Since, the duo hasteamed with producer Danger Mouse, collaborated on hip-hop side projects, gonesolo and, on their latest, found themselves at the famed Muscle Shoals SoundStudios. Yep, it’s been something of a zigzag road toward adulthood and, maybe,the mainstream.
Most here sounds ofa piece, with sinewy keys, a rambunctious, rubbery bass sound (overcompensationfor the instrument’s absence on early outings?), a new polish on guitarist DanAuerbach’s voice and a general vibe of loose R&B-ish rock. Sure the Keyscan still cook: “Unknown Brother” stews nicely, “Next Girl” burns, “She’s LongGone” is pure Southern deep-fry. But the more ingredients they seem to add(Danger Mouse again, that overdone bass!), the less there is differentiatingthe band from, say, The Strokes.
There are remindersthat the boys haven’t quite grown up. “Sinister Kid” sounds like anoverproduced nugget from an earlier album. But in comparison to those saladdays, this effort feels like the pair throwing on some button-downs for alittle laptop job search at the corner Starbucks.
