The Black Keys: Brothers

They'll be sick of the comparison but the Ohio duo's closest musical reference point remains fellow garage blues revivalists the White Stripes. It's there, of course, in the ragged interplay of lone guitar and drums, but also in the pair's ability to find space for innovation amid tight musical constraints. The legacy of their recent Blakroc rap/rock project is felt on "I'm Not the One" and "Too Afraid to Love You", gnarled blues tracks with a loping hip-hop gait. And though past collaborator Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton only produces one track, such is the ingenuity on display here, he's hardly missed.