RB: With their sixth full length studio effort Brothers, the Black Keys have made a full on departure from the grungy, Hendrix-inspired blues rock they’ve built their cred on. And yet at the same time it still feels very much like a Black Keys record.
It’s not a complete 180, as it owes as much a debt to the swampy soul and delta blues sound as any of their other records. But the approach is markedly different. Gone almost entirely is the ear shredding sonic riffage that stood as the cornerstone of early Keys albums like Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory. Also out the window is the brazen underproduction that gave those early records their oozy, primal feel. Instead, Brothers feels downright subtle compared to those prior albums, scaling back the trenchant guitar freakouts and bang up drumming in favor of tighter production and a new found emphasis on 60s and 70s soul, funk and bossanova. You might say that Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney have found their way out of the garage, locking the door shut behind them.
Then again this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those who have been following the Akron duo over the past few years. 2008’s Attack and Release marked the Keys’ first steps away from their lo-fi blues roots, fleshing out their guitar and drum sound with organs, bass and other studio touches courtesy of Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, who co produced the album with Auerbach and Carney. The album was solid, stronger in some parts than others, but for the first time there was a sense the duo was feeing restless, afraid of being painted into a corner.
But who could blame them? As much as I love and prefer the band’s earlier, dirty records, it’s probably fair to say they carried that sound to its logical conclusion after four records. By the time of Magic Potion’s release in 2006, there were scattered hints that maybe they were running out of ideas on how to keep their dirty water blues sound going.
So now we have Brothers, which from the opening notes of “Everlasting Light” makes clear that these aren’t exactly the Black Keys of yesteryear. It’s a bit more mature, methodical and full sounding than anything they’ve ever done. But is it better? Maybe its too soon to tell. I’m still getting used to it, and maybe in a month or two I can register a more informed opinion. But right now I’d still take Rubber Factory, made quick and on the cheap, over many of these new songs. The Black Keys define better than any band I’ve ever heard the concept of less is more, but unfortunately Brothers offers a lot “more.”
PD: Just to throw my quick two cents, which are really worth 5 and a half cents, i agree and disagree with you. I agree in that this isn’t your typical old Black Keys record. It is refined more than older records. They’re using more than 1 distortion pedal. The sound I think is more of a traditional bluesy kinda of rock. I disagree that it’s as refined as Attack and Release. Obviously I’m not privy to Danger Mouse’s methods, but he probably spent a good amount of time making sure everything sounded pretty damn perfect on that record. On Brothers, I don’t get that sense of refinement. It’s still pretty raw sounding, like they recorded the track on one or two takes and went with it.
I don’t agree that it offers “a lot more.” Is it more than their early records? Yes. It is as much as their last record? I’d argue no. I’d argue that the “more” is them maturing, and actually perhaps using a larger budget to add more keys, or a synthesizer. Doesn’t really matter, because when they play it live, Dan Auerbach will probably just use his pedal board to mimic the synths and whatnot. But it’s not like the more are 3 more layers of guitars, a horn section, and an upright bass or something. I still think it’s a less is more album, just a more mature less is more album.
RB: That’s a really good point. It’s not big and bombastic by any stretch, and it still does follow that less is more format somewhat. But I still think it leans harder on the “more” side of the spectrum. Brothers is fat and full sounding where their past albums were lean and scrappy. If Thickfreakness was an album made almost purely in the moment without an overdub in sight, Brothers, by comparison, is very restrained, almost diluted in parts. Even Attack and Release, the most studio oriented album they’ve done to date, breaks out of its cage more than Brothers.
Again, I think for me it’s less a matter of not liking it and more a matter of getting used to it. It’s unusual to hear a Black Keys record that’s not at its core really ugly and primitive, two qualities above all others that made me fans of theirs in the first place. It’s an interesting feeling, though. Immediately prior to Brothers I was a well developed Keys fan. I knew exactly what I loved about their sound and could clearly articulate just what it was that drew me to what they do. But now it’s almost like I have to get reacquainted with this band that I’ve spent the better part of six years listening to.
But I’ll also agree that these songs, while tame on record, will no doubt take on new life onstage, something I’ll look forward to seeing this summer.
