Brothers (The Black Keys album)
Encyclopedia
Brothers is the sixth album and Grammy Award
-winner of Best Alternative Music Album
by American blues-rock
duo, The Black Keys
. The album was announced on March 2, 2010 by Pitchfork Media
and became the band's third release from Nonesuch Records
on May 18, 2010. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200
with approximately 73,000 copies sold in the first week released, making the band's highest charting album to date. In January 2011, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipping over 500,000 copies.
released his solo album Keep It Hid
. Auerbach explained that at that point it was hard to communicate to his bandmate, drummer Patrick Carney
because of Carney's relationship with his wife. They went months without talking to each other. In the meantime, Carney worked on his own collaboration, Drummer
and released the album Feel Good Together
. In July 2009, Carney broke it off with his wife over the telephone while she was in Europe. After a few months passed, Carney and Auerbach talked and realized how important the band was to each other. Soon afterward, they reconvened in Alabama to work on Brothers, recording at the Muscle Shoals Odyssey Studio
. There, they recorded 16 songs in 10 days. The album was entirely produced by the band with the help of co-producer Mark Neill, except for the single "Tighten Up
", which was produced by Danger Mouse
. The album name pays tribute to Auerbach's and Carney's years of friendship. Auerbach explained, "We love each other, we get on each other's nerves, we piss each other off. But like brothers, we know it's all OK."
". The song is The Black Keys' most successful single yet, being the first charting song and reaching number one on the Alternative Songs and Rock Songs charts. Mark C. Horn of Buzzbin Magazine describes the song, "The song intros with the distinct whistling from Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” composition, backed up by Carney’s monster thump drumming and Auerbach’s soulful vocal offerings. Famed producer Danger Mouse, who produced Attack and Release, produced the song, which was recorded at Brooklyn’s Bunker Studios."
The official music video was released on May 18, 2010. It shows Auerbach and his fictional son walking to the park. Auerbach sits next to Carney on a bench while their fictional sons play with toy trucks. Auerbach's son looks up on the playground to see a little girl, after which he starts to lip sync to the song. He climbs up on the playground and goes in to kiss her but then he opens his eyes to realize Carney's son has lured her away. After he attempts to kiss her, Auerbach's son begins to fight with Carney's son. After Auerbach and Carney attempt to break the fight up in vain, they see the mother of the girl and begin to fight like their sons. They hit each other using mostly Carney's drum set and after the woman sees them fighting, she walks away. Their sons come to them looking at them disappointingly.
An official video has been released for the song Howlin' for You
although the song has not yet been officially announced as the band's next single. The video is directed by Chris Marrs Piliero and is a parody movie trailer.
's brother. He won the 53rd Grammy Award
for Best Packaging Design. The packaging is designed to resemble a vinyl record jacket, with the old Nonesuch logo on the front cover in the lower left, and the words "STEREO SOUND" in the upper right. The album was released as a 12 inch double LP
. The album is littered with messages that identify everything, such as the front saying "This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers". When first opened, the label on the disc is almost entirely black. However, the label is heat-sensitive and turns white when played in a disc player for a long enough time. The label can also be revealed by touching the disc. On finding the heat-sensitive ink Carney told LA Times, “Before we started the design, I talked to the people [at the label] and said I’d heard of this ink. Literally, every ink supplier was contacted,” Carney said backstage after his win Sunday. “People are really open to making new packaging.”
Included in the album sleeve is a poster with the lyrics on the back.
The font used, Cooper Black
, has been used by other bands, including The Doors
on L.A. Woman
, In It for the Money
by Supergrass
and the cover of Pet Sounds
by The Beach Boys
.
, the album has an average critic review score of 82/100. Rolling Stone
magazine placed the album at #2 on the Best Albums of 2010 and "Everlasting Light" at #11 on the Best Singles of 2010. The album was also featured on Spin
s Top 40 Albums of 2010 and Paste magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2010.
The album was nominated for five 2011 Grammy Award
s the biggest win being Best Alternative Music Album
. The single “Tighten Up”
won the award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
and was nominated for Best Rock Song
. “Black Mud” was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
. The fifth nomination was for Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, which they also won.
Liam Gallagher
, formerly of the legendary rock band Oasis
and currently in Beady Eye
, stated on Radio 1
that this was one of his favorite albums of 2010.
Two songs from the album, "Howlin for You" and "Tighten Up
" were performed on Saturday Night Live
January 8, 2011.
They released a music video for "Howlin for You" with actresses Tricia Helfer
and Diora Baird
.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winner of Best Alternative Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
by American blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
duo, The Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
. The album was announced on March 2, 2010 by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
and became the band's third release from Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
on May 18, 2010. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with approximately 73,000 copies sold in the first week released, making the band's highest charting album to date. In January 2011, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipping over 500,000 copies.
Background
In 2009, the band was experiencing conflict after vocalist Dan AuerbachDan Auerbach
Daniel Quine Auerbach is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. He is married to Stephanie Gonis, with whom he has a daughter, Sadie Little Auerbach, born in 2008.- Childhood and early...
released his solo album Keep It Hid
Keep It Hid
Keep It Hid is the debut solo album by the American blues-rock musician Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, released in 2009 on Nonesuch Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Dan Auerbach, except where noted.# "Trouble Weighs a Ton" – 2:19...
. Auerbach explained that at that point it was hard to communicate to his bandmate, drummer Patrick Carney
Patrick Carney
Patrick J. Carney is a multi-instrumentalist best known as the drummer for The Black Keys, a blues-rock band from Akron, Ohio...
because of Carney's relationship with his wife. They went months without talking to each other. In the meantime, Carney worked on his own collaboration, Drummer
Drummer (band)
Drummer is an indie rock band from Akron, Ohio. The band was founded by The Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney who plays bass guitar. All the members of the band are drummers in other groups from Ohio.-History:...
and released the album Feel Good Together
Feel Good Together
Feel Good Together is the debut album by indie rock band Drummer, released on September 29, 2009. It was released on band member Patrick Carney's label Audio Eagle Records.-Recording history:...
. In July 2009, Carney broke it off with his wife over the telephone while she was in Europe. After a few months passed, Carney and Auerbach talked and realized how important the band was to each other. Soon afterward, they reconvened in Alabama to work on Brothers, recording at the Muscle Shoals Odyssey Studio
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was formed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,in 1969 when musicians Barry Beckett , Roger Hawkins , Jimmy Johnson and David Hood left FAME Studios to create their own studio...
. There, they recorded 16 songs in 10 days. The album was entirely produced by the band with the help of co-producer Mark Neill, except for the single "Tighten Up
Tighten Up (The Black Keys song)
"Tighten Up" is the first single from The Black Keys album, Brothers, released on May 18, 2010. Dan Auerbach told The Sun how this song came about: "That was the last song we did for the record...
", which was produced by Danger Mouse
Danger Mouse
Brian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
. The album name pays tribute to Auerbach's and Carney's years of friendship. Auerbach explained, "We love each other, we get on each other's nerves, we piss each other off. But like brothers, we know it's all OK."
Singles
The first single off the album is "Tighten UpTighten Up (The Black Keys song)
"Tighten Up" is the first single from The Black Keys album, Brothers, released on May 18, 2010. Dan Auerbach told The Sun how this song came about: "That was the last song we did for the record...
". The song is The Black Keys' most successful single yet, being the first charting song and reaching number one on the Alternative Songs and Rock Songs charts. Mark C. Horn of Buzzbin Magazine describes the song, "The song intros with the distinct whistling from Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” composition, backed up by Carney’s monster thump drumming and Auerbach’s soulful vocal offerings. Famed producer Danger Mouse, who produced Attack and Release, produced the song, which was recorded at Brooklyn’s Bunker Studios."
The official music video was released on May 18, 2010. It shows Auerbach and his fictional son walking to the park. Auerbach sits next to Carney on a bench while their fictional sons play with toy trucks. Auerbach's son looks up on the playground to see a little girl, after which he starts to lip sync to the song. He climbs up on the playground and goes in to kiss her but then he opens his eyes to realize Carney's son has lured her away. After he attempts to kiss her, Auerbach's son begins to fight with Carney's son. After Auerbach and Carney attempt to break the fight up in vain, they see the mother of the girl and begin to fight like their sons. They hit each other using mostly Carney's drum set and after the woman sees them fighting, she walks away. Their sons come to them looking at them disappointingly.
An official video has been released for the song Howlin' for You
Howlin' for You
"Howlin' for You" is a song by The Black Keys from the band's sixth album, Brothers.-Apperances in other media:*The song is used as the theme song to the Australian Police Drama TV Series Cops L.A.C.....
although the song has not yet been officially announced as the band's next single. The video is directed by Chris Marrs Piliero and is a parody movie trailer.
Packaging
The album was designed by Michael Carney, Patrick CarneyPatrick Carney
Patrick J. Carney is a multi-instrumentalist best known as the drummer for The Black Keys, a blues-rock band from Akron, Ohio...
's brother. He won the 53rd Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Packaging Design. The packaging is designed to resemble a vinyl record jacket, with the old Nonesuch logo on the front cover in the lower left, and the words "STEREO SOUND" in the upper right. The album was released as a 12 inch double LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
. The album is littered with messages that identify everything, such as the front saying "This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers". When first opened, the label on the disc is almost entirely black. However, the label is heat-sensitive and turns white when played in a disc player for a long enough time. The label can also be revealed by touching the disc. On finding the heat-sensitive ink Carney told LA Times, “Before we started the design, I talked to the people [at the label] and said I’d heard of this ink. Literally, every ink supplier was contacted,” Carney said backstage after his win Sunday. “People are really open to making new packaging.”
Included in the album sleeve is a poster with the lyrics on the back.
The font used, Cooper Black
Cooper Black
Cooper Black is a heavily weighted, old style serif typeface designed by Oswald Bruce Cooper in 1921 and released by the Barnhart Brothers & Spindler type foundry in 1922. The typeface is drawn as an extra bold weight of Cooper Old Style. Though not based on a single historic model, Cooper Black...
, has been used by other bands, including The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
on L.A. Woman
L.A. Woman
The band embarked on a tour to promote the album, although it would only comprise two dates. The first was held in Dallas, Texas on December 11 and reportedly went well. The second performance took place at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 12, 1970, where Morrison apparently had...
, In It for the Money
In It for the Money
In It for the Money is the second album by Supergrass, released in 1997. NME called it "more fun than watching a wombat in a washing machine" and named it the 10th best album of the year. In 1998, Q readers voted it the 68th greatest album of all time, while in 2000 the same magazine placed it at...
by Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
and the cover of Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band The Beach Boys, released May 16, 1966, on Capitol Records. It has since been recognized as one of the most influential records in the history of popular music and one of the best albums of the 1960s, including songs such as "Wouldn't...
by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
.
Reception
The album has garnered critical acclaim from critics. According to review aggregator website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the album has an average critic review score of 82/100. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine placed the album at #2 on the Best Albums of 2010 and "Everlasting Light" at #11 on the Best Singles of 2010. The album was also featured on Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
s Top 40 Albums of 2010 and Paste magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2010.
The album was nominated for five 2011 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s the biggest win being Best Alternative Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
. The single “Tighten Up”
Tighten Up (The Black Keys song)
"Tighten Up" is the first single from The Black Keys album, Brothers, released on May 18, 2010. Dan Auerbach told The Sun how this song came about: "That was the last song we did for the record...
won the award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories...
and was nominated for Best Rock Song
Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre...
. “Black Mud” was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance was an honor presented to recording artists for quality instrumental rock performances at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
. The fifth nomination was for Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, which they also won.
Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
, formerly of the legendary rock band Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
and currently in Beady Eye
Beady Eye
Beady Eye are an English rock band formed in 2009. The band consists of vocalist Liam Gallagher, guitarist Gem Archer and guitarist Andy Bell, all former members of Oasis, rounded by drummer and percussionist Chris Sharrock who substituted for Oasis during their last tour in 2008/2009, before Oasis...
, stated on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
that this was one of his favorite albums of 2010.
Two songs from the album, "Howlin for You" and "Tighten Up
Tighten Up (The Black Keys song)
"Tighten Up" is the first single from The Black Keys album, Brothers, released on May 18, 2010. Dan Auerbach told The Sun how this song came about: "That was the last song we did for the record...
" were performed on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
January 8, 2011.
They released a music video for "Howlin for You" with actresses Tricia Helfer
Tricia Helfer
Tricia Janine Helfer is a Canadian actress and former model, best known for her roles as Number Six in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, "Carla" on Burn Notice, and FBI Special Agent Alex Rice on Dark Blue, as well as for hosting the first season of Canada's...
and Diora Baird
Diora Baird
Diora Lynn Baird is an American actress and former model for Guess? who has appeared in films such as Wedding Crashers and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning .-Early life:...
.
Track listing
Bonus Tracks
The Black Keys
- Dan AuerbachDan AuerbachDaniel Quine Auerbach is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. He is married to Stephanie Gonis, with whom he has a daughter, Sadie Little Auerbach, born in 2008.- Childhood and early...
– guitar, bass, vocals, piano, production, engineer - Patrick CarneyPatrick CarneyPatrick J. Carney is a multi-instrumentalist best known as the drummer for The Black Keys, a blues-rock band from Akron, Ohio...
– drums, production
Production
- Danger MouseDanger MouseBrian Joseph Burton , better known by his stage name Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' White Album.He...
– production on "Tighten Up" - Kennie Takahashi – engineer on "Tighten Up"
- Mark Neill – production, engineer
- Nicole WrayNicole WrayNicole Monique Wray, also known as simply Nicole, is an American R&B and hip hop singer. Her 1998 debut single, "Make It Hot"—written and produced by Timbaland and co-written by and featuring Missy Elliott—was certified gold.-Musical career:...
– backing vocals on "Everlasting Light", "Sinister Kid", "Howlin' For You", "Next Girl"