A Look Back on 10 Years of The Black Keys’ ‘Brothers’
Review by Austin Sher
Hard to believe, but The Black Keys’ historic and memorable album, Brothers, has just celebrated its 10th birthday. Follow along for an in depth look on how just how exactly this now iconic album shaped “dad rock”.
This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers. Whatever way you remember it, that was always going to be your first impression of the album itself, a cover that clearly told the truth. Opening up this 55 minute rock and roll epic is Everlasting Light, a fantastic rock opener by any standard really. It’s a smoother open that introduces you to the idea that what you’re about to hear is going to require a seatbelt.
Next up in the front half of the album is the truly epic run going from Next Girl, Tighten Up, and most likely the more memorable song on the album, Howlin’ For You. Lets be real, by the end of Track 4, your heartbeat should have raised significantly. The powerful drums coming from Patrick Carney are a sure fire way to really let you know The Black Keys are here and they’re ready to rock the early 2010’s.
As a kid, I remember the hits off this album clear as day, but as I’ve listened over the years and refined my palette for music, the whole middle section of this album is everything but a hit, in the best way possible. It’s rock at its rawest and finest and honestly shaped what kind of rock I would listen to for the next 3-4 years. Without even really knowing who exactly was in the band, I immediately knew that this was a different sense of creativity that I wasn’t really used to, but I’d follow their work forever. Looking years forward and now being a regular listen of near everything Dan Auerbach has released, especially from The Arcs and his solo work, his stay has lasted.
The duo shine as bright as possible throughout the record and even at a near hour runtime, the album doesn’t really overstay its welcome. There’s enough going on sonically from track to track that my interest is piqued throughout. Other tracks that deservedly deserve shouts are Ten Cent Pistol, The Go Getter, and the album closer, These Days. Overall the album really puts me in a time machine and zooms me back to better days in 2010. Coincidentally, LCD Soundsystem’s This Is Happening nearly shared its 10 year birthday, if it had been released a day prior. You can actually read our review for it here, if you’re interested.
Wrapping it up though, I try to not compare Brothers to any other albums in The Black Keys’ discography, the reason being that I don’t think anything comes close enough to the commercial success they had paired with an album that took chances, risks, and was universally loved! Cheers to 10 years!
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