The Black Keys

The Black Keys is a two-man duo comprising singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, both of whom were in their early twenties when the band's debut, The Big Come Up, was issued in 2002. Hailing from Akron, OH, they harnessed a close-to-the-bone, raw blues-rock sound on the album, whole sole instruments were Auerbach's guitar, Carney's drums, and the occasional organ. From the start, Auerbach flaunted a fine, mature, lived-in blues voice for one so young, and the group's material worked in funk, soul, and rock influences from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown, which helped avoid undue repetition of the overdone chord progressions and stock riffs common to so many such acts. Before the year's end, the band had amassed a loyal following and inked a deal with Fat Possum.

The Black Keys' second album, Thickfreakness, was recorded in 14 straight hours during a single day in 2002. To prepare for its April 2003 release, the duo joined Sleater-Kinney as their opening act for a North American winter tour. Rubber Factory followed in 2004 and earned notices as one of the best records of the year. A live DVD arrived in 2005, followed by the Chulahoma EP and the full-length Magic Potion in 2006. Two years later, the Keys issued the Danger Mouse-produced Attack & Release, an album that was originally planned as a collaboration between the duo and Ike Turner (although Turner's death in December 2007 rendered the collaboration impossible). Attack & Release debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, propelled in part by the band's string of incendiary live performances (as well as several festival appearances that summer). Another concert DVD was issued before the year's end, and frontman Dan Auerbach rang in the New Year with the release of his first solo effort, Keep It Hid.

The band released their hip-hop collabrative, BlakRoc, this past November. Its contributors are Raekwon, RZA and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan; Jim Jones, formerly of The Diplomats, and NOE, formerly a DipSet affiliate; Mos Def; singer Nicole Wray; Pharoahe Monch, Billy Danze, one half of M.O.P.; and Q-Tip, formerly of A Tribe Called Quest.

The Black Keys release their sixth full-length album, Brothers, May 18 on Nonesuch Records. The album arrives on the heels of three other acclaimed projects the band released in the past year: Dan Auerbach’s solo effort, Keep It Hid, the debut LP from Patrick Carney’s band Drummer, and Blakroc, a collaboration between The Black Keys and renowned MCs including RZA, Mos Def, Q-Tip, and Raekwon. The Black Keys’ 2008 album, Attack & Release, received praise from The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, the Los Angeles Times, and MOJO, which called the album, “…rich with melody and driving power.” The band will support Brothers with a tour that includes a sold out performance at Central Park’s SummerStage in New York City on July 27 (additional dates will be announced soon).

Carney admits Brothers is the album they’ve always wanted to make and taps into their creative force as a duo. “Dan and I grew up a lot as individuals and musicians prior to making this album. Our relationship was tested in many ways but at the end of the day, we’re brothers, and I think these songs reflect that.” Carney and Auerbach recorded the bulk of the album at the legendary Alabama studio Muscle Shoals with additional sessions at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound System in Akron, OH and The Bunker in Brooklyn, NY. Muscle Shoals, an old building located in the sparse Alabama town that lends the studio its name, has produced iconic recordings from The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, and Wilson Pickett, among many others.

The New York Times has called The Black Keys’ music “tough-minded, blues haunted songs,” and the ghosts of Muscle Shoals inhabit Brothers’ 15 tracks. Of the album, Auerbach says, “We like spooky sounds…like Alice Coltrane, where a dark groove is laid down. That’s the headspace we tried to get into for this record.”

The album includes the Danger Mouse-produced song “Tighten Up” and a cover of the Jerry Butler classic “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The remaining songs on Brothers are written, performed and produced by The Black Keys. With the exception of a handful of tracks, co- production duties were handled by Mark Neill. The record was mixed by Tchad Blake. Carney explains the sound the band wanted for this record: “We are big fans of Tchad Blake. The way he approaches mixing is the same way we approach making music. Respecting the past while being in the present. The mixes he did for us on Blakroc impressed us so much we knew he had to mix Brothers.”