Brothers

The Black Keys are a tough blues band with an inwardly psychedelic twist... but the album is built with blood and dirt, so its wilder moments remain gritty without being earthbound. Sonically, that scuffed-up spaciness -- the open air created by the fuzz guitars and phasing, analog keyboards, and cavernous drums -- is considerably appealing, but the Black Key' ace in the hole remains the exceptional songwriting that Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are so good at. the great thing about the Black Keys in general and Brothers in particular: the past and present intermingle so thoroughly that they blur, yet there’s no affect, just three hundred pounds of joy.