eMusic Review 0
Like so many long-suffering couples, Dan Auberbach and Patrick Carney needed some time apart to really appreciate each other. After 2008's inert, Danger Mouse-produced Attack & Release, the two members of the Ohio blooz-rock outfit pursued solo ventures; howling guitarist Auberbach worked on his weary solo debut, Keep It Hid, and then Carney, a bit scorned by that release, put together Drummer, a quintet of players from their home state. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all of that.
Brothers is a reunion, return to form, and a slight reappraisal of that form. Auberbach sings with just a bit more wonder in his voice, emulating soul men more than blues legends, as on their delicate cover of Jerry Butler's "Never Gonna Give You Up" and the searing 'The Only One." Carney modulates his walloping rhythms, too. "Howlin' For You" is built on an unlikely foundation — the heavy, four-on-the-floor beat from Gary Glitter's "Rock 'n' Roll (Part 2)" — but somehow the band is just as comfortable driving hard as they are peeling back and moaning. There are classicist Black Keys songs here, particularly the rangy "Next Girl" and the lone Danger Mouse contribution, "Tighten Up." But mostly Brothers is… read more »
