For all of Danger Mouse’s inspired pairings, from James Mercer of The Shins (Broken Bells) to Cee-Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley), there was something special about his work behind the dials for blues-rock duo The Black Keys on its last record, Attack and Release. On Brothers, the Keys mostly go it alone—Mouse produced only the record’s first single, “Tighten Up”—but keep his widescreen sound intact, bringing a massive scope to every fuzzed-out riff and bass-drum kick. Brothers isn’t as charmingly efficient as its predecessor—it’s about 20 minutes longer—but worth it for the soulfully slow gems buried in its second half.
This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2010.
I saw the Black Keys at Osheaga in Montreal 2008. I wasn’t paying attention to a lot of the bands but did to Duffy, some Russian inspired band with that wacky lead singer and the Black Keys. They were nothing less than fresh and bitchin. I haven’t used the word bitchin in years but it fits. Tight band. Lots of organized chaos and interesting lyrics. Made me feel rebellious and leathery without the Jack Daniels. Wicked band and hope to see them again soon.