified vocal filter. Unknown brother and sinister kid were the highlights.

Absolute 5 star album. Felt like a whole musical moment when this broke through. Ten Cent Pistol gets my Fallout games / western vibes a goin' too!

I really enjoyed this album, I think I’d like to listen to more of their stuff. All 4 of these stars are for the track ‘I’m not the one ’ and its use in the series the leftovers. The track plays to plastic dolls being made and sold, one lucky baby to be swaddled as baby Jesus and placed in a nativity scene. The baby is stolen - I’m not the one x

I think I've only listened to a few Black Keys tracks here and there, but I really enjoyed delving into a full album. I've listened to "I'm not the one" a bunch of times on one of the The Leftovers playlists. I'd listen to this album again

Great sound, great album. Blues firmly undergirds the sound on the album, and while there are more poppy elements (Everlasting Light, Tighten Up, Howlin' For You), they blend that with a very laid back feel where even the more rocking pieces feel pretty chill. She's Long Gone and Sinister Kid has a Led Zeppelin by way of Beck feel, Never Gonna Give You Up has more of a Soulful/Memphis feel, and These Days has a kind of Midwest Emo feel. Faves: Tighten Up, She's Long Gone, Sinister Kid, Unknown Brother.

Like Alabama Shakes, really well-produced music that has been totally owned by coffeeshops near college campuses. It immediately makes me feel like I'm grading papers late at night and have totally plateau'd on caffeine intake. That's not a knock on the music per se. College coffee music generally reflects budding music connoisseurship of many a barista. Though the stuff that gets played most often does serve a practical purpose, and in the end may be too anodyne to be something worth paying a lot of attention to. Like the americanos I'd be chugging while this played, more than serviceable, but it's not here to take center stage.

I was already familiar with the Black Keys but not this album before listening. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's rock with blues and psych influences. I can see myself coming back to this one.

If the ultimate measure of an album is how many whiskey commercials it’s featured in, this would be the GOAT. While obviously the most successful Black Keys album, I’ve never thought it was the best but maybe that’s just me trying to go against the grain. Hit after hit for the first 6 or 7 songs and while it goes a little long it’s pretty solid all the way through.

4.3 You know that bands that you loved and then they got popular and then you stopped liking them. Thats the black keys for me, but I never knew of them before they got popular. I just never got into them because they blew up. This album bangs though.

kaleo hello?

I thought this album was annoying for some reason

Decent rock. A big sound. Howlin’ For You was recognizable. Probably wouldn’t listen to this album again but I’d listen to more Black Keys

Great album, great band. Love their mix of blues and modern rock. 6 songs starred. Album starred.

Best wel nice, maar niet super speciaal

Some great tracks off the hop but much like their career it falls off in the latter half. I do really enjoy their sound and the hits though.

Completely front loaded. But the highs are very high. Everything after Sinister Kid is a skip

This is just meh. Overplayed on the radio, for sure, and a whole album of this just isn't fun. 2/5

Pleasant enough. Nothing special

Was fortunate enough to see these dudes at a rad venue on a three-concerts-in-three-nights run back in 2011. It was really really cool. This album brought me right back The other shows, I think, were Death Cab and the Gaslight Anthem. That was a killer week. I feel like I have been tired ever since. Very good album.

I love this album. This is the album that I really discovered them from and what gravitated me towards their vibes and rock n roll style.

I am already a fan of the Black Keys. There recipe is pretty straight forward: deep drum grooves with a solid guitar melody and back up, then a strong lead vocal and throw fuzz on everything. It's all good stuff though. It's not dense where you really have to think about it. They are just providing solid song writing and arranging that you can have going in the back ground. Not top shelf for me but for sure will be back to have another listen. 4/5

It's like all the songs have the same underlying beat or rhythm. The songs just blended together.

A lot of reviews are talking about blues, and I kinda get it, but I always thought of the Black Keys as an alternative rock band. Decent album but does blend together. 3/5

01) Everlasting Light - 9,0 02) Next Girl - 9,0 03) Tighten Up - 9,5 04) Howlin' for You - 9,5 05) She's Long Gone - 8,5 06) Black Mud - 9,0 07) The Only One - 9,0 08) Too Afraid to Love You - 9,0 09) Ten Cent Pistol - 9,0 10) Sinister Kid - 8,5 11) The Go Getter - 8,5 12) I'm Not the One - 9,0 13) Unknown Brother - 8,5 14) Never Give You Up - 9,5 15) These Days - 9,0 TOTAL: 8,97 (90/100) I'm reading the reviews and am surprised by how many people said that this isn't worth being on the list. I mean, have you listened to some other shit that pops up here? The fu**? This is a very good, listenable, catchy rock album and I would rather listen to this than exactly 123 albums that I listened to so far (this being my album #140). On the other hand, it has an average of 3,66 so that means that I'm not the only one that feels this way towards The Black Keys.

Decent, bluesy, gritty rock. Distortion and basic guitar drive things forward. I enjoyed this, but there are better blues-rock artists out there.

I have heard some of these songs, but I did not know it was The Black Keys. Lots of falsetto. Over all an enjoyable album.

I like the black keys but it's nothing particularly special.

I didn’t manage to listen to all of it but it’s a good album

This has got to be one of the best albums of the 2010-2019 decade. I had forgotten how good it is. The song order is impecable. Its a progressive love story with diferent rythyms and beats that works as a continious song. Its very rare to find an album like this now a days where the producers only care about making one or 2 singles. This is a masterpiece and although I like El camino’s albums singles a bit more this really work as an album and I enjoyed it more than the album with the better singles.

The Black Keys are one of my favorite modern bands and "Brothers" has my vote for their best album. "El Camino" is the Friday night party album, "Rubber Factory" is a great early-era blistering blues album and I'll always have a soft spot for the melancholy psychedelia of "Turn Blue" but this album feels like the one most deserving of the #1 title. It's got the sprawl of a double album and spans a range of blues and rock styles with a variety of moods. The songwriting is excellent and the production is impeccable. I heard new details in the mix today which is always exciting for an album I've listened to countless times.

Wowowow yes. I remember hearing The Black Keys back when the HBO show "Hung" had "I'll Be Your Man" as the theme song. I loved that album and loved the albums that followed, but when this record came out it was a really incredible breakthrough into the next level for them. I love all of their albums, but I respect this one as being THE one. It's the one that blew them up into huuuuge stardom, and is absolutely jam packed with A+ 10/10 songs. It's almost like a greatest hits album, where at the start of every new song you find yourself saying something like "oh yea this song is on this album! Awesome!" "The Only One" is a beautiful little track that is reminiscent to the older albums. For me it particularly sounds like it could be on "Attack & Release". Outside of the monstrously huge hits, "Sinister Kid", "Ten Cent Pistol", and "Too Afraid To Love You" are favorites. Perfect artwork for an album that is really a statement. I'm confident that this will be looked back as one of the best rock albums of all time.

Best Song: Everlasting Light. A great, groovy kickoff to the album. More of this would have been better. Worst Song: Howlin' For You. This might just be that the song is a victim of its own success, but I've heard this song more than enough for this lifetime. I find the buzzy quality of the guitar that goes with the singalong really grating. Overall: The album started on a high note, but ended up receding to a relatively boring, plodding middle-ground. Also, the disappointment I felt when I finally reached "Never Gonna Give You Up", only to realize it wasn't a Rick Astley cover, really soured my opinion of the album.

C'est bon mais j'en ai trop entendu.

B-puoli tekee loppua liian pitkään. Jos tämä olis lyhyempi, rakastaisin tätä ehdoitta. Mutta kun jo teininä on tähän ihastunut, ei voi oikein kuin innostua taas. Etenkin A-puolesta. Ei voi olla laulamatta ja nyökyttämättä päätä mukana - fight me. Blues mutta valkoisten miesten poppina niin ettei se ole ällöä.

Tämä levy alkaa esimerkillisesti, mutta vakiintuu tietynlaiseksi standardi-pop-blues/-soul -kokoelmaksi. Ei siinä etteikö kaikki MIELLYTTÄISI korvaa.

Very nice 4.1