This week, join us as we count down the days until Summer Term at URY. We’re bringing you a series of articles from URY Music’s management team, shedding some light on our own musical tastes as we breakdown some of our favourite albums. To kick things off, take a read of Mariella Bevan’s pick, and hear about how her musical interests have been shaped by The Black Keys.
One of my favourite albums of all time has to be Brothers by The Black Keys. This garage rock duo consists of guitarist and vocalist Dan Auerbach, alongside drummer Patrick Carney. Friends from childhood, the pair have been making music since 2001, beginning with The Big Come Up: their debut album. This included eight originals, interspersed with five covers of blues tracks from musicians such as Muddy Waters and Junior Kimbrough, and ultimately established the group’s raw, blues-rock sound. Their second album Thickfreakness features a track of the same name, which happened to be the first song I ever heard by the band. However, it wasn’t until the release of Brothers, in 2010, that The Black Keys really caught my attention.
The opening track, ‘Everlasting Light’, was the first I heard from this album, and led to a several-year period where The Black Keys topped the list of my favourite bands. The upbeat, catchy drum rhythms and guitar riffs were infectious; and this continues to be one of my favourite songs (it also makes for great listening whilst out on a run). The album marked a change in recording style for the band too, as the track ‘Next Girl’ was first cut with just the drums and bass and no guide vocals or guitar. This change is unsurprising to discover when considering the different direction this release took the band’s sound compared to their previous work. ‘Tighten Up’ became the lead single and the only track to be produced by Danger Mouse — unlike on their previous album, Attack & Release — so in this sense the album also offered a return to their original sound.
One of the other stand-out songs for me was ‘Sinister Kid’, a bass-heavy track featuring bluesy guitar and lyrics like “the boy with the broken halo […] the devil won’t let me be”. This, and many of the more upbeat songs such as ‘Howlin For You’, are what made me realise my love of rock music. As a result, this album not only got me into the band itself but inspired me to explore other similar bands — including the likes of Alabama Shakes and Kaleo. I also loved the slower songs like ‘I’m Not The One’ and the Jerry Butler cover, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, for both the relaxing atmosphere they created and the musical versatility they showcased.
When asked to write about one of my favourite albums, this one immediately came to mind. Although Brothers might not be The Black Key’s most critically acclaimed album, it is the one that introduced me to a whole new world of music and a band that would become my favourite for years to come.
Article: Mariella Bevan
URY Music Editor: Alex Sheriff
