Brothers

This album is all about texture and tone. It is also an album of contradictions, with brash distorted vocals and guitars but also subtle details. I would imagine it is a grower with repeated listens. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: These Days Date listened: 15/05/23

At the top of their game

sans grandes surprises, s'écoute très bien !

I've had this album on my phone for awhile and have listened to it many times. I fucking LOVE this album. There's not a single song I'd remove; they're all great. This is probably the only band that can do the blues in a way that I actually like.

Mid af

Interesting choice with this, not my favorite album by them but I'll give it another shot

Not their best, not their worst

this is a rip off white stripes band. i'll admit that i do enjoy their song 'Lonely boy' from the El Camino album, but did they ever make another significant song like that again? in this album, they didn't. 'Howlin for you' was quite decent, and the only standout track. 'The only ones' was tolerable. The rest of the album was dull and forgettable. This is the definitive safe and boring sound. I'd rather listen to something excessively shit, than this crappy mediocrity.

Good album. Very lounge rocky. I like the lyrics, but find the overall laid backness of all the tracks detracts from the album as a whole. That being said, solid 4.

так и не могу их слушать. может если бы они сняли фильтр с вокала и пели нормально в микрофон...

They’re not really my thing but I do get why people like them. I do very much like the song Howlin’ For You, so that it was on this album made me think, oh maybe I’ll like this album as much as that song, but alas, just not my thing. Still giving it 4 stars though because I feel like they deserve it. 😂

It was decent, just overall good vibes and nothing too bad about it at all. Kinda same-ey at time but not much

Next Girl, Tighten Up, Howlin’ For You, Black Mud, Too Afraid to Love You and I’m Not the One. Not bad. Sounds like a band trying to be The White Stripes. Last couple songs are eh. 7/10

weak 3 tighten up, black mud

On paper, I should like this album a lot. But I mostly found it unmemorable. It's well done and there's nothing really wrong with it, but if I want to listen to blues, it won't be these guys. Fave Songs: The Only One, Tighten Up, Howlin' for You, She's Long Gone, Ten Cent Pistol

new rock and roll terrible track three has whistling terrible what is this noah and the whale horrible frankly also "killed a guy in the first degree"? you nerds dont think about killing people? horrible. ah i see now from the lyrics to 'im not the one' you guys are actually solid w o w x ai uses arctic monkeys production to make the most boring cliched soulless drag ever this record made me feel hungry and tired (but then this happens a lot)

And i thought AM was as arctic monkeys at a karaoke as you could get 😃 astonishingly bland Interesting things that happened while listening to this album: getting chased down by a dog for being a skater which was a pleasant reprise for my soul

I could have done coke with the black keys once at a festival. My sister knew one of the organizers and opted not to go hang out with him that day. Afterward he told her of his experience with the black keys backstage. What could have been. That said, I've never been a big fan. 3/5

This is more like it. I knew some of the songs before listening to the whole album, and it's a great listen overall.

This album is technically good but I don't think this brand of folksy blues rock is for me. I don't think it helps that the lead singer sounds like imagine dragons. Production sounds great but it feels slow and I didn't really love more than 3 or so songs. That being said it is a good album, I just don't like it as much as others do. Score: 70 Art: 70

I wish I could say I was a big fan, but I don't love this. The music is authentic, and they sound good, but I find it just okay. It's probably deserving of a higher score, but I'm not feeling it.

Er staan goede nummers op maar het pakt niet heel de tijd; zanger heeft wel een coole stem

Wow echt een mooi album. Ik moet ze eens wat meer beluisteren!

Good not great. 6/10

I was surprised to see The Black Keys in 1001. I mean, they are cool, but just random guys from my university playlist. Anyway, the album is easy and nice.

A great blend of rock and blues, and the lead singer's voice adds so much to each and every song

Great record this. Recognised quite a few songs off it despite never listening to this before. I remember them being the leaders of that whole garage rock / blues revolution, but I managed to listen to most of the others without the top dogs. Big fan of that whole bassy, echoey sound, and the subtle added instruments take it beyond most garage rock without detracting. Only downside for me is it is quite long, but I’ll definitely return. For years, ‘Tighten Up’ would get stuck in my head but I never knew who it was, so I’m pleased that mystery is solved.

Always found black keys to be middle of the road and this album is no exception. It's nice background blues, never particularly annoying but nothing that stands out. The 1 hour run time didn't drag for me which probably means it's slightly better than average.

Far too dramatic. It all sounds like it comes from adverts, no cohesion. Just not for me.

Thought this was a fantastic album, so much so that I listened to it twice. Had not heard much from these guys before but I will definitely be listening to more of their stuff. I liked their cool blues rock sound and felt it was a consistent album with hardly any shite songs. Highlights: Everlasting Light Tighten Up Howlin' For You

I quite like what I've heard of the black keys in the past. This was quite good too and sounds really well produced.....I can't put my finger on why, but just felt something was missing. As other reviews have said, a lot of songs make me think of car adverts... 3.5 if I could.

another mega nostalgic one. feels like 8th grade. i think 10 cent pistol might be the best song on this album this band is just so good and I love that it's just the two of them. Dan's voice is perfect for blues

Don't get me wrong, I like the Black Keys. They have some killer singles but I just don't know that they have a single album that holds together as a "great" piece of work. It all ends up being kind of derivative and overlong in the end. I feel like sometime 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. Overall, yeah it's got some pretty good stuff, but would I tell someone they HAVE TO HEAR THIS IMPORTANT PIECE OF WORK? absolutely not. Its a specific genre and vibe, and The Black Keys do it well, but I think others have done it better.

Yeah so this type of pretentious indie rock shit is what I would've maybe been into in high school, but now that I'm older I think this music is so so boring and overdone. Besides maybe a riff here and there that's kind of catchy/interesting, the vast majority of this album felt like a waste of my time.

I love the Black Keys sound, bluesy rock twinged in Americana. This record is one of the earlier ones and is quite raw, and perhaps they have not truly found their groove at this point. Still, a decent listen.

This is the album that introduced me to The Black Keys and it's probably their best (that I've heard, anyway). Authentic sounding blues rock with soulful tendencies. The first four tracks are excellent, and the more chilled final three are nice too. The middle of the album is inconsistent, and there are times when I wonder if it's all a bit... average? But nah, overall this record is solid - not outstanding, but with some stand-out moments. Much like The Black Keys in general. 3.5

It's like the White Stripes but slightly worse.

The first album that I've listened to in entirety before this project! I still like it, but not as much as I remember.

Entertaining enough

down and dirty blues based garage rock with a retro sound. great use of distortion in vocals and guitars. highlights include: “tighten up”, “she’s long gone”, and “sinister kid”. solid album, top to bottom.

This one was pretty good. Had some bangers.

I really, really like this album. It’s weird, because the Black Keys are a band that I like when I hear them but I don’t go searching for them. This is the first time I sat down with one of their albums and it was just chock full of great songs. I probably would’ve cut a few off towards the end (but the last two or three songs were excellent) as it got a little long but there wasn’t any BAD songs. I’m debating on a 4 here as I can’t go 5 but I feel it’s silly to mark it down as a 3. But I also know I’m not going to go listen to all of their other albums like if I was really, really blown away but I know that they’re probably also great listens. Torn. Fuck it.

This may or may not be true history, but it cuts to the heart of the album in review: The Black Keys heard the White Stripes update to the blues rock formula and started a band. What they lack in originality (to be docked from the final rating) they make up for in execution. The name of this album is Brothers. The rating is four stars minus one.

Punk-influenced blues rock is the best kind of blues rock.

Derivative of Jimi Hendrix

Wow can't believe it's just two dudes

Who knew blues rock could get even more boring.

I appreciate this album but it’s middle of the road in my book

This album reminds me of when I moved to LA. I do think since then the Black Keys have become a bit overrated but this was def the record that got them on the road to that... in a good way haha! 3.5 but rounding down...

A handful of decent songs, but feels like the definition of generic rock.

Meh

Full of hits. Even the non-hit tracks were good. This album sees the band move on from their stripped-back blues sound to a more polished indie-influenced sound. It obviously worked out well for them.

Ugh, half of the songs are pretty much about their "baby girl", which I wouldn't mind if this was done more interestingly. Not bad, just meh. Would be a 3 if it weren't too long for what it is. 2/5

Overall a very consistent album, not something I would usually check out but after hearing the first couple of songs and recognising the classic that is ‘Howlin” for you’ I did begin to enjoy it, not sure how often I’ll return to it but it was a nice first listen

pretty front loaded but I still like the music

FIVE FUCKING STARS GREAT WORK GUYS

Not bad. Not outstanding either. Hard mid.

Godt album!

It's solid modern rock

I really enjoyed this. Bought a second-hand CD of it.

Listened Before? N Man, 1001 on a ROLL lately. This one was unfamiliar as well, but I enjoyed it a lot. Enough to add it to my collection, so good job! Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: I'm Not the One

Well, this was revelatory to me. I thought I’d heard of the band. I thought I knew a couple of tracks. And I think I recognised that a couple of songs have been used for adverts. But on the whole, this was completely new to me. Sometimes when this list has offered me up something that I have very little or no previous knowledge of, it has turned out to be stupefyingly mediocre or something that I never want to listen to again. However, this to me felt like a timeless classic. If you’d asked me to pinpoint an era, I would never have gone with 2010. It feels earlier. Or somehow out of time. But my instinct has been to have the album on hand to play, whenever I could today. I think I’m on my third listen and it’s just getting better. I absolutely love Sinister Kid and Howlin for You and Too Afraid to Love You and Tighten Up. This has been a great new find. I’m just trying to wonder what happened in 2010 for me to miss this?

I can’t figure out why I don’t like The Black Keys but I don’t. Even as I listened to this album and enjoyed it I still don’t like them. I think Jack White may have something to do with my opinion of them but I’m not sure what. These are two things I was thinking of while listening to this album: 1: There was an episode of the show Friends where Phoebe was mad at Ross. She couldn’t say why and after a while figured out it was because of something he did in a dream. 2: I dated a guy once who was perfect on paper but there was just no chemistry.

No doubt, these guys are pretty cool. I really liked the opener, and then subsequently tired of the limited soundscape and less-than-expansive lyrical content — there was a banger line in most every song, but not much more. By the end of the hour's worth of material, I was sufficiently over-served. So ... pretty cool, but I need a little more gong on musically and from a songwriting perspective to make this more than a middle-of-the-road rating.

This was a nice surprise. I didn't care for it when this album came out, but today I was totally digging it. It could probably use a little trimming, but all in all I like their sound and the guy's voice—even though it's limited in range. Good production, too.

The 2010's ushered a new era for rock bands. Aside from the radio-friendly post-grunge shlock, there was a desire to revisit garage rock and post-punk with brand new production techniques and music technology. Additionally, there was a rise in two-member bands that had the full body sound of a larger band. The White Stripes, Death From Above 1979, and even Lightening Bolt had developed unique and incredible sounds as simple duos. The Black Keys were also one of those bands, though their sound is much less interesting. Opting instead for a blues rock sound with modern production, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are content with writing mostly safe, uninteresting songs. At one point I liked the Black Keys a fair bit, probably because they were one of the few honest-to-god rock bands in the 21st century. Turns out there are better rock bands out there writing better songs and putting out tighter albums. Just gotta look a bit harder.

Great

Wow! I’m not unfamiliar with The Black Keys, but only on an ‘I heard them on the radio’ level. This is very, very nice.

The last song was nice by virtue of its variety.

Big fan. Love the keys, was into their earlier first 3 albums or so more. They became pretty polished and filtered on brothers. Losing some of that blues feel I grew to love. Brothers kicks ass though. Listened to it rona. Next girl. Everlasting light. All and all a very solid keys album. Dan and Pat rock.

Pretty good. Blues-y. A pretty long album.

Generic rock album with 2-3 bangers but a lot of filler. I would almost describe this as "lounge" rock - I imagine it being played in some underground swanky rock club filled with cigarette smoke. Not the biggest fan of the vocals outside of the hit songs, and same with the drums. The best sound on the album is the overdriven guitars and fuzzy bass. Still, the Black Keys are definitely talented at what they do, and I enjoyed the listen overall.

Spotify only had the first disk. I know I should love this bluesy rock band, but I just haven't been able to find love for it yet. It is a down and dirty sound that reminds me of a late night bar in New Orleans somewhere near the river. There's something rough and raw about the sound and I know, that's the appeal. To me, it's just not smooth enough. Why do I want Jack Daniels when I can have Pappy van Winkle? Too legit for me!

Great album, but the best thing to come outta the Black Keys is this... "Jack White. A 40-year-old bully tried to fight the 35-year-old nerd. It might get loud, but it might also get really really sad and pathetic. Jack white is basically billy corgan’s dumb ass zero t-shirt in human form.”

"Brothers" is the only Black Keys album on the list. This is a travesty. The Black Keys might be the best rock group of the 21st century. "Brothers" isn't even their best work. The 1001 also seemingly has a penchant for adding new music only to remove it in a future edition. I bring this up because there are no Black Keys albums on the removed list. There are, however, three Kings of Leon albums on the removed list. And none remaining in the book. Look, I like Kings of Leon. But The Black Keys are better. It's not even close. Robert Dimery must have had a big thing for KoL in the 00s that he has since recovered from and regrets? (As an aside, why are all the albums removed from the list from the 2000s? Why doesn't Dimery ever remove older albums from the list? I could suggest plenty of candidates. Meanwhile some really good 2000s stuff has been removed.) Past griping about the list, The Black Keys two-man modern blues rock is just incredible. "Brothers" was their breakout after a decade of quietly making great albums, but I would place others above it. My favorite is "El Camino," followed by "Rubber Factory" and "Turn Blue." Each provides a slightly different spin on the blues rock format, but each just bops along from start to finish without a weak track. These guys are brilliant.

This is a five star album through 9 or 10 tracks. I love the distorted, bluesy sound for both guitars and vocals. The album is at its peak when, as I listened the second time, the volume was unexpectedly way too high and smashed me in face. It get good in my bones. The last 4 or 5 tracks are fine, but feel like a significant drop off.

Great album. Was my intro to Black Keys and am enjoying my repeated listening.

Older stuff is def better but this is pretty solid.

Excellent guitar riffs, true rock vibes, and overall songs were energized and exciting.

Really great album

אלבום נהדר. מוזר שיש ללהקה הזאת יותר מ7 מליון מאזינים חודשיים בספוטיפיי ומעולם לא שמעתי עליה. דן אורבך ללא ספק מוכשר מאוד ואני הולך להישאר עם הלקה הזאת לעוד הרבה זמן לדעתי.

I like the slow moving nature of the songs in this album. I also like the way these songs are played they just have an easiness to them overall I'd give it a 10/10

Está bastante bueno. Muy Alabama Shakes.

m gusto mucho además de haberme traído cierta nostalgia del 2010

nostalgia pura por este disco

This was a great album. Nice beats

Vau, nice, tikrai above average mano skoniui

Pleasant listening but did not appear to be particularly inventive. Comes off as a blend between the Beatles and Raconteurs/White Stripes. Top songs: None

Preferred El Camino

Non male, ma nemmeno troppo memorabile.

This album slaps. Every song is a bop.

Everlasting Light - first listen: 1.4/3 Next Girl - fl: 1.2/3 Tighten Up - fl: 1.5/3 Howlin' for You - fl: 1.4/3 [BEST.] She's Long Gone - fl: 1.6/3 Black Mud - fl: 1.4/3 The Only One - fl: 1.3/3 Too Afraid to Love You - fl: 1.4/3 Ten Cent Pistol - fl: 1.5/3 Sinister Kid - fl: 1.4/3 The Go Getter - fl: 1.2/3 I'm Not the One - fl: 1.4/3 Unknown Brother - fl: 1.4/3 Never Gonna Give You Up - fl: 1.7/3 These Days - fl: 1.5/3 Final Verdict: 2 Good Songs, the rest are not my cup of tea. Overall underwhelming album

Great album, good stuff - 4 stars

Amazing modern rock and blues album.

Album classique de mes 16ans mais moins bien que el camino

PREFS : Everlasting Love, Tighten Up, Sinister Kid, Unknown Brother MOINS PREF : Next Girl

De tycker nog att de rockar, men de tycker fel.

Man, everybody in high school was always telling everybody to listen to the black keys. I liked this, but I do feel like it leans heavily on that specific, somewhat distorted sound. Many songs are similar. These Days was my favorite, although I was kind of hoping it would be a cover of the Jackson Browne song.

cool style, definitely a very strong vibe. howlin for you probably my fave.

Foda pacarai

Almost a classic though I still think it's a touch too long.

They're not what they were - but they're still OK

I mean, where do you even start with this one? It's just freaking great. It feels so familiar even while feeling fresh and new. The guitar tones, the vocal performances, the lyrics... all just so good. And don't even get me started on how fantastic the mixing is. The choices here are all made in the service of vibe and tone while ego takes a backseat and I'm so, 100% here for it. Just phenomenal.

Very good performance of twee musi ians!

great album, 4.

Didn't expect to enjoy this album this much.

I like the Black Keys even though I can't name any of their music. I've seen them perform on TV, and occasionly heard their music through YouTube. Only one track on this album was familiar to me. I forget how bluesy their music can be. I might come back for a second round. "Tighten Up" and "Everlasting Light" were my favorite tracks.

Really brought me back, lots of nostalgia here 4.4.

This is a really tight album

Highlight tracks: Never Gonna Give You Up, These Days Very Arctic Monkeys sounding Chill rock vibes Some cool alternative guitar work Good album for the genre, a little bland/ generic within it 3/5

Black Keys are generally pretty fun, kinda wear down over the course of a whole album. 2010's kind of the tail end for this sort of sound being fashionable, the bass is mixed more heavily, we're not quite to the point historically of dubstep being shoved in everyone's faces for half a decade, but it's hard not to think about that coming as this starts to die off

I think the most astounding this is album his how many songs got airplay. It's not quite my vibe, but I cannot deny the mastery.

Pleasantly surprised. Enjoyable to listen to. Not blown away by it.

Safe and boring

I usually love guitar drums two pieces, they more often than not come up with something wild and relentlessly interesting. This is not the case with the Black Keys. I really want them to be good, I really do because theres so much potential there. But what they do isn't clever or fun or even particularly interesting and thats never been more evident than on Brothers. This is an hour or so of blues for people who don't like blues and fuzz laden riffing for people who don't like fuzz. Its the John spencer Blues Explosion for people who are afraid of wild chaotic experimentation. Its Death from Above 1979 for people who are afraid of rock music. Its the White Stripes for people who don't care about authenticity. I can forgive a mediocre album, I find it harder to forgive acts who are deliberatley middle of the road when they have so much potential. I'm going to put on the John Spencer Blues Explosion's Now I got Worry, its what I wish this was.

Such a great album

Unique sound and enjoyable listen

Really, don't get me wrong. I like this album. I remember when it came out I adored the delicious American blues rock, delivered energetically and contagiously. Especially a song like Howlin' For You got me nodding my head to the music and this album came out at a time when the raw and energetic seemed to be disappearing from rock and indie music - where quite a few bands turned to Synthpop around that time. This was, for that moment, a breath of fresh air, even if the music of course lends heavily from the blues from halfway of the 20th century combined with the T*Rex sounds of the 70's. But now listening back, unfortunately, there are no truly memorable tracks besides the one previously named and there is not enough variation within the song material to keep the album captivating for the full length. After about 10 songs it slowly falls down. Was it a case of style over substance? In 2010 this was my 4* album. Now it's a 3*

10/10 opening track, but more uneven than I remembered.

Good

Very nice blues rock. The first half of the album is better imo

Indie rocke blues actual.

A solid effort by the BKs, but otherwise outdone by Camino.

Some great songs but more duds than I remember

Este disco me aburre un poco. Creo que con 10 canciones sería mucho mejor.

Bit on the long side, but hard to complain when it's all this fresh, innovative and gleefully hedonistic. A great record.

I know I'm beating a dead horse at this point, but holy cow does The Black Keys owe a tonne to Jack White. Their sound is incredibly similar, but much safer than both White's solo output and his time in various groups. And much like most of White's output, I grow tired of listening to a full length album. Especially one as long as Brothers. The lyrics are vapid. It's garage rock that isn't gritty enough, and it's blues rock without heart. It's music designed for commercials. But it's not unlistenable. I just don't see the point in any of it. I like 'Howling For You' though.

Brothers shares some of the same problems I found with The White Stripes’ Elephant. It’s too long and I find myself losing interest in the similarity of the bluesy garage rock. There are undoubtedly some great tunes on this, the streak of “Ten Cent Pistol”, “Sinister Kid” and “The Go Getter” for example, and Auerbach’s vocal and guitar playing is really good - I just need more variation. It gets a bit too monotonous and the songs almost blend together after a while. Brothers is in no way a bad album. It just doesn’t live up to the hype.

74 / 1069 Never listened to this all the way through as I assumed it’d be a boring run through, I was right. Don’t bother, Tighten Up is worth a listen though if you have somehow not heard it.

A very nice album of Black Keys music by the Black Keys

Love me some Rust Belt Rock. I associate this with college a lot. This album is so full of bangers! If I'm being really critical then I'd say this drags a bit near the end. But also I got Scum by Napalm Death this week so Black Keys is an easy 5 by comparison.

Nopes

I don’t hate this thing and I consider myself quite a positive reviewer but how is this rated so highly it’s just generic rock that doesn’t do anything special, like people roll their eyes at britpop because they think it’s generic but really against this??? It’s not a bad album though and the songs are quite nice still a 4/5.

ok. i loved the back-half of this album…but the first few songs sound similar in their beat which makes it hard to listen to the album all the way through. those few first songs sound (to me) like a mix of the imagine dragons and hozier, and that’s not a good thing 🙌. loved the rest of the album and it would have gotten a 4 if not for those first few songs.

1/4- After work

Absolute titan of an album. One of the first albums I loved as a kid. Dragged at times, but tons of gems and overall a great collection of modern blues songs with musical themes repeated throughout. 4/5

First time listening to a Black Keys record, and it was quite an enjoyable listen. I enjoy the dynamic range of this record, with bangers like Tighten Up and Howlin for You, and the tragic tracks like The Only One, Too Afraid to Love You. Unknown Brother and Never Gonna Give You Up also stand out, and I want to return to this record to really see what this band was going for conceptually. The only thing stopping me from giving this a 5 stars is that many of the songs here feel flat and unremarkable. Perhaps they'll grow on me the more I listen, but tracks like The Go Getter feel like a vibe and nothing else, even with the great production and performances all around, which I think is largely due to the absense of a catchy chorus or guitar/keys melody. Still, this was quite an enjoyable listen. I'm very much looking forward to listening to some more from this band.

Good for a long car ride, probably will listen again. I feel like a few of the songs could’ve been cut tho 8/10

7/10. Good stuff, nothing earth shattering.

Pretty disappointed by this, but I guess there's a reason I had previously only heard 2 songs from this album. 6/10

boring af

This is that kind of "blues" that's popular at the Byron Bay Bluesfest - ie. it's not really blues, but rather indie rock with a vague blues feel for trendy yuppies to get on while they drink craft beer and eat brisket burgers lol. No guitar solos but "thumping" beats, basic chords and chants. These guys, black rebel motorcycle club, ash grunwald etc - same shit. I didn't know this album, but I've heard the black keys before cause they were all the rage in the mid 00s. It's ok all things considered, but wears thin quick and the vocals are shit. 2/5.

turgid rawwwwwk

My favorite song from the album was Sinister Kid. It was great to hear some other songs from The Black Keys other than what is overplayed on the radio.

Sterk, nog wel is een keer herluisteren

it’s actually pretty dense and textured but it’s hook-weak

Blues-rock oscuro. Ni fu ni fa.

Indie rocke blues actual. 5

Cool bluesy feel, added to my music

Don’t think this car commercial music should be on this list

Love em

I can’t get past the falseness of this: attitudes, ideas and styles borrowed but not understood. It’s grating, repetitive, and empty. An idiot’s idea of what a modern blues record would sound like. They really kind of exposed themselves with that cover of “Never Gonna Give You Up.” It’s so utterly inessential, so offensively soulless, it’s an absolute train wreck. They made it so easy to compare them to the real thing though. You just switch over to Jerry Butler’s version to hear what the song would sound like if it meant anything. Then you could listen to Eddie Floyd’s cover to see how an artist could actually reinterpret it without ruining it—that is if they had any inkling of how to feel music. That was my breaking point. I only had one song left but I couldn’t bear to listen to any more. Goodbye forever Black Keys.

This was a really good album, nothing more to say really

Like Blues oriented Rock a lot. If they would Rave out some of this is boring crowdpleasin‘ TV commercial stuff the rating‘s be higher. But the 2nd half is pretty solid. 3.4

It’s groovy sh*t. I like it!

The highlights were The Only One & Never Gonna Give You Up, but overall it was just a meh bluesy album.

Loved it 3.5/5

Good groves and danceable tunes

I listened to this on Friday and now, on Monday, I can't say I remember a single thing about this album. I think I liked it?

Tighten Up and Howlin' For You are really solid, most of this is rather forgettable though.

Black Keys give you solidly enjoyable rock every time. They’ve got a very distinct and catchy signature sound, takes me right back to my post-uni restless summer days every time. I might like El Camino better, but this one slaps too. Have seen them live and they put on a hell of a show.

Track 1: Everlasting Light I love the little honk sounds in the beginning. Idk if that’s a synth but i like it. The instrumental is really cool and the guitars sound so crunchy. The echoey sound on the singers voice, i really like. I like his voice I think. Great opener to the album. Track 2: Next Girl Omg I love these wah wah noises!! That’s a guitar I’m pretty sure. I’ve never heard a guitar make those kinds of sounds. This song gives a beer commercial vibe with motorcycles and in a bar. With a pretty girl. This song is about the singer not wanting to date another girl similar to his ex. He relates the pain of making mistakes in past relationships. This is a good song. It’s quite vibey. Track 3: Tighten Up This song opens with tambourines and whistles. This song is giving especially indie hipster vibes. I cannot even explain it. This song is good. It is poppy and bluesy. It is just quite plain honestly. This song ends with a slow chilled out bridge. There’s still a lot of echo on this guys voice. Not to mention I love the reverb at the end. Track 4: Howlin’ For You Oh god I have heard this song in a commercial before💀 I knew this band felt familiar in some way. It might be a car or a restaurant commercial, I can’t remember. I like this song but I cannot stop thinking about the fact that I’ve heard this song before. I love the kazoo. This is very commercial worthy and has a lot of filler moments ie: ladadada ladadada x5 anyway this song is fine. Track 5: She’s Long Gone This song is about a woman who is “not like other girls” quite literally that is the lyric in the song. She’s sang about like every man writing a woman like she’s a goddess running through a field of daisies. This song is fine but I can’t get over the NLOG lyric. I like the crunchy guitar reverb. Track 6: Black Mud All these songs sound oddly familiar but not the same at all. They resemble the same motorcycle-bar-girl energy that I talked about in song 2. This song… has no lyrics? I just realized that. Ok, interlude song I guess. That was good lol. Track 7: The Only One I like this keyboard sound. The lyrics are really plain and vague. There is nothing wrong with them necessarily, but they sound like AI generated lyrics. This song is fine. It’s kind of boring but chill. Snore. Track 8: Too Afraid To Love Woo I have a lot of songs to get thru still. I like this songs instrumental. This is about feeling lonely but not actually wanting to love somebody. Felt. This song is very melancholy like an empty room. Track 9: Ten Cent Pistol This song is about a woman with a gun(?) first thing I thought was “girl boss”. That song was ok. Once again I say I like the instrumental. Ohh she got revenge. Defo girl boss moment there. Track 10: Sinister Kid Ok this has a not like other guys feel to it. I like the guitars. Track 11: The Go Getter Omg I’m bored. Every song sounds the same. Track 12: I’m Not The One Hhhhhhnnnn great background music for scrolling Reddit Track 13: Unknown Brother I like this song actually. It sounds different from the other ones I’ve heard in the last 15 minutes. Track 14: Never Gonna Give You Up I like this one a lot! It feels like a middle school dance but not as dorky. Or wait no, more like a party in a movie where the love interests stare into each others eyes. This song is a lot about the vibe. It’s so sparkly sounding. Fav song. Track 15: These Days I also like this one. It is similar to the previous song but i like that other one better. This song isn’t as dreamy.

Some good songs but lots of average to poor and not the group’s best output by far.

Один из лучших рок-альбомов в мире по-моему мнению. Хоть и вторая часть альбома ощущается слабее, первая более чем компенсирует это своим идеальным блюзовским инструменталом, разнообразными мотивами и по-настоящему живым звуком. Я не особо обращал внимания на текст, так как для меня превыше всего были инструментальные партии, которые являются очевидной звездой этого произведения. (8.5)

Good just blended together for me

7/10 This album continued to surprise and entertain me as it played on. I am a fan of the sound design used throughout the album. Using distortion/overdrive on the vocals is a super interesting touch, and I like it more because The Black Keys aren’t obnoxious with it. The usage of it actually makes the songs that don’t use it stand out significantly. Gentler songs like The Only One and Too Afraid To Love You really gave this album depth, and songs like The Go Getter and Never Gonna Give You Up really emphasize some of the incredible songwriting and sound design that is going on. I thoroughly enjoyed and believe that the drumset parts are essential to this albums enjoyable nature. There is a ton of variation in grooves, some syncopated, but none jarring enough to leave you wondering where the beat is. Above all this album is great due to the things listed above, as well as the pure attitude and emotion that seems to be void in so many albums. Props to you Black Keys!

Some of this was pretty good. Didn't love it but decent.

Not as good as I hoped it would be

Þessi plata kom út rétt eftir að ég hafði kynnst The Black Keys, þar sem þeir hituðu upp fyrir Kings of Leon í Hyde Park, London, sumarið 2010. Ég heillaðist um leið og hef verið mikill aðdáandi síðan. Þessi plata er mjög góð, hrá og hressileg. Mæli með!

Very on the fence about this duo. I can get into the groove of the music but both the lyrics and their delivery bug me on some level. I guess they seem contrived, a put on attitude covering some underlying hollowness.

fan but no song really sticks out to me after 2 listens

I quite enjoyed it

Was ok, irked by the constant references to them being a duo when there's usually at least four instruments being played on each track. Didn't particularly rock me or move me. Hoped for more.

The Black Keys represent one of the directions that 2000s-2010s alternative rock has gone that is actually good. The album has some filler, though, along with some great tracks.

Tighten Up and "Howlin' for You" are the two songs I recognized but also really loved "Never Gonna Give You Up". Great album from start to finish. 7/10.

Pretty boring ass rock music, honestly. Tighten Up is a decent song, though.

This is a weirdly singular sounding album, straddling both blues based rock and modern indie guitar sensibilities. At times I find it trite, but other times it's really appealing. I certainly understand the appeal. Never really paid much mind to this band. Happy to finally give them a go though.

T3B 1. Tighten Up 2. Howlin’ for You 3. The Only One What a great, easy listen. 4!

Didn’t do much for me. I think I might have to give it another listen.

Surpreendeu positivamente, achava que se tratava de um indie tentanto soar mais pesado, pelo hit reconhecido. Só que apresenta músicas envolventes, blues com clima muito forte.

When I was 12 I thought it was the greatest rock n roll record ever. Nowadays I consider it a solid 7/10. Fave: Too afraid to love you

I've heard a few black keys songs before and thought I'd like this album more, but I see the black keys are good in moderation

generally meh

I thought it was solid.

Good

Felt like I listened to couple of pretty cool songs repeated about 5 times each.

This album was great! It was refreshing to hear a relatively recent rock album be this good musically and lyrically. Favorite track: Howlin' for You

Classic. I forgot how many of these songs I knew already and loved. The grunge and bite is fantastic. Honestly 9/10

Great album, but Howlin' for You is the true standout

I think, with exception of Adele, that this is the first fairly recent band I know and like. The Black Keys apparently broke through to the mainstream with "Brothers", but the first album that I heard to was "El Camino" with a great single "Lonely Boy". I was very curious if "Brothers" is as good, or maybe even better. First couple songs were pointing to the latter - "Everlasting Light", "Next Girl" and especially "Tighten Up". Catchy melody, very low maintenance, just a simple riff, actually good drumming and great vocal by Dan Auerbach. Those tracks sound like something you could make up with you friends in 24 hours, but somehow it makes much more sense and brings a great atmosphere, feeling like you're listening to an alternative rock band in some obscure pub in the middle of nowhere, great stuff. Unfortunately, listening to the whole album wasn't such a nice experience. I felt like The Black Keys had written three or four riffs and the just split and cut them into 15 songs. Fifteen chicken dishes in different style, even if you try it will become pretty stale after a while. In general, it's great when you want to listen to song or two, but binging whole album? Probably not such a good idea.

I really like this album. It's a case of I wish I'd known it a bit earlier in life and had more connection with it because if I did I would absolutely love it. It's one of those that takes longer to connect with for me. I love the almost country/folky parts to some tracks. I love the album art concept and the fact that the label on the disc changes colour as it plays and heats up, I want to own that! It's reminding me of bits of the white stripes that I love but maybe it's less catchy... I like the clarity of the lyrics and I wish I had more time to dive into the meaning of the songs. Anyway it was nice to listen because I've heard a lot of people talking about the Black Keys and never listened myself. I want to give a 3.5 and I think it's a grower.

This is such a class album. They're so cool and bluesy and sexy and cool. Its never been something I listen to over and over again but every now and again think these come up strong as absolute bangers. Never gonna give you up has always been my fave

Yeah it's a belter. I don't think it's their best album but it is great

The Black Keys, a jednak bialy duet muzyczny prosto z Ohio, plyta z 2k10, ktora ma byc graniem rokowo bluesowym, ale brzmi tak radiowo, ze pasuje bardziej na popowe rokowanie, stad pewnie fakt, ze jest to najlepiej sprzedany album duetu, a mieli ich calkiem sporo w dyskografii, bo jest to pozycja szosta, pomimo tego ze sklad stanowi tylko dwoch czlonkow, to grana muzyka nie brzmi tak skormnie jak moznaby przypuszczac, bo jest to polaczenie zywych instrumentow i mocno digitalowego obrabiania muzyki, a chyba to najbardziej oddaje popowe brzmienie, wszystko jest zbyt dokladnie idealne, nie moglem sie rowniez zaczepic na czymkolwiek lirycznie, mial byc album dla kazdego, czyli rownie dobrze dla nikogo szczegolnego moze byc, no i na 55 minutach materialu znalazlo sie miejsce na dzwonki, ktore brzmia podejrzanie swiatecznie, chociaz nie wiem czy jest jakas korelacja pomiedzy unkown brother a utworami swiatecznymi poza tymi dzwonkami, ktore sa tam dziwnym instrumentalem, ale takich dziwnych wyborow jest na krazku wiecej, no i nie jest to jedyny trak z dzwonieniem, choc z pewnoscia najbardziej swiatecznym, wiec posluchac sie da, jesli ktos szuka latwego odsluchu czegos okolo rokowo garazowego, ale z naciskiem na przystepnosc brzmienia, na plejke rzuce sinisterowego kida

The Black Keys are cool. Two dudes, rockin' out. Love it.

Abarcando varios subgéneros, el sexto álbum de The Black Keys es el que mejor ha sabido brillar de su discografía y así los ha puesto en el radar de los grandes discos de rock alternativo, y algo mainstream, pero que suenan genial y agradables para el gran público. Es destacable la inclusión de varios subgéneros dentro del rock. Muchas partes poperas, garage, rhythm and blues, hacen que se haga ameno su escucha y variada al oído. A su vez, bien incluídos están, algunos temas instrumentales. Está muy buena la interpretación vocal, y es admirable el cómo un dúo musical puede transmitir tanto. Y la invitación a escucharlo está muy a su favor, ya que tiene toda la facilidad para que agrade desde su primer escucha.

pretty nice

When I saw the band's name my first thought was that I knew them and they were a bunch of ninnyhammers playing Alternative that I hate. I'm pleased to say that  they weren't that bad. Some neat and nasty sounding  guitar playing. The first half is better. The second half doesn't quite keep up but it's not a dud. The blues influences show themselves in many places such as I'm Not The One. The one cover they have is a soul song that I expect few of us know. They nail it and the one song genre hop works well.

It’s a good sign when I start liking the songs more as the CD progresses. The muddy, garage-y, blues rock sound is quite distinct - the sort of thing you might expect from Muscle Shoals studio. I was impressed knowing that one guy, Dan Auerbach, provided all the sounds apart from the drumming. Also that the two of them showed up at the studio without any songs and recorded 15 tracks in 10 days. The song-writing is great, Auerbach has a superb rock n' blues voice that he can play around with a bit, throwing in some falsetto now and then, which, when combined with the change ups in instrumentation keeps the album sounding fresh (examples being “the Only One” and “I’m Never Gonna Give you Up”).

Although this came out in 2010 it really captures the mood of deep south Delta Blues. The vocals and lead guitar come off sounding distorted but I think that adds more "texture" and grittiness to the music. Most of the album is pretty damned solid with not much filler.

Meh, pretty bland. Sounds like advert music to me.

Enjoyed this more than I was expecting. Some groovy '60s vibes that bring the Doors to mind.

Zzzzzzzz

Musique rock et folk Alabama intéressante. La prise des voix, distante, et la distortion des instruments est un goût à acquérir. Quelques chansons done envoûtantes.

Excellent stuff. Not a bad song on it I don’t think and probably my favourite album by them. Made me want to get my leather jacket out. Saw The Black Keys at glasto once, but they didn’t seem too enthused to be there which was weird.

Solid album with all good songs. There’s just not that one heavy hitter on my opinion. It’s not that it’s a safe album or anything, some lovely blues rock shit is going down and whilst I love Everlasting Light, I just want that one banger that gets me all pumped up

Retro-worship goes long and the contemporary elements - voice, synth - sound thinner than the rest. The density of hits at the front of this thing is intense.

estuvo bueno xd

No lo escuché todo todavía pero me copa lo que escuché

Mon copain m'a tellement fait écouté certaines chansons que j'en étais lassée, mais force est d'admettre que cet album est excellent, entraînant et a sa propre identité.

I went into this album knowing a few of the songs, having listened to them individually. I didn't expect to have such a hard time listening to this, but I constantly kept on checking how many tracks were left. The overall sound of the album seems too polished, and every song starts to sound more or less the same. Not for me.

One of my favs

GOOD

Nothing startlingly original here, including in the Black Keys oeuvre, but that's no bad thing when it's done this well.

It's the Black Keys so it's good. But it's too long and meanders a bit

I LOVE this cover. Never Give You Up is a faithful cover that manages to give it a blues edge. Howlin For You is the standout track.

Risk and Roll, great stuff

Heard it before?: Not in entirety but have heard a few tracks before Enjoy it?: Yeah, I love the raw sound of black keys and this record emphasises that, very catchy tracks and crafty drum work present on this Favourite song: a lot to choose from but it’s timeless. Track 4 - Howlin For You

I've been a bit spoilt recently with really great albums and although this is good it's in the 2nd division. Still, the tunes are all there with enough variety and skill to warrant inclusion.

Biased Review as this is a all time top 5 favourite album for me, from one of my favourite bands. Such a great album and great vibe to it. This album really got me back into rock music after a few years of being into chart and dance music

Pretty good. I liked it. Not quite a 4 but good stuff. Might think differently on a 2nd listening.

Quite a lovely fun rock and roll album with few flaws. Maybe a bit too long but in this case it’s just more of a good thing. Since it’s well paced, fun and fresh, it doesn’t feel like tedious at any point.

OK album, not really my thing,

Booooooring

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

3.5 but I rounded up because the singles are definitely good. I’m always gonna prefer the earlier black keys albums tho

Its alright

I was vibing with every song! A highly enjoyable listen that I'll definitely come back to

I was excited to see this come up as I haven't listened to The Black Keys much. For me, this album didn't live up to the hype. Songs started to blend together and I was just waiting for it to be over by the end.

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.

Pretty good, enjoyed the laid back vibe.

So much great stuff on this album. I had a few songs on this album that I’ve loved for years ( everlasting light, tighten up, only one) but hadn’t heard the rest of it( except for howling for you). I really like the production and the drum sounds, guitar tones and all the distorted fuzzy stuff grooves and organs are cool too. It is one of my favorite sounding records but after a while it seems like too much of a good thing. The songs started to all sound the same. I think the song writing and arranging is good ( love how simple everything sounds), but it kinds of sounds like we are hearing every attempt to work to perfect that sound. II would have liked them to mix it up and deviate from the static bluesy sound on a tune or two. Maybe an uptempo tune or something with more harmonic movement - maybe some horns or another singer, another soloist to spice it up. These Days is a great ballad and I dig his voice I would’ve liked another tune like this earlier in the record. It is a really incredible sounding record. It made me want to listen to a couple other records that have some similar production and aesthetics that I love - Circus by Lenny Kravitz. Locked Down by Dr. John (also produced by Dan Aurbach) 3.6

I was pretty bored by the end of this record There are some nice tones and layering and production but ultimately the songwriting is not very interesting and if you’re writing riff-based songs I think you need stronger riffs 2.5

I love this album. I don’t care what you say, Karl. Tighten Up is my favorite. “Livin just to keep going. Going just to keep sane.” Ugh love it. The mood of this is so sad and beautiful.

I know these guys and I know I don’t like these guys. Doin a lot of stuff I dislike here so I say I dislike this

Vet! Samen met El Camino veel gedraaid, maar alle andere platen van die lui hebben me nooit echt kunnen bekoren.

Wel oké

Fijn plaatje!

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.

Liked it, would listen and download

So boring

There aren't enough stars that I can give. I love the Keys since their first album and I love Dan's solo stuff. MORE~!

A front loaded album. Distored vocals and bluesy grooves. You'll know all the singles and that's probably all you really need to know. The White Stripes are much, much better. There. I said what everyone was thinking. Best Tracks: Everlasting Light; Tighten' Up; Howlin' For You

It just sounds like a poor-man’s Kings of Leon to me, but without the catchy licks and soulful southern drawl. Part of the generic garage-band sound of that was endemic in the 2010’s. Inoffensive, but forgettable.

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).

The answer to the question: what if Jack White fronted T-Rex? The whole album has a distinct glam-rock blues vibe relying on a thumping guitar warble to drive almost every song. There’s a lot of filler - the album has no right to be an hour. Sinister Kid and The Go Getter should have been scrapped as should the last 3 songs. But there are so many fantastic songs on this album: Everlasting Light, Howlin’ for you and Ten Cent Pistol are 3 nostalgic favourites. And Tighten Up and Never Gonna Give You Up are 2 songs I’d forgotten about that made the album worth revisiting.

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

I loved this when it first came out. For some reason not as gripped by it now. So giving it 4 stars for historic reasons. Otherwise, maybe a 3.

I remember having this in the car when it came out on CD. When It popped up today, I couldn't remember a single track, and now I know why. Perhaps when it was first released, it offered a nice counterpoint to the talent show era: gritty, bluesy, stripped back and quite retro. Fast forward 12 years, and it just sounds a bit empty and repetitive: too many songs built around simple riffs and that aren't taken anywhere. But when they break that formula on Unknown Brother, it sounds fantastic: lots of melody and a couple of filthy chord changes. But that’s the only track I did actually remember from all those years ago. Prime cuts: Unknown Brother, Ten Cent Pistol.

Everlasting light 4/10 - Tambourine was annoying Next girl 6.5/10 - cool opening riff, singer is better in this one, lyrics are odd, very repetitive, distorted guitar has such a basic part Tighten up 6/10 - hate the whistling at the start - really cool either keytaur or heavily pedalled and distorted guitar solo at the end Howl-in for you 3/10 - cheesy lyrics 😭 - I know this song and I hate it - so repetitive Shes long gone 1/10 - so bad Notes: I hate the main singers voice, WHY SO MUCH TAMBOURINE, i hate the reverb on the singers voice, sounds like twenty one pilots if they were pop, NO THEY SOUND LIKE THE ARTIC MONKEYS IF THEY HADN’T HIT PUBERTY, They sound like a mix between AJR, twenty one pilots, and Arctic monkeys Over all this one sucks . I would not listen too it in my free time it absolutely sucks

Pretty sure I bought this when it came out but didn't play it much. I thought i was gonna be dismissive but it's pretty damn good. The sweaty heavy blues must be great live in a small venue. Quite a lot of variety considering the genre. I can't give it a 3. It's too good for that Will explore more of their stuff.

Dark, brooding, gritty bluesy-themed songs.

I like it. Contemporary blues. Brave of them to record the whole thing through a rizla stretched over a comb!

Have never listened to these. Or The Black Crowes. Or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I have listened to Black Sabbath. Anyway, yeah, this was alright! Kind of forgettable first listen though. But enjoyable enough. Tighten Up sounds like a million other things that were out around then and can't say I like that sound. Fake old, with modern production just fucks me off. Ahaha, the next song is that Glitter Stomp one that was the Heardle the other day I didn't get because I guessed Gary Glitter over and over because that's what it was. The longer this album goes on I can tell I'm not going to take it seriously because it's not my thing. Next song sounds like late 90s Lenny Kravitz. I think I'm out, there's nothing interesting for me here, kinda average 6music fodder, fine but that's it.

3.5 to 4 stars. It could be half this length and have the same effect. None of the songs are bad, but the record drags near the end as the same blues ideas are repeated

Awesome

Everlasting Light through to Howlin’ For You were highly enjoyable. She’s Long Gone was a just ok, not too gripping. Black Mud was a short instrumental breath of fresh air. The Only One was okay. Too Afraid To Love you was good background music. Ten Cent Pistol I liked. Sinister Kid was good. The Go Getter and I’m Not The One were a bit unmemorable. Unknown Brother would gladly go on a playlist. Never Gonna Give You Up was decent. These Days and Chop And Change were enjoyable. Keep My Name Outta Your Mouth was okay, wish another song had taken the last (vocal) song. Black Mud II closes the album with another short instrumental, wish it was between TGG and IMTO to pull attention back. Overall really enjoyable album, will listen to more stuff by The Black Keys. The majority of the album gave me Muse x Arctic Monkeys vibes, and the vocals were really good. Not a single song sounded the same, so it didn’t feel repetitive in any place. 4/5

Not exactly Howlin' Wolf.

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

Meh

I hadn't listened to this in over a decade so thank you for the reminder. I can't fault it. It's so good.

A great album that I should listen to more.

Very good!

Unique sound

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

Had her a few of their songs before but really dug this album.

My first time listening to this album front to back. My awareness of The Black Keys and Auerbach/Carney stems back a number of years and have enjoyed their music over that time, but never done any true deep dives. The third track, Tighten Up, was my first exposure to the band, from the FIFA 11 soundtrack. There is something about the sound of "Brothers" that gives it a timeless feel - you can tell the iconic early 2010s indie/rock vibe right out the gate, but you could also very well be listening to something from decades ago. Great mix of keys and bass lines, notably on tracks such as The Only One. The vocals give a sense of longing and throughout the album tell a compelling story of someone who feels lost and confused, but ultimately knows what they want. Need to get this on vinyl as it is a fantastic album to listen through in one sitting.

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

It isn't just that this music is bluesy. It's that most of their songs have a really hook that is unique and keeps you wanting to listen to the song repeatedly. The only thing that grates on me is the distortion value of the vocals on EVERY song.

This album is loaded with bluesy riffs, given loads of texture by the heavy use of distortion and fuzz along with the occasional wah and tremolo. The vocals are great and the lyrical tone related to moving on past difficult times and having hope for the future.

very good! liked it a lot

Fantastisch wat deze 2 met enkel een drum en gitaar kunnen doen! Fenomenaal album, en de droge hoes maakt het alleen maar beter

True masterpiece

When does consistency become tedium? When does authenticity become dogmatism? When does a signature become an irritant? Can an album soar if it raises these questions in the listener? Is it a bad sign that I'm asking myself these questions? The Black Keys are Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, a duo from glamorous Akron, Ohio, a city famous for Devo and its oatmeal. Usually lumped in with the garage rock revival of the 2000s, the Black Keys most resemble a non-quasi-incestuous White Stripes, basing their sound on the electric blues of Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. Which leads to the most straightforward question: why not just listen to Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf? Do the Black Keys surpass the legendary electric bluesmen, or at least put some air between themselves and the legendary electric bluesmen? Of course they don't. That doesn't make the album bad, but as an ambition it's both lofty and meagre, that of emulating great artists because you have little faith in your own creative spleen. So yeah, record rollection rock. And, frustratingly, the Black Keys have a great song. More exactly and frustratingly, they have exactly one great song that they repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and (I'll stop now). Always the same fuzz guitar, the same overamplified vocals, the same bitter love lyrics. These are the ingredients for one great song, not all 15 on an album. And I should point out what everyone knows: that one great song is Lonely Boy, which isn't on this album. I occasionally wonder what bands would have worked better as one-hit wonders, usually choosing Green Day with Basket Case. The Black Keys have usurped them as my go-to answer to that question. Of course this album is enjoyable in the moment, but it leaves you feeling so hollow, so unsatiated. It smacks heavily of that persistent American tendency where acts falsely assume that strict obedience towards a genre's tropes demonstrates loyalty and not a deficient imagination. Why just impersonate Hank Williams, Bo Diddley, the Ramones, Tupac or Britney? Their records haven't gone out of print. An inessential album, in the most fundamental sense of that word. Still, 3 stars because it sounds alright.

Knew some of the songs on this album beforehand. Good, but missing a little in replay-ability for me.

love it

Brothers is a very polish hard rock album for beginners. Your Not going find much substance here but the songs are still very catchy. Has heavy blues rock influences. The song everlasting light is probably the blacks keys most popular song. Songs are less hard hitting in the second portion. Might have something know as the sand witch promblem where the beginning of the album is good and end of album good but the middle part is lackluster The song 10 cent pistol sounds like it got ripped out the 60's

Cleaner production than earlier Keys albums

Great raw and psych-y blues, vintage-sounding but layered and enriched to modern standards. Last few cuts are excellent and deliver more via less banging than earlier cuts.

Great Sunday chilly rock vibes

First half is gold second half lacking.

Don't get it twisted I actually quite like The Black Keys, but this album is basically Blues for people who are afraid of black people. It's far too bloated and repetitive. I'd throw it on in the background but let's be honest it's music for a FIFA soundtrack. El Camino is a much more interesting and record so go listen to that instead. But even then... do The Black Keys really belong on this list at all?

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

Heard this one a bunch. Pretty good. Reminds me of when I first moved to NYC.

Strong and punchy tunes. I knew a few of the songs already and I like the style. I can't believe I missed these guys from 2010.

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

How do you say shite in spanish me no hablo

They weren’t lying… these hwiteboys have soul!

Tråkiiiigt. Vgdpl

Loved it

One of my favorite bands, still trying to catch them live. The first half of this album was hit after hit

If T Rex and Hendrix had ever collaborated, it would have produced this album. This album got me through a really dark place. Pardon my biased love.

Knowledge of the Black Keys is almost entirely between Brothers-El Camino-Turn Blue, while El Camino might be my favourite of the 3, Brothers is a very close 2nd. HL: “Too Afraid to Love You”, “Next Girl”

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.

When other bands were moving to synthpop, The Black Keys and Cage the Elephant made the way for a second wave of garage revival just as bluesy and rambunctious as The Strokes and The White Stripes. It's my favorite of their albums with the fewest duds and a consistent cool simple sound to rock to. First half consists of their hits, with the second half demonstrating their versatility. The production sounds great, and it's amazing how Auerbach is doing pretty much everything but the drums, and yet it sounds seamless. I know "Everlasting Light" is a fan favorite, but it's always bothered me how it's nearly identical to one of my favorite T Rex songs "Mambo Sun" (which was also the opener to their breakthrough album). You can tell they were huge T Rex songs, with many other glam rock tracks like "The Only One" sounding like they're straight out of Electric Warrior. I think the alternating arpeggios of "Unknown Brother" also remind me of some T Rex songs. Favorites: Tighten Up, Too Afraid to Love You, Ten Cent Pistol, I'm Not the One, Unknown Brother, Never Gonna Give You Up

À écouter en volume 3

sympa bien qu’un peu long

FIFA music <3

3.5/5