Oh Brother

I got into the Black Keys kind of late in the game. I have no real explanation for it, they were just one of those bands it took me awhile to discover. I think it boils down to the fact that my two person band allegiance was given to the White Stripes so the Black Keys kind of got lost in the shuffle. Now that the White Stripes don't exist anymore I have an opening in my favorite two person band spot...enter the Black Keys.



Brothers is a pretty solid album, but I'm partial to the awesomeness of Attack & Release. For me that's my favorite Black Keys album, but that's besides the point here. Unknown Brother has a pretty good sound to it, but I think that's part of my problem with Brothers. A lot of the songs kind of have that similar feel to them. They may not sound the same but they have that same feel and structure to them. I think this works against a lot of the songs on the album because it gives off the "didn't I just hear this song" vibe.

My first thought with Unknown Brother was actually that book My Brother Sam Is Dead. There is nothing in the lyrics that even remotely hints at the novel but for some reason my brain went there. I loved that book when I was in sixth grade (or was it fifth grade) and maybe it's the title of the song or something or maybe I was just feeling nostalgic for young adult novels about the Revolutionary War where ones brother Sam dies. The great mysteries of the world.

Although I will say this about Unknown Brother... way to make the sleigh bells sound cool and non-Christmas like. It takes a set to throw sleigh bells into a song that pertains nothing to Christmas. Not only that but it also is a testament to the coolness of the Black Keys how subtlety cool they make them sound. The bluesy nature of the song kind of swallows up the sound and it all flows together really well. My challenge to rock music... bring back the sleigh bells!