The Black Keys
“Brothers” (V2)
In a different era, the Black Keys would probably have become a monster hit band. Their heavy, passionate, intelligent take on stripped-down blues rock is in the same vein as the White Stripes, except the Black Keys don’t have a color-coordinated gimmick or a hot female drummer. The White Stripes are excellent, sure — but the Black Keys are the true blues believers.
On the duo’s sixth album, “Brothers,” Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney take all the fuzzed-out blues of their early albums, the psychedelic experimentation of their last album, the Danger Mouse-produced “Attack & Release,” and combine it all into an irresistibly funky electrified stew. It’s an awesome blend of genres, even though it’s inherently a Black Keys album.
Drummer Carney and guitarist and vocalist Auerbach have some sort of mind-meld when it comes to their instruments; neither one can be separated from the other. The howling rocker “Ten Cent Pistol” is rife with blues imagery and is a classic Black Keys stomp, with the straight rhythmic attack of the two musicians coming fast and dirty. Compare that to the harpsichord on “Too Afraid To Love You” or the disco beats on “Everlasting Light,” and you’ll hear a band unafraid to experiment, but always plumbing the rich depths of their roots in the blues.
If there’s one criticism to be made of “Brothers,” it’s that it’s a bit long; 15 tracks is quite a statement, and a full listen-through does drag towards the end. But any fan of bands ranging from Led Zeppelin and the White Stripes to Howlin’ Wolf or Muscle Shoals-era R&B would do well to pick up this album.
— EMILY BURNHAM
Jackson Browne with David Lindley
Love is Strange — (Inside Records)
This 2-CD live set, documenting Jackson Browne’s tour of Spain with long-time collaborator David Lindley, is a bit of an oddity.
On the one hand, hearing Browne sing his classics with a few rarities in a stripped down, acoustic setting is wonderful. His voice is remarkably strong, given that his first record was released nearly 40 years ago. In fact, if anything, it’s warmer and richer, and featured front-and-center in the mix.
But earlier this decade, Browne released two volumes of live solo acoustic material, and it’s hard to understand how this tops those records, or why he decided he needed another live record. And Lindley, who even in the glory days with Browne brought a weird musical voice to the mix (remember that tortured electric slide solo on the live “Running On Empty”?), neither adds nor detracts from this collection.
Lindley does get to sing some of his own songs here, though.
Browne introduces many of the songs in Spanish, and there’s a special treat, a Spanish version of “Take It Easy” called “Tu Tranquilo” by Kiko Veneno with an entirely new musical structure. Some other Spanish musicians join Browne and Lindley, and provide a richer musical texture, but again, that addition fails to top the solo acoustic versions.
Still, for Browne fans, more of the singer-songwriter at his best — playing live, reinvigorating some of his old tunes, some of which were not featured on the two solo acoustic sets — is a no-lose situation. And there are some good ones here: “I’m Alive,” “Call It a Loan,” “Looking East,” “Take It Easy,” “Late for the Sky” and “Your Bright Baby Blues.”
— TOM GROENING
Sleigh Bells
“Treats” (N.E.E.T./Mom & Pop)
It’s no surprise that M.I.A. signed Brooklyn noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells to her N.E.E.T. label; the British singer’s DIY aesthetic and often deliberately rudimentary-sounding beats are clearly echoed on “Treats,” the debut album from singer Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek E. Miller. Krauss got her start in a teen pop group and Miller used to play in a metal band before meeting Krauss in 2008. Sleigh Bells unite these seemingly disparate genres, creating a bracing combination of breezy pop melodies and deafening, in-the-red guitar noise. The blown-out, clipped production style of “Treats” is either a key element of its appeal or a major drawback, depending on where you stand. Krauss and Miller preempt their music from being turned into poor audio quality mp3s by making the songs themselves sound kind of like muddy, low bit-rate files you downloaded from a sketchy website.
If you can get over the intentional assault on your stereo speakers, “Treats” lives up to its title. Album opener “Tell ’Em” sets up the Sleigh Bells template, as Krauss’ cheerleader chant vocals fight to be heard over a dive-bombing guitar riff from Miller that sounds better the louder you crank up the volume. “Infinity Guitars” features even more brutal, slamming riffs from Miller and a vocal that amounts to Krauss yelling at you over the din; it’s outrageously catchy and makes you want to smash something in a fit of youthful impetuousness. Sleigh Bells try to mix it up a bit with the laid-back, Parliament-sampling “Rill Rill” and the synth-heavy ballad “Rachel,” but when “Crown on the Ground” erupts from the stereo, it’s hard not to think they should stick to making ears bleed. In a world of increasingly polite, grandma-friendly indie rock (Fleet Foxes, anyone?), Sleigh Bells remind us all how much fun it can be to be loud, brash and in-your-face.
— TRAVIS GASS