Brothers

The Black Keys strike me as exceedingly competent, but boring. 3/5

Its alright

I loved the first half of this album but then it fell a little drab for me towards the end. I also wasn’t sure I was crazy about the distorted vocals.

Wel oké

Ik vind het altijd erg knap dat zij maar met z’n tweeen zijn en toch zulke goede, stevige nummers maken. Hoewel ik ooit naar een optreden van ze ben geweest en ze dus echt goed vind, had ik er gisteren gewoon geen zin in. Vandaar een zesje.

Has a definite ‘sound’ / vibe - classic soul/garage/r&b with White Stripes guitar sounds and Strokes vocal processing. Definite front-loading going on here - the first five tracks are pretty strong (all the singles amongst them) but the album tails off towards the end and seemed to go on for two or three songs too long).

It’s fine, isn’t it. Not sure how it ended up on albums you must listen to before you die. Very much like White Stripes and early Kings of Leon. Howlin’ for You very much like Rock n Roll part 2, which is no bad thing

Dark, brooding, gritty bluesy-themed songs.

I liked this album, but I think I liked it much more around 2010 than now. Maybe it's just a matter of my mood, but today it looked too long and repetitive for me.

Good stripped back rock sound that no doubt influenced subsequent records like AM. Suffers from being 15 minutes too long, and some of the songs getting used in adverts

6/10, some decent songs there but no wow effect

A couple I liked. It sounds very of the time period.

First half is gold second half lacking.

I'm not sure with this band, I like the dark, drum heavy beats, the lyrics are good. Not a fan of distorted vocals. I think with different vocals this could be an all time classic. Whilst listening I really enjoy getting wrapped up in the music being created but none of the songs hugely stand out or can be sung along to. That may be a bad way to judge music but they get very samey. Strong 3

Solid blue rock album. Much slower and vibe driven than I thought it would be. Overall a great listen.

They weren’t lying… these hwiteboys have soul!

I think this album came up in the last group, but not too bad. Nice and chill. It felt like this album could have been recorded in the 1970s. It had the sound of an album from that time, ateast in my opinion.

À écouter en volume 3

3.5/5

Probably my favorite Black Keys album, feels like this is the pinnacle of the sound they were going for with enough fresh twists to not sound completely derivative.

Two ohio white guys making subpar blues music

The first few songs didn't interest me but as I got further into the album I found it more musically complex and intriguing. However the overfiltered new-age "bluesy" vocals never really got less grating to my ears.

Fuzz, high-pitched vocals. Slightly distorted drums. Updated/Retro Classic Rock. Apparently a duo. Listenable and coherent. Tone is often a bit harsh for my preference. Some songs have a nice feel toward the end of the album.

Solid album. I had heard many of the songs before so nothing really surprised me. I enjoyed listening to an album with a lot of live instrumentation again. I feel like I've been stuck in a rut listening to mostly electronic music for the past year or two.

Приятное звучание. Но трудно выделить запоминающиеся композиции. Было приятно послушать.

Some decent and familiar songs!

ok

They definitely have more interesting albums than this, but then that's the problem with becoming popular, you have to do bland to appeal to the masses. It's alright, just a shame to hen you know they have better.

Complete Throbbing Gristle rip off. Experimental to the point of being unlistenable.

Some good tracks on here. Butoverstays it's welcome. Loved it at the time but in retrospect its not a memorable experience.

Pretty good album with some all time party bangers. Garage rock as a genre does tend to lose its allure for me around the 35 minute mark so this album being 55 minutes is just a little wearing. I still like the album, but prefer some of The Black Keys other albums more.

Often don't get on with blues, but I found this acceptable

Mostly enjoyable 3*

I remember when 'Tighten Up' swept pop radio airwaves back in middle school, and looking back the feat seems even more impressive given several pop titans such as Lorde and Adele were on the rise. It helps that the Delta Blues styled songwriting lends itself to simple, catchy melodies that can sustain 3-4 minute tracks, but Auerbach deserves credit for injecting just the slightest touch of synths and slick production to make the LP more digestible in the ultrapop age. I don't know if this album deserves more than 3 stars (the songwriting isn't super dynamic, and I don't know if we'll be talking about this album in 10 years time outside of a Stereogum anniversary post), but it deserves quite a bit of credit for clawing its way onto the charts in the first place.

I was looking forward to listening to this one as Tighten Up really is a pretty amazing song. Unfortunately, the rest of the album really doesn't keep up with it and is pretty samey and uninteresting. Doesn't sound bad in itself, but definitely nothing to get excited about.

Bekend album van de zwarte sleutels, maar de muziek kan me nooit volledig interesseren

Beaucoup de respect pour le band. Les pièces avec des influences blues sont vraiment bonnes. Mais la longueur d'album et le style très typique du band devient redondant à la longue. À revisiter

at first it seemed really cool and new and vibes but after awhile it got a little boring because it was the same but i did think it was good

I hadn't heard the Black Keys in a long time - I think my impressions of them (early albums maybe?) were that they rarely used a bass guitar. Not a fan at all of minimalist rock so it was nice to hear a more-full sound right away. Not a ton to say - I do like it overall and "Sinister Kid" is the hilight for me - even such a simple song can be driven and carried by a killer backbeat. I like most of these songs (although to be fair if the album had ended after "Sinister Kid" it would have been better; the last few songs really get tiresome) individually but my critique as a whole is the general sameness that I get from it all. There's only so much one can do with the blues and they do make the most of it - I like the production (the oversaturated vocals may be gimmicky but it works for these guys) as well. No objection to hearing this time and again but maybe in smaller chunks. 6/10 3 stars.

I really like the Black Keys first couple of records. Raw, bluesy, rockin', with a real edge. However, they eventually decided they wanted to sell a whole lotta records and get played on the radio, so they started making albums like this. It's still a lot more rock and roll than 99% of what you hear on the radio (which is great) and the tracks are engineered to really sound great played on the radio. This album is front loaded with songs that will be the best single you have heard all day when they pop up (and stand out) on the radio. Compressed, polished, punchy rock and roll. Which is great. But a whole album can start to sound a little tired. The influence of Danger Mouse is not as overwhelming as on the following album, but you can hear where they were heading. And congrats to them on getting there. (But I like it when they are a bit more raw).

Genre: Blues Rock 3/5 First things first, and one thing that truly surprised me throughout this listen, is how many of these songs I knew without ever knowing them as Black Keys songs. This album is full of the songs that play in Toyota, Buffalo Wild Wings, Budweiser, and other assorted sports advertisements throughout the years. It was actually bizarre to go through this album and hear how well publicized some of these songs have become, almost to the point where it kind of takes away any of the DIY-grit that may exist in the playing and recording of this. Is it a dirty, gritty, modern take on blues rock? Or is this a song publisher's wet dream: bluesy, yet modern, music that can be abused by advertisers looking to hit certain markets with its signature low-IQ drawl? I feel it's the latter. However, as far as rock music that has come out in the last 15 years, this is not bad. It certainly is an attempt at some sort of rock revival, but all this album did, unfortunately, was be popular enough to bring rock to a point of relevance that it gave further creedence to more contemporary "rock" acts like Imagine Dragons, and the worst parts of groups like Weezer, Green Day, and Coldplay. Songs like Tighten Up and Howlin' for You are, as I said before, commerical mainstays, and stand alone as the true highlights from this project. The rest muddles together into filtered guitar leads, plodding drums, and uninspired organ riffs. Bland, but listenable.

I admit to not being the biggest Black Keys' fan. Not that I dislike them; they're OK. This album was their commercial breakthrough and had two big hits "Tighten Up" and "Howlin' for You." Still rock radio staples. I find The Black Keys are at their best when their songs have that sort of raw 70's blues/garage guitar feel to them and there are a few here: "She's Long Gone", " Black Mud". I also appreciate their minimalistic approach with a two-man band and some songs do rock here: "Sinister Kid" "Next Girl". This album is fine although it did nothing to move my neutral feelings for them as a band. I'm kind of surprised it made the 1001 list but they are arena rockers so they are popular. And this album brought them there.

they're good but playin' poor life songs

Over rated and over long, Black Keys, Brothers is one of those albums I never took to.

Good but overlong

03/11/22

Pretty good rock album. Lots of blues influence that's good. Overall a good time but nothing monumental.

meh, not great not bad. forgettable.

I like their sound, but the album went on for a little too long. Will probably relisten.

Good tunes but some generic beats and mostly repetitive.

Too dull and too long

Electropop con buenas bases y melodías sencillas. Pasable

I wasn’t huge on this when it came out as I found it very “paint by numbers” but I enjoyed it a bit more this time.

Nice album, decent songs, nothing spectacular. Just fine.

Alkupuolihan on ihan jees. Mainioita riffejä ja hitit toimii edelleen. Lopussa kuitenkin lässähtää yllättävän pahasti. Eiköhän silti ansaitse 3/5.

Tighten Up - great. Howlin' For You - great. Others: Everlasting Light Good sound. 3/5

I have heard of The Black Keys, but I couldn't have told you anything about their music. This was my first listen for this album. It was good, but a little irritating. The bluesy-rock was fun. I got in the groove and could dig what was happening. After 4 or 5 tracks though, the distortion permeating their sound started to become distracting and irritating. For that reason, I think I am more of a fan of listening to an isolated tune or two rather than a full album.

I like The Black Keys and have listened to a couple of their albums so I was excited to see this. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with Brothers. I like their general sound but most of these songs just blended together into a big mush. Howlin' for You, Ten Cent Pistol, and Sinister Kid stood out from the rest but just barely. Maybe a couple of their albums is all I need.

Part of me wants to like the Black Keys, but I feel the same way about them that I felt about Cheap Trick. They do generic rock'n'roll. They do it well, but it feels too safe, like they are writing songs that they know that people will like because other people have already written these songs slightly differently 3/5

Honestly, every song sounds the same. And they’d all be remarkable in about 1973, which is what it’s copying. But I like 1973.

A selection of good to decent bluesy garage rock. A little too long to keep my attention, but still good for the most part. Favorites: "Everlasting Light", "Tighten Up", "The Only One"

I couldn't get into this album fully, but I liked a couple of songs. Not enough to be able to want to add them to my library though.

Already knew I liked the album. Easy to listen to. It’s funny, I assume these albums are not just based on musical ranking; that is, the cultural impact too

A good listen but it feels so derivative of other bands (e.g., T-Rex) as to almost feel like a cover album. I don't feel like they add that much to the classics I already listen to, but the sound is good.

Bit too blues-y for me, but I could appreciate the skill and musicianship on the album

The album cover alone just bugs the shit out of me. It has to be the leader in the clubhouse for worst album cover on the list. Mr. Auerbach, I served with Jack White. I knew Jack White. Jack White was a friend of mine. Mr. Auerbach, you're no Jack White.

I haven't been a fan of the Black Keys, but of what I've heard they sound fine. With the absence of authentic rock' n 'roll in much of today's popular music, the Black Keys are a breath of fresh air. Though their music isn't exactly original, they play with a passion and a spirit that is a throwback to when rock dominated radio. Brothers is a solid record that grows on you with repeated listening. 3.5/5

Very good bluesy indie rock with some excellent percussion. It's not exactly a new favorite album, but it makes for good background vibes.

it's a lot more chill than I expected, I thought it would be harder more amped-up rock. Tighten Up and Howlin' for You are bangers.

I liked most (all?) of the songs on this album fine, and they flowed naturally into each other. Unfortunately a lot of them sound very similar, which is a thing I liked less. My favorite, unsurprisingly, is "Howlin' For You", which I already liked :) 3-3.5

Enjoyed this one.

I don't mind The Black Keys, their music is well produced but I can only take so many mid-tempo bluesy garage rockers.

I suspect they're great to listen to live, where you can feel the raw guitar, bass and drums.

Happy to give this a 3/5.

Нормальные ребята, ничего такого но нутро есть и благородная обычность и простота

First time really listening to a Black Sabbath album. The album is heavy and at times intense, but there are some really beautiful moments at times as well. I also found that I resonated with a lot of the lyrical content much more than I anticipated I would. I'll make sure to check out more of their work in the future.

For me, the black keys aren't overly memorable or noteworthy. They take blues rock and bring it into the 21st century with some production and style. But, in fairness to them, they do a pretty good job of it.

Not bad but I wasn't very excited.

Brother brothers!

AVR. 6.6 TOP 3: 1. Everlasting Light (+9) 2. Too Afraid To Love You (+8) 3. Never Gonna Give You Up (+7.5) TRACKLIST 1. Everlasting Light (+9) 2. Next Girl (+7) 3. Tighten Past (+6.7) 4. Howlin' for You (+5.3) 5. She's Long Gone (+7.2) 6. Black Mud (+5 intrum.) 7. The Only One (+6.8) 8. Too Afraid To Love You (+8) 9. Ten Cent Pistol (+7.3) 10. Sinister Kid (+6.9) 11. The Go Getter (+6.3) 12. I'm Not the One (+6) 13. Unknown Brother (+6.2) 14. Never Gonna Give You Up (+7.5) 15. These Days (+7.4) 16. Chop and Change (+5.9) 17. Keep My Name Out of Your Mouth (+5.3) 18. Black Mud Part 2 (+6)

Opens with a nice groove. I'm familiar with the band, and they rely on a distorted vocal that I think is a little obnoxious. Next Girl is a much better song that Everlasting Light. Good riff, much clearer vocals, bluesy, and simple. Tighten Up is a catchy jam. This is the most popular song on the album, and I think it sums up the band pretty nicely. My feeling is they are talented, they have great hooks, but something about their music keeps me at a distance. I am a casual fan, but their music, while technically impressive just isn't my taste. Howlin' for You is another song I am quite familiar with. Has an "anthem" element to it - and at this point the album has a really cohesive feel, and you know the groove you're in. There's a thread of looking for love/relationships all passed through a filter of the search or regrets. The Black Keys have a sound and a style, and this is it on full display. It's just not my bag. I do like the line "Throw the ball to the stick/ Swing and miss and a catcher's mitt/Strike two" She's Long Gone fits right in that same thread as I mentioned. Black Mud is an instrumental with Tarantino vibes. He should get a hold of that one. The Only One puts the Organ front and center. Feels like a 60s song. Kind of has a hook like Tom Jones's She's a Lady. Too Afraid to Love you - more of the same. Bass line is pretty sweet. Ten Cent Pistol - Finally a ballad of sorts. A song with some story behind it. But it is still lyrically similar to everything else. I wonder what this is based on. Is this drugs? Sinister Kid - Got some gospel roots here - I like this one. This might be my favorite song. The Go-Getter - Meh. Scorsese has made this movie I think. Doesn't make me want to visit LA. I'm Not the One - More self-mockery and deprecation. The whole, I'm broken baby, stay away from this mess idea. Unknown Brother - It was okay. I like how none of these songs overstay their welcome. Never Give You Up - I thought this was going to a moment of hope breaking through the bleakness...but no. These Days - Definitely a culminating song, which reminds me of why albums should be listened to. This song on its own is good, but as a closing track on an album, it carries more weight. Bonus Tracks - These can stay gone. The album ends a These Days.

Blues-rock oscuro.

Most songs are good to great, but it starts feeling stale after half of the album. The lyrics also feel mediocre, but it gets a decent score from me due to the fun insttumentals.

Good, enjoyed it. Would listen to it again.

I remember this being big when it came out

Fan of the Black Keys and a decent album, but prefer others!

Hadn't even heard about The Black Keys before. Not what I usually listen to, but this impressed me a lot. Very good album all around.

Alright

Decent

Decent album, not my cup of tea. Have heard worse though.

Wow, albums recent enough that I've heard them on a modern radio station. This was decent - again not my usual style (sensing a trend) but not something I'd request to get turned off.

A solid album

Overall this album has some great songs but I think there’s a lot of filler and some tracks are a bit too uneventful I like his voice over the disorted guitars a lot but it feels like as the album goes on the instrumentals get less interesting. This didn’t need to be 18 songs long tbh 40 minutes or something would’ve been enough for an album like this. Nathan gonna hate me for this one‼️ 6/10

Never ever heard of them before and I like the album

3/5 somewhat interesting but not for me

A couple of songs that really grabbed me. This is a really bluesy album. I liked it overall.

I dont get it, they are good but nothing special IMHO

Alun biisit herätti mielenkiinnon, mutta kokonaisuus jäi huoneenlämpöiseksi. Kuitenkin sellainen lämpötila, missä on kiva napsutella sormia rytmin rahtiin ja kuunnella rauhallisesti. Ei oikein pahaa sanottavaa, mutta ei aiheuta hehkutustakaan. Avausbiisi Everlasting ja Tighten up tarttui talteen.

Ok. Bit samey

Scraped a 3. A bit too samey by the end

Blues meets garage rock. I've always found old school blues to be cliché and predictable. I have the feeling I've heard the same chord progressions, rhythms and singing phrases way too many times. I liked the first song, Everlasting Light, and Howlin' For You is a good hit I've heard in many commercials. Works as a background.

I enjoyed this album quite a bit but none of the songs stuck out to me. I've always been a fan of Heavy Soul from MacGruber but beyond that, I was never a huge fan of the Keys. Their groove is awesome, and the guitars really set them apart, but their songs all sort of blend together after a while. Will I listen to them again? Probably, but will I remember the songs? No. And the album cover certainly isn't helping with that. Almost feels like they sent that to the label telling them what they wanted and the label accidentally just put their request on the cover.

Yep. The video for Next Girl might be one of my favorite new ones... Album is nice. Although maybe a bit monotonous...

"Howlin' for you" is the most popular song from here.

It has it's moments but just never grips me. Probably because it was overplayed. But like, If I want good bluesy rock there's a lot of stuff I'll pick before this. 2.5 that i'll round up.

Nice

Ближе к 4, но мб слишком попсово и смазливо

Solid Album

It’s fine. I like the Black Keys in small doses. Great musicianship and songwriting.

Fav: Tighten Up, The Go Getter

Zit wel een goede klasieker howlin for you op maar niet een album die ik vaak zal opzetten

Still not my thing but I was surprised at how much of the album I was familiar with

Solid rock album. 3.5 rounded down.

falls off hard in 2nd half, but 1st half is classic

It was okay, not my style but was an interesting listen.

3.4. Solid.

Sends me back to college. Retro blues-rock.

Not a big fan, but it's not bad.

It’s got some crackalacking tunes.

this was cool but made me wish hozier was singing all of these songs... i guess i want a fully blusey sounding hozier album :(... it was cool though i like "too afraid to love you"

jack white if he was incredibly boring and his music was in ford truck month 5/10

Pretty good, but its fairly repetitive. Could be about 3 or 4 songs shorter.

como he leido…tienen razón, podría ser musica de un anuncio de un coche, de todas formas no me ha disgustado tho me gusta la mezcla blues y rock pero si tuviera que poner esto en público probablemente se reirian de mi

My brain just goes to a load of cringe white men in a pub watching the football yelling DA DA DA DA, DA!

Something about the black keys sound like it should be really good, but most of the time it falls flat and I don't know why. It ends up sounding like music for commercials. Maybe better live

A bore

Incredible how outdated that "breakbeat + bluesy vocals" formula feels 15 years later.

mid and repetitive. maybe only 2 or 3 songs really worth the hype around The Black Keys

Tighten Up was on a FIFA soundtrack a decade plus ago so that was a nice nostalgia trip. Pretty bland though

I was a big fan of Thickfreakness and saw The Black Keys live during their Rubber Factory tour. I never listened to this album though, so this was a first. By the time I finished it I realised I'd purchased a new Volvo, private health insurance, had switched my mobile provider, and had removed my jumper and slung it over my shoulders so the arms fell down the front of my shirt. I don't know why, but I feel quite stylish now.

Pretty dull actually, there’s a couple of decent tracks but I think this kind of blues rock is a bit tired a lot of the time. 2.0/5.0 Best Song: Next Girl

I'll literally never understand the appeal of the Black Keys. Boring band who make car commercial music. Every song on this album sounds identical and only one of them is any good

It's literally never the 2 person band you want to hear, is it? This is when the Keys officially became TV Ad Jingle Music instead of rock and roll. It's weird because this is basically just the White Stripes with a real drummer and a vocalist attempting to replicate something soulful, but these guys became car commercial dreck and Jack put out a soccer hooligan chant. It's also weird to have a two person band where the drummer isn't wallopping the drum heads. You're half the band. Be memorable. Be part of it. Don't phone it in (or repurpose the Hey song's drum beat, like on Howlin for you). Joe Daniel's and Brian St Clair and Klek would never. Instead, Drumkey acts as a perfunctory rhythm for Guitarkey. Guitarkey Dead Leaves and Dirty Grounds through tepid white blues and one of the least appealing distorted pedals in the biz, all the while trying an impression where Steven Tyler does Jimi Hendrix and nailing neither side of the equation. This feels long by track 5, because the only standout is Tighten Up (because that's the song you heard while you were waiting for TV to start again). Guitarkey likes going a bit into his falsetto range, and that doesn't improve things, but after each song starts, my brain starts singing “most of all… most of all.” These songs aren't literally the same, but functionally they are interchangeable and sonically they could have Frankensteined the vocal and music tracks of pretty much any two songs to make, for all intents and purposes, the same album. Back in the day there was a Mashup that literally just lined up two nickelback songs to show that they were the exact same structure. This doesn't go quite that far, but it's close for me. Ultimately this is annoying background music, but it's better than 21 Pilots, who are the absolute nadir of 2 person “rock” bands, so I'll give them ⭐️⭐️, one for each key.

Me encantó la portada pero dios mío que desastre. Aburrido y monótono. Cada canción suena exactamente igual que la anterior y encima con esas letras clichés y simplistas. Le doy una estrella porque sí me gusta el sonido, pero es tan millenial que me harta

Early on, I thought Brothers was heading toward three stars. “Everlasting Light” reminded me of The White Stripes, I liked “Next Girl,” and even “Tighten Up,” a song I used to change the station on, worked better in the context of the album. Then everything started blending together. At one point I realized I'd forgotten I was even listening to the album. Then it happened again. For an album so heavily influenced by blues and soul, I felt surprisingly little soul coming through. The songs weren't bad. They just weren't making me feel anything. “Sinister Kid” briefly woke me up with its backing vocals, and ironically, the slower closing track, “These Days,” ended up being my favorite because it finally sounded different from everything that came before it. I understand why Brothers stood out in 2010, when so much mainstream music was moving toward glossy electronic production. I can appreciate its place in that moment without particularly wanting to hear it again. Yesterday, Kraftwerk held my attention for a 22-minute song. Today, The Black Keys couldn't consistently hold it for three or four minutes. This one's just not the one for me.

Just not for me. This album felt unnecessarily long and boring.

Kinda okay, but so repetitive, and samey?

mid. i mean from an artistic standpoint, i guess they were doing something different. not even done with the entire thing and it's just boring, not my thing. too edgy movie soundtrack for me.

el primer tema del álbum está genial, el resto medio pelo

Kinda boring and repetitive

Meh, not as bad as I expected from the cover alone, but not worldshaking either. I feel music like this was made well before 2012or whenever this was released. I found it boring.

Meh. Boring. Well produced. Whatever.

Not a very engaging record. Loved the singles when it came out when I was younger but I find it didn’t age well.

The more I listen to this album the more it feels likes its cover. Too simple and boring, with only one appealing element, which would be the font in the case of the cover, and the production in the case of the music. Not even modernized blues rock would convince me to like the genre, but it makes the experience greater as I like the sound of the very saturated guitars that gives the record a heavy revitalized garage rock vibe. When it comes to the composition, it is bland blues rock, as it always will be in my opinion, with just maybe some decent moments in here (like the mysterious sounding "The Go Getter" and other a bit catchy melodies and riffs) that aren't enough to make my experience better. I would consider to give this a positive score if it wasn't 55 minutes.

A taster menu of shit riffs, the sommelier brings out a new compressor, "I recommend sir applies this to every channel".

Track 1. Everlasting Light was cute and fun. I hummed it a bit afterwards. Track 3. Tighten Up's riff is one of those brutally simple and wonderful inventions that you wonder how it was never found or used to better effect before. Beat change was very fun. The riff under a different filter makes it even more insane. Track 4. Likewise, Howlin' for You is fun but, gracious, it is NOT done favors from its overplaying. Overall, I know this album was "influential" and these guys produced so many other records, but gracious. The album is really not done many favors by its contemporaries or descendants. The sounds and ideas are definitely buoyed by the source-defined purity (it does it better than the descendants) but they also feel very washed out now that a decade and a half has passed.

This album is the other half of my teenage bias. I have heard the singles from this album so many times. And now having heard the rest of the album, it’s all so bland. It’s like they traded their souls to play soul music and didn’t see the irony. The music just hums along, each song feeling more same than the last with no real features. It’s not unlistenable, but after 30 minutes it’s likely to just get tuned out.

It's alright, there are a bunch of songs that people enjoy on this album. For me it was overplayed on the radio when it came out and I kind of got over it. The music isn't bad and the vocals are good but I just don't need to listen to it again for a long time.

FM rock station anthems for males

This is an album comprised completely of songs that would be used in a reality TV competition show. This is entrance music for Pottery Throwdown.

Very listenable. Yet derivative.

The album art gives me a laugh, that's a positive. If they'd elected to use good microphones to record the voice/not mixed the voice fuzzily, I'd be rating this more highly. The weird buzzy, static sound that's in several of the tracks severely detracts from the whole experience. If I try my absolute best, I can almost look beyond the tinny voices and buzzy guitar which pervades the bulk of the album. But even if I manage that, what's left is what I'll call "white bread" music. It's competent. But it's too simple. It doesn't challenge any expectations. As a listener, it's just not engaging. I know I'm listening at 2230 on a Thursday, but it was putting me to sleep. The music is Ok I guess, but I'm completely puzzled as to how this was inducted to a list of 1000 wonderful albums. Also, why on earth would they remaster it only two years later, and not fix the terrible audio quality of the voice? To the album's credit, it did pick up a bit in the last quarter. They found microphones which came out this century. Rating: In terms of music, this is competent, but simple. Briefly, it's boring. There's no interest in it. But we need to take in to account that most of this feels like it has been recorded with museum piece microphones, and then mixed with a persistent buzzing noise. It pushes an experience which I would have described as "low C grade" down dangerously close to F. It's an E grade from me, aka two stars.

a few skipped songs; i don't really enjoy his voice or the keys

The album as a whole does not flow well. Most, if not all songs, are around the same tempo and generally have the same feel. It felt very samey after the first 4 songs, and I had to check if the track had changed. This may have been a defining album when it came out, but I don't see it being talked about in the next decade.

Serviceable, standard indie rock. Offensive in its inoffensiveness. Meandering and bloodless. There’s nothing new or unique here. How did it make this list?

15 versions of the same song. And to be honest, it's a good song. Well, a decent song. No, a good song. But Jesus Christ anything can get old after too long. Same tempo, same emotion, same vocal affect, same fuzz, same chords. This is a great album to put on in the background for a cool kind of event. Or behind a beer commercial. But like a pretty cool beer, at least. Fave tracks: - Everlasting Light - Howlin' for You - She's Long Gone - Black Mud - Ten Cent Pistol

Overall: 4/10 I'll never understand how The Black Keys got to be as big as they have gotten. I find this style of blues rock to be generic, bland and boring. Honestly, I don't really know anybody else who enjoys these guys either, they just kind of got forced upon all of us and now we have to hear Howlin' For You in every car commercial for the rest of eternity. Fav Song: Tighten Up

Super meh album to me because all of the songs are low-key the same. Once you've heard one, you've heard all. I listen les to the first three songs and skimmed through the rest and found myself to be bored. 2/5

nah

what an odd album. I couldn't decide if I liked it or if I found it intensely offputting, and I think the answer is both in equal measure. I ended up comparing it to a similar band I like unequivocally (The Heavy, and specifically their album The House That Dirt Built). Brothers felt like 15 tracks of the same song and I didn't react strongly to any of it. The first time I heard How You Like Me Now, I told everyone I knew they had to listen to it. I sent that Letterman performance out on every social media site I was using at the time. fuck man I FELT something. ran out and bought that CD the very next day. Every track on there felt like the band but none of it sounded the same, you know? Brothers just kind of existed. I enjoyed it well enough but my time with it begins and ends with this album review. it's a fine album. I should probably be giving it a three but comparison is here to steal joy, sorry

Not a huge fan of this genre

The Black Keys? I think The Blah Keys would be more accurate. The same old, run of the mill, bog standard, pretentious blues rock that you have heard a thousand times. Even the album cover is up its own backside. All the songs sound the same, nothing is memorable and it’s a drag to listen to. This was the first time I had ever heard this band and it will probably be the last.

Non mi ha detto niente

More less

this was fine enough but not good

boring

Lo elimine de mi galería hace poco, me gustaba cuando adolescente. Ya no.

Not for me.

If gentrification is to run its course unabated, you would find this album festering at the end of the road. I say this with the understanding that Danger Mouse had a hand in the production, whose work with Black Thought I am familiar with. His work is evident in the fact that this record is remotely listenable and inoffensive on the ears. It's unfortunate that his prowess wasn't able to do much besides polish a turd. Each song is passable, viewed individually. The arrangements are logical and easy-going, and there certainly is a white guy trying to croon over them. The problem arises when you group fifteen of these songs together, and not a single one stands out from the rest. Everything is so sterile, bland, and safe. I'm not one to be pretentious about my music; all I need is to feel something from it. The only thing I am feeling here is fear that a Ram 3500 equipped with a light rig from the pits of Hell will pull out, not in front of me, but behind me, and bear down on me with the illuminance of a million suns. Maybe he will tell me about his single digit financing, although to get that you've gotta go up on your trim level, of course. What exactly is this record supposed to do for me? If it's truck driving music, I'm picking better rock music; if I never heard this again, I would be happier for it.

Not a fan and I don’t believe this album belongs on this list.

I was initially irritated by the vocals of the first track but these switched for the next track. I was left with a kind of indie blues rock which was largely uninspiring. Not my cuppa overall.

I remember it wasnt that good and sounded bland

I like The Black Keys, I like their style and many songs of theirs I would recommend to others, so I was looking forward to dive into their discography. Unfortunately, besides a couple of songs, this album is not one of those I'd recommend. It's not that it's bad; it just feels like half of the album is missing: after "Howlin' for You" it gets forgettable, it gets repetitive, it loses the punch the first songs built up. Don't get me wrong, overall the album is not bad. It's definitely more of a background though: an enjoyable one, but still a background.

Sorry, this was pretty boring and making me want turn it off.

Fake Blues. Fake Rock. Fake Blues Rock? It's not musically awful but it sounds like an American advert / the better songs should be on a FIFA soundtrack. Fun in a pinch but not for a 15-song stretch. every song that followed the last felt so derivative of that last song

Tighten Up was on a FIFA soundtrack a decade plus ago so that was a nice nostalgia trip. Pretty bland though

smooth melodies with a lot of soul, ok for a spin or two but nothing i would long to relisten on my own.

Noisy

Not my shi

Waaayyyyy too long

First track vocal was absolutely horrendous, second track was rather lame and Im afraid that come this morning I cant really remember anything about it. Not good

It's alright. It deserves merit for coming from 2010 and not being so bad I have to turn it off - as it would seem based off other albums on here. It has a Fifa menu feel about it. It somewhat feels dated, and isn't a must listen for future generations, but there's worse out there.

Derivative, generic, boring blues rock pablum. Like Jet before them and Greta Van Fleet to come they're smack dab in the middle of the uncanny valley between homage and cover band. I listened to this on a walk and I forgot I was listening to something and completely tuned it out. Tighten Up is the one memorable track for me. Shouldn't be on the list.

2.5/5 I don't mind the black keys in small amounts, but 15 songs sort of dragged a little for me. There's no really bad songs and not any really great songs on this album. A nice middle of the road album.

Very well defined style, not what I dig the most.

So I've been hit with a string of complicated albums lately. Not challenging, exactly, but albums that are more than just the music on the page, so to speak. "Brothers" is 100% more than just what you're listening to here. It is impossible, in 2026, to hear The Black Keys and not immediately feel some deep urge to go buy a Ford truck. After years of watching sporting events that were jammed to the gills with hours of Bud Light and car commercials for the last 16 years, this sound is synonymous with selling a product. Is that ok? I mean - it severely limits my ability to hear this record and take it seriously in any artistic way. I don't believe anything this guy is saying - every line, every bass drum beat, every slinky guitar line is designed to strike a pose, of hip, white, urban guys who know enough about pre-WWII black urban music to be able to create a modern facsimile that is appealing to modern white males who buy razor blades and fitted white t-shirts. The groovy ness of some of these riffs is completely lost on me because of all the overhanging baggage. Also - I cannot believe that right now anyone needs to hear this record. It is a sound we are all painfully sick to death of. Just look at the ratings of "Brothers" over time on this website - it is just a sad downward slide. Therefore: TWO STARS

I struggled to connect with Brothers. There are individual elements which I could imagine being able to lose myself in a different setting (I quite like the vocals) but the songwriting is very boring and the further you get into the very long tracklist the more of an issue that becomes. I had to listen to it in two sittings because my wife asked if we could put something “more fun” on. Fair enough!

Black Keys reminds me of being 16 and getting lifts from my only mate who had a car, he was and still is a quiet and quite distant guy but i never saw him happier than when driving as a teenager playing the only two CDs he had in his car: this album and the one after it. It never did much for me then and still doesn’t but i’ve always understood the appeal and it’s by no means bad, high 2

Man. What a boring album. The Black Keys journey into overproduced indulgence could use a lot of trimming down and a lot more variety. It is easier to respect a dedication to minimalism if it produced something artistically brave. In their defense this might have been a fresh take on their own sound at the time, but it is now doomed to car commercial status. If all you do is midtempo pentatonic riffs you do not need 18 songs.

Херь

Harry asked me if American Idiot was the last massive rock album, and I agreed, but I forgot just how big The Black Keys were in 2011/2012. These songs were everywhere. The summer I graduated college, I drop the family plow truck everywhere. A '94 F-350 that got 7 miles to the gallon with no ac. I'd roll the windows down and listen to 104.1. Songs from this and El Camino were always on. I was stoked to revisit this one. Once, Everlasting Light kicked on, I was even more stoked. But this thing runs out of steam quick. It's too long. The entire back half is just mediocre blues tracks.

mostly inoffensive and boring. half the songs sound like they were written for licensing, though maybe that’s just cause I’ve heard these songs soundtrack commercials so many times since the album’s release. gimme Magic Potion over this any day.

I like to think that if I were Jack White, I’d be more flattered than peeved that these guys had so much success ripping off my worst music. But to be fair to Jack, these guys aren’t even wearing fedoras. Chelsea listened to The Black Keys a lot when we first got together, and I expected to recognize more than “Howlin’ for You,” but the rest is truly forgettable. 2.5

Not for me

mja een jaren 10 alt rock album. maar dat is het ook wel. beetje te zeikerig

Sounds like a Kia sorento ad

I don't like this one, feels generic. Album felt very long. Not for me.

It’s meh! Very 2010 Apple commercial music. Just not interesting to me. I can barely remember it honestly.

The most inoffensive treacly boring blues rock, as soon as a song ends I forget it. All the effects and fuzziness make it seem like it was recorded in a basement and I’m listening from the attic. His production and style gave way to the boring soft pop blues rock of the late 00’s and 2010’s Boo black keys 1.5 I do like his voice

It is average, which would suggest 3. But average in a list which is excludes other, far more interesting, albums deserves to be punished.

I just done get the hype. I’m partial to a more gritty, lo-fi garage rock sound at times but the songwriting needs to be bloody good to make up for the lack of production. This does not have it. Sloppy, amateurish drums with basic chord progressions on fuzzed out guitars that don’t really add anything interesting to the texture other than saturate the mid range and crowds everything else out.

Just a bit dull ?

Everlasting Light - 2/5 Next Girl - 1/5 Tighten Up - 4/5 Howlin' for You - 4/5 She's Long Gone - 3/5 Black Mud - 3/5 The Only One - 1/5 Too Afraid to Love You - 1/5 Ten Cent Pistol - 2/5 Sinister Kid - 2/5 The Go Getter - 3/5 I'm Not the One - 3/5 Unknown Brother - 2/5 Never Gonna Give You Up - 1/5 These Days - 1/5 Average score: 2.2/5 ⭐️⭐️ i wouldn't personally consider it bad or unlistenable, but this album definitely sounds like redundant, pedestrian blues rock made for hipsters living in gentrified neighborhoods. if you've heard one track by these guys, you've heard just about all they have to offer musically. i will gladly leave this in the 2010s where it belongs after today

Dieses Album ist ein Vibe, ein Bluesiger Hipster ass Vibe, der Vibe ist ganz cool aber mehr als Vibe gibt's nicht. Das ist Bluesrock aber ohne das was Bluesrock zu Bluesrock macht abgesehen vom Oberflächlichen Vibe. Ich habe ein Kommentar zu dem Album gesehen der es Beschreibt als ich es je könnte "This is the sonic equivalent of that wood textured paneling people would put up in their basements instead of drywall" Eigentlich ist das Album nicht so schlecht aber ich hasse alles wofür es steht

omfg i fucking hate this album i absolutely struggled through it!!! midfest galore

2,8/5

Just a bit vanilla. Kind of like a fifa sound track but not the good kind

This album was overproduced. Blues Music should have minimal production so the singer’s emotion can shine through.

The first album I heard of the Black Keys was “Attack & Release” from 2008 and already by then I wasn’t really convinced: too foreseeable melodies, too poppy, too boring. What followed didn’t ever interest me again.

Sounds like rocket league background music

I thought I'd never heard this before, turns out I have heard it in every car advert I've ever seen

I didn't love this. The "soulful-voiced white guy yelling bluesy-rock at me for an hour" genre isn't really for me. The songs were somewhere hummable and melodically interesting, but the sound really grated on my after a while. Two stars.

i never really liked the black keys for two reasons: the overplaying of lonely boy etc and the fact their signature sound just feels too samey across the songs i had heard. there was a happy place in my heart for "tighten up" bc it was on the fifa 11 soundtrack. i listened to that a lot while my brother played the ps3 and then just saved the playlist bc it was so full of fantastic indie / electric hits... but i think that nostalgia does a lot of heavy lifting. "The Only One" and "Unknown Brother" were distinct favourites. The Only sounds a lot like Jabaal by the Dur Dur Band (is it synth??idk.) The guitar riff in Unknown Brother is delicious and dirty and really reminds me of the riff in "Janitor " by Suburban Lawns. This definitely isn't, as a whole, my usual "sound," and my preexisting distaste for them has influenced my enjoyment of this album. Unfortunately, I think the things I loved most about the three songs mentioned was that they didn't sound like the black keys as they've always existed in my mind. Usually when I've up a few songs to a band I've previously find difficult to enjoy I enjoy they become a gateway into tuning into a bands particular "sound" but I get the feeling this wont be the case here (and I just don't feel curious, or interested, enough about the rest of their music to prove myself wrong.) Liking songs in spite of an artists sound isn't the greatest praise, but I will say I do appreciate the black keys more (or at least this album) than I did before. It's a lot more varied/complex than I ever gave them credit for, I would probably spin those three tracks on my own accord but I don't think I'd listen to the album again without hearing something from them that truly surprised me. 6/10

a very interesting genre of music! second half of the album made up for the first… it was okay.

Had enough of this stomp clap crap after 2 songs. This is just all the same song it did not have to be an hour.

meczacy rock, nope

Stale, dull, unoriginal. Marginally better than some of their other dross due to competent production and a touch more sonic variety but fundamentally it's music for boring dads.

not for me. reminded me someone i would hate

Not terrible. But not my jam either. 8/21 61.72%

saying this is car commercial music is a cliche but it really is car commercial music.

I am 10 years too old to enjoy this. When this came out I was beginning my real crotchety old man phase (at the ripe age of mid/late 20's) with respect to popular music. Anything that sounds like this just reminds me of handlebar mustache, whiskey out of a mason jar, suspenders wearing barn music . It smacks of try hard white people soul with little to no instrumental talent. The corrugated steel hut double tracked voice doesn't help either. It's not quite the "clap clap HEY" genre which is so much worse but it approaches it. Music for advertising mid size sub-luxury SUV's and male hygiene products. I hate this kind of music, but I realize that I am the exact opposite audience for it. I guess it's a unique sound, even if I dislike it.

It didn't feel very genuine to me like they're putting on a persona.

It was OK enough but by the fourth song I started getting tired of hearing more white boys cosplaying the blues. Oh, I'm sure these two mean well & have a real love for Howlin' Wolf or whoever but for my money it all sounded too cutesy and at times unauthentic. Some white boys can play the blues. Someone like Johnny Winter can play the blues damn near as good as any black man ever could and better than many well regarded black blues men, but The Black Keys are not even on the same ocean much less boat as Johnny Winter. Brothers is a pretty inoffensive album, it makes fine background music, I bet they sound great after a few beers but with so much great blues out there I have no idea why anyone would bother with Brothers.

Boring. It's loud and fuzzy, generic airy vocals, but feels too well mastered and controlled. let it loose a little and perhaps a better time would be had.

Blues-adjacent radio rock that was easier enough on the ears, but didn't stir anything inside me for the most part. They sound like a lot of bands I like. Being a two piece rock band who are influenced by blues music, the White Stripes are an easy comparison to make. They do not have the energy and passion that you can find on those albums. I can't imagine these guys geeking out over long-dead forgotten musicians like Jack White does. I can also hear some Queens Of The Age too, but lacking the swagger. The big single here is 'Howlin For You' and it is a decent stomper with a chorus you chant along with. I was disappointed to find out that 'Never Going To Give You Up' was not a Rick Astley cover, but instead a cover of an old soul song. These guys do soul pretty well, more so than the blues-driven sound that dominates the album. I never checked these guys when they were in their prime, but it doesn't appear that I missed out on a lot here.

I didn’t think I knew The Black Keys but I do…. Middle of the road….

Feels repetitive

Decent album. But gives Coloniser Blues. Not giving much and can see through the inauthenticity. Also sounded very White Stripes. Some good records in there - highlight “Next Girl” but didn’t feel much else. Would’ve given a 2.5/5

It sounds like a good uneventful album : nice voice, good music but nothing that makes me think "wow I needed to ear that before I die". Favorite Songs: Next Girl

boring

This was a bit of a comedown after the highs of 69 love songs. I can see that this waa definitely something i once loved and i enjoyed too afraid to love and probs some other songs as well but generally not my preferred genre or style of vocals.

The Black Keys are okay. They’re fine and they’re inoffensive and okay. I wish that they were more but they’re not and that’s okay. Guess it would suck to be have to say ‘we’re a two-piece, blues-garage band from America who became popular in the 00s and have a three-word, colour themed name’ and only be the second best band to meet that criteria.

favs: tighten up howlin’ for you the only one ten cent pistol im not the one rating 1.6/5

favs: she’s long gone, the only one, too afraid to love you, unknown brother, never gonna give you up

Not my favorite sound on an indie rock band, and I definitely don't really like some of the bands who have copied this sound later on. Even though it's a bit pretentious, I feel like this album sounds a bit too commercial for me to really enjoy this vibe. I do like how they were able to combine these sounds into a somewhat cohesive record, though. Favorites: Too Afraid to Love You, Ten Cent Pistol, The Go Getter

Hard to mess up blues rock, and the The Black Keys don't exactly do that, but they do make it boring. It's music made for boomers who think it's rare for bands that make "real music" to still exist. I just need something more from these guys, something they have been unwilling to provide now 14 albums into their career. And so, for now, I must write them off as not for me.

Listenable but, come in, there is really nothing memorable here. It's also way too long. I haven't reached 8% of this project yet, but it has already made me understand why I don't like American music (with the obvious exceptions): it's because American music sucks (with the obvious exceptions).

I have a list of complaints that I'm sure a lot of professional critics and others have shared: - A lot of effort goes into making this sound like there's no effort put into it. - More bass, please - Mom: We have The White Stripes at home! - I love guitar effects, but COME ON - Why wouldn't I just listen to the source material? (i.e., Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, etc.) It's an okay album to throw on for a long road trip, when you're tired of all your other favorites. The music just has an insincerity to it. They do a bang-up job of copying Soul and R & B as a style, but it's all academic. You have to actually HAVE soul, you have to actually feel the music.

The list, understandably, struggles with picks from 2010-onward. It’s challenging to know what’s going to be influential or important without the goggles of time. Unfortunately, I find myself disagreeing with the list’s choices for recent alternative rock albums. I find this album by the Black Keys to be okay, but boring, predictable, and with hindsight, an embarrassing stereotype of early 2010s music. The tambourine on 2 & 4 is reminiscent of the nascent “Stomp Clap” era that dominated that decade. When better artists from this time are not on the list—Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, Paramore—I feel bummed to get something like Brothers.

Barring a couple of tracks pretty disappointing

Music for a Lowe's commercial. Very dated and thoroughly uninteresting

It sounds great but compositionally it feels like just a worse White Stripes - a band I'm already not very big on

Album from indie rock albums generator. Way too many songs. I would rate it 3 but i was bored at the end of it.

ehh not my style

Not bad but definitely not an album you have to listen to before you die.

very generic, very any cool band in a movie cocky singer, nothing special

Jotenkin raskasta kuunneltavaa, äänimaailma ei miellytä korvaa.

Ohan tää ihan omaperänen tällaseks "moderniksi" tavaraksi. Sikäli myös posia, että kahella PEKALLA mennään ja väsäillään. Pitkää levyä kuunnella ongelmaksi kuitenkin muodostuu puuroutumiset. Näillol se kovakin hitti sitten joltain vähän myöhemmältä levyltä. Aikanaan yritin näitä julkasuja kuunnella, mutta ei koskaan lähtenyt ihan kunnolla. Sanotaan SIIS, että en paheksu tai vieroksu, mutta tsemppi ei riitä. Kakkosen vilautteluks menee.

Bändi oli entuudestaan tuttu omasta hyllystäkin löytyvän El Caminon myötä. Siinä on yksi bängeri, niinkun nuorisolaiset sanoisivat, mutta muuten ei ole herättänyt minkäänlaista himoa tutustua enempi bändiin. Enkä nyt tämän kuunneltuani ole varsinaisesti ollut väärässä. Ei sinällään mitään vikaa, mutta ei mitään erikoistakaan. Todella hajuton ja mauton levy josta ei jäänyt mitään mieleen.

Muddy. But without the waters.

turns out i wasnt missing out on much. millennial machismo

I really like the cover. It's unique. The music, though, is kind of generic and very advertisement-core.

A couple of decent tracks but I felt this was quite repetitive and didn't grab me in any way.

Favorite track(s): the desire to save good ol' rock-n-roll has crossed the Pond. The results are musically the same but lyrically worse.

Was sorta disappointed by this one. A little boring.

Fine sounds but the album was way too long to keep me personally interested. I do enjoy the "Da Da"s in 'Howling For You' though.

I think this is a case where objectively it’s pretty good, I just didn’t connect with it.

It’s been about seven years since I heard this album in full, and I think I needed to hear it again to break the myth I created around it in my head. I like the Black Keys. I like their old stuff (Thickfreakness and Chulaholma are amazing). I like Delta Kream. To me, Brothers is where the duo lost their steam and what originally made them unique. Dan Auerbach’s voice is the weakest it has ever been on this record. A lot of the songs sound the same. I cannot understand why this was chosen over other Keys albums.

Doesn't do anything for me.

Sounds great, maybe too great? Mostly vibes. I had heard so many of the songs so many times before without knowing where I had heard them. The sound itself seems so indicative of an entire genre/era of the “indie rock” that I cut my teeth on, but this struck me as particularly devoid of soul, self, perspective,

didn't really care for it I thought tighten up was good and howlin for you were alright if not a little basic but otherwise it just kinda sounded like the exact same noise at different rhythms. Kinda coworker music ish really basic rock without direction

Could be the most overrated band of all time. Just find em really dull and repetitive.

2.3

Sounded oddly familiar, unsure where.

Bang average. Like White Denim without the charm. Shouldn't be anywhere near this list.

This is a review for the album Brothers by the Black Keys. This was the longest car commercial I have ever listened to. It is generic and unimaginative. While the production is nice, the songs themselves are uninspired. At times it sounds less like a cohesive album and more like a catalogue of songs created for ad agencies to choose from. If you have listened to one song from the album, you have pretty much listened to everything. Choosing a favorite song from this album is both hard and easy. Hard, because nothing really stands out. Easy, because the songs blur together to the point where it hardly matters. I'll randomly pick "I'm Not The One" and call it a day.

Listening session: february 19th, while commuting from and to internship Listened to before: no Thoughts: I only know the Black Keys because of Little Black Submarines, so I had high expectations. Unfortunately I found this whole album quite bland so halfway through I was counting down the tracks to the end of the album Favourite tracks: Black Mud & Never Gonna Give You Up

Sounds like blues rock made in a lab. You probably heard these songs in video games and commercials in the 2010s.

Idk not really my thing, it’s not bad but just sounds like something I’d hear in a commercial for some new chicken wing shop whilst the lady explains the new sauces

I feel like the hype when this and El Camino came out had to be from people who have very little knowledge of existing blues artists. A few of the songs are enjoyable, but some are downright annoying (example, Howlin’ for You). They take so much inspiration from John Lee Hooker, R.L. Burnside, and other classic blues artists that it’s hard to credit them with bringing anything new to the table. The Black Keys get compared to the White Stripes a lot, and you could credibly call both bands blues rip-offs, but of the two, I think the Black Keys display much less originality.

This sounds like a diluted version of that horrid rock / rap crossover. Not that there's any rap on it, but you get the point. It's Lenny Kravitz outtakes, with all the original soul and energy sucked out with a clinical production style.

ne

Mid

I have found the Black Keys to be disappointing. I don’t really mind their band. I imagine seeing them live in a small venue would be entertaining enough. That being said they’re good enough to open for someone else, not headline arenas. They come across as a rich man’s garage band, which nobody asked for. I’m probably being unfair but I’m rounding this one down.

When an album has this many songs they either all need to be decent or it needs some monster hits, this hit neither of those criteria

Kind of boring, kind of derivative, its fine I guess? I can understand why someone would like this, its just that that someone is not me. 2.5/5

kinda bland

I didn't think I had heard them much before. After listening I can't say much other than OK. It's not bad, it's not great, it's just kinda there. It's music you play at a party as folks show up because it's just so there. No one will actively complain, people will just be catching up and bullshiting and then realize they need better music. I can't say I will put it on just to listen to, but if you tell me this is your favorite album I will assume you think pepper is spicy.

Heard

I'm officially down to my last week of this project, and The Black Keys' Brothers represents a few other lasts for me: My last album of 2010 My last album of the 2010's My last album that I listened to prior to starting this project I haven't listened to The Black Keys in a long time, but I used to listen to them quite a bit. In the late aughts, I got heavily into the indie scene, and even though I had never listened to these guys before, I scooped up this album when it was released in May of 2010. I really liked this when I first heard it, and I started getting copies of the band's earlier albums (I own seven of their LPs and one EP, so that might make them the most represented artist in my music collection). I kinda soured on them a bit after El Camino, and I think part of that was just that I had been overexposed to their music. I have no idea how I'm going to feel about this album today, but I'm excited to fire this up, because to me, it represents a really fun period in my life. Unfortunately, it seems like good memories of listening to this album will be all that I have, because I really didn’t care for Brothers when I listened to it today. To me, Brothers sounded like an album without any soul, crafted with a handful of singles that would appeal to a mass audience and fit nicely on FM alternative rock stations. On other Black Keys albums, their less is more way of doing things works really nicely, but on Brothers, I felt like I wanted more when it came to the music. The singles on this album are still pretty fun; hearing that intro to “Everlasting Light” really takes me back to my twenties, and that fuzzed out guitar and simple drum pattern are still pretty fun. But “Next Girl” feels like it tries to do the same thing. “Tighten Up” is pretty fun, and the bridge is particularly fantastic. Before today, I’d never noticed the keyboard playing on this song, and I liked it quite a bit. As for the rest of the album, “Ten Cent Pistol” and “Sinister Kid” are pretty good, and they both showcase that The Black Keys can craft a good sound that’s stripped down and slower. Other than those few songs though, Brothers feels like a lot of filler. Less really would have been more on Brothers when it comes to its run time. I was hoping that this album would scratch a nostalgic itch for me today, but Brothers just doesn’t hit the same today as it did in 2010.

4.5/10 - This feels like an album for the radio. You have two songs that standout, but everything sounds the same. I feel like I started and ended in the same place; like driving around a cul de sac for an hour.

Fun, groovy rock music... Bluesy but not blues. I enjoyed some of the songs, especially Ten Cent Pistol and the singles. The sound profile is a little thin for my liking. It gives a blues tone a unique pop rock wash, and I appreciate the catchiness of it all... But I don't know why it made the list, to be honest, as it pales in comparison to most of the other albums I'm seeing here. I'd have preferred an actual blues album today. 4/10

ass

Boredom, be a lady tonight. This music is fine. That's really it. This breaks no new ground. In fact, it just sort of shuffles some dirt around next to the grave of Muddy Waters. There is reverence, there is tribute, but this just feels kind of disingenuous to me. I even had to take some time away from this one and return refreshed and ready for more melancholic white boy blues paraplegia (OR para"plagia." y'know, like plagiarism??). Yes, I have been rendered invalid by the stagnant boredom and the general truck commercialism that this music has unfortunately fallen victim to. Maybe if I wasn't alive at the time? I don't know. These guys are aping a decent sound, but the aping itself rubs me the wrong way. Also? Way too long for what it is. I'm sure this would be a very cool live show, but 55 minutes of college kids doing millennial blues worship? RIGHT DOWN TO THE RICK ROLL. Errrrrm Cheque Please?!?! 2-2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: 518 million plays??

- Played a concert in Israel in 2023, but I see nothing from them about the genoicde... I have to assume they're Zionists. And they also did that pro crypto show, lol. I used to listen to them & I think I saw them live at some point, but I guess that will stay in the past. - This album is where I got off the Black Keys train. It has a few good tracks, but it was mostly filler and felt super long. - Unfortunately, the joy and grit of the previous albums doesn't seem to be there - this one feels more plodding and one-note.. - Also, the lyrics feel either really inauthentic or sexist...

Retro appeal of this mellow album fails to carry throughout its length due to lack of musical ideas and songwriting

Eh. The sound profile is the only gimmick and it grows stale real fast

A bit samey

Liked this album quite a bit when I was a teenager but man does this feel dated now, which is wild since the whole premise of this album was to sound instantly timeless. Weird pick to have on this list when albums like Cosmogramma, Have One On Me, The ArchAndroid and Teen Dream came out the same year. I think the singles are still probably 'good' but I can't stand them after the overplay they had

This was a repeat from my other group, I didn't bother listening again because frankly I did not enjoy it the first time around. Record is way too long and mostly unremarkable for me

My least favorite genre of music but at least I was able to fall asleep to it.

Boring

Really middling for me. Lots of boring 2010s rock sound. Some of it was ok but I tired of it rather quickly.

*2010. *Tighten Up, Next Girl, and Howlin for You are all on this album. *I don't know what it is, but I can't get into these guys. Saw them live a few years after this album came out, and that didn't help. RATING - 6/10

meh

I wore this out back in the day, but feel unmoved now. It’s very same-y. And reinforces my challenge in listening to albums. So much sounds the same and I get bored.

mid, the first song was the best one

Going back and forth between a rating of two or three. Parts I really enjoyed and parts I didn’t. But it did get better. 2.5

Fine?

It all sounds exactly the same