Brothers by The Black Keys

I’ve seen The Black Keys live two times &, both times, I’ve managed to screw something up.

The first time was at Outside Lands 2008 in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park where two more of my favorite artists, Radiohead & Beck, were also on Friday’s bill. I insisted that my friend Tommy come with me even though he didn’t have a ticket &, although he was eventually able to buy a ticket at the box office, we had to wait in line for over an hour & we ended up missing the first half of The Black Keys’ hour set. Needless to say, I was bummed but, back then, I wasn’t nearly as big a fan as I am today AND I was about to see Radiohead for my very first time so I was still doing alright.

The second screw-up was far worse than the first & took place at Coachella 2009. I’ve been to Coachella the past 6 years in a row & I have an annual routine where I drink as much vodka as I possibly can on my drive to the festival in order to avoid spending a ridiculous amount of money of $7 Heinekens in the beer gardens. I usually achieve a mild to moderate buzz & walk onto the polo fields feeling fantastic but, on Friday of Coachella 2009, I went a little overboard & walked into the show pretty much blacked out. My sobriety returned a couple hours after my arrival & I remember everything about Ghostland Observatory, Paul McCartney & Beirut later that night but my memory of the Black Keys’ late afternoon set is just one big happy blur. I know I enjoyed the show but I can’t specifically remember the details & that sucks. I’m determined to get it right the next time I’m lucky enough to see my beloved Black Keys perform live & I’ve learned a valuable lesson: Don’t blackout before you see The Black Keys.

I adore The Black Keys &, in my opinion, they can do no wrong. Some people couldn’t really get into their recent hip hop-rock collaboration project Blakroc (featuring huge rappers like Mos Def, RZA, Ludacris & Pharoahe Monch) but I personally thought it was bad ass. Despite Blakroc’s mixed reviews, I have no doubt the 8^th Black Keys’ studio record Brothers (set for official release on May 18^th) is going to be a huge success.

Brothers was leaked on the Internet on April 19^th & I’ve been rocking out to it nonstop ever since. There are MANY hard-hitting, classic-sounding Black Keys tracks like Sinister Kid, She’s Long Gone, Howlin’ For You, The Go Getter, Tighten Up & Next Girl (& I love them ALL) but the Keys have also added a lot of unique variation to this album with slower, sadder songs like the album’s closing track These Days & an AMAZING cover of Jerry Butler's Never Gonna Give You Up. Dan Auerbach channels his inner Otis Redding & the results are simply magical.

GET THE ALBUM HERE: http://drop.io/qblqapj