10.

The Black Keys
Brothers

Perhaps not as consistent as some of their previous albums (see, for example, Magic Potion or Attack & Release), this is another indication of the sheer quality of The Black Keys. Blues rock of the highest calibre. Often compared to the White Stripes, I actually think The Black Keys have more in common with Muddy Waters than Jack White. The fuzz distortion may hide it, but this is ‘pure’ blues. The album is full of outstanding songs, but my favourites include the riff driven ‘Next Girl’ and the drum-rumbling ‘Howlin’ For You’. The only real gripe is the rubbish ‘Too Afraid to Love’, which sounds like a discarded Eminem backing track (presumably a hangover from their hip-hop collaboration Blackrock – which I’ve not heard). A track that gets it all wrong. That aside, this is a great record. It would probably have been higher on my list if I’d not discovered The Black Keys last Christmas and so already listened to their back catalogue extensively in the early months of 2010. By the time I got Brothers in July, I’d probably OD’d slightly on this band – plus, of course, while this record is great, I was acutely aware from recent exposure that it isn’t their best. If you have nothing by this band, get 2008’s Attack & Release. If you have that already, then you won’t be disappointed by this.