Ten Years Ago: The Black Keys - Brothers

In the 'Ten Years Ago' series, we take a look back at the ten most brilliant releases of 2010 which are celebrating their first decade this year. First up is the legendary ‘Brothers’ album from the Black Keys.

‘Brothers’ was the catalyst that transported the Black Keys from obscurity to becoming one of the world’s biggest bands.

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney had being recording and releasing a series of excellent DIY records since the early noughties, with their take on distorted guitar driven garage rock and blues receiving critical acclaim (if not huge commercial success). Each subsequent release saw the pair hone and polish their minimalist and authentic approach and it was the collaboration with producer Danger Mouse (on 2008 release ‘Attack and Release’) that laid out the blueprint for what the Black Keys were capable of.

‘Brothers’ was released ten years ago and, not only was it one of the finest records released that year, but it has aged beautifully. The 15 song collection, which again saw them team up with Danger Mouse on production duties, saw the Black Keys take all the ingredients of their sound (distortion driven guitar licks, raw vocals and wild drums) and blend them together with a broader instrumental range  and cleaner production to create something smoother and moodier.

So what are the ingredients that make ‘Brothers’ such a classic?

Firstly the album was launched with one hell of a lead single. ‘Tighten Up’  takes off with an ice cold whistled riff over a stabbing rhythm guitar before transcending into a song so instantly memorable that it feels like a classic you’ve known forever. Combining their signature sound with a radio friendly anthem was the first step to taking both the Black Keys and ‘Brothers’ to legendary status.

As important to the success of the record was the superb production duties performed by the legendary Danger Mouse. Recording the group in a studio and broadening their musical horizons created a sound that felt instantly more accessible without losing its authenticity. For a band that had forged a sound in basement recordings and to whom authenticity is key, this could have been a difficult hurdle to leap. And yet, whilst the collection is smoother and more complex than previous recordings, songs such as the brooding and bluesy ‘Ten Cent Pistol’ or the downright mean stomp of ‘Sinister Kid’ found them sounding as raw as ever and not reliant on any excess fat!

Perhaps the biggest change was the confidence of the band themselves. The willingness to try new things and write about broader subject matters worked wonders for them and the song writing was a varied as it was self-assured. Whether it was songs about troublesome exes (‘Next Girl’) or passionate love (‘Howlin for You’), the songs felt buoyant and poised. Here the band also tackled more sensitive subject matters such as bereavement (‘Unknown Brother’) or self-reflection (on beautiful album closer ‘These Days’) with delicacy and still created music that possessed melody and soul by the bucketful.

Auerbach’s secret weapon is a voice that leaps from rasping howl to tender falsetto and it’s the latter that was scattered across this record to great effect. On opener ‘Everlasting Light’ (perhaps one of the coolest love songs of all time!) he croons “let me be your everlasting light, a sun when there is none” over a steam powered rhythm. Carney’s role cannot be understated here either. His drumwork is sublime and often takes a leading role such as on the spooky rattle of ‘The Only One’.

Lastly the record had an aesthetic that matched the confidence and cool of its musical content. Drawing clear inspiration from the minimalist font driven design on Howling Wolf’s ‘The Howling Wolf Album’, the album’s front cover was a simple black background with white lettering stating ‘This is an album by the Black Keys. The name of the album is Brothers’.

‘Brothers’ was the moment the stars aligned for the Black Keys. Subsequent release ‘El Camino’ (featuring lead single ‘Lonely Boy’) may have been the moment that the band went stratospheric, but it was ‘Brothers’ and it’s combination of authentic blues driven rock and roll with studio mastery and an ice cold aesthetic that laid the groundwork. Play it now. Play it loud!