Brothers Album Review

"Brothers" Album Review
By John Rosales



"Brothers" is the latest album release from the blues alt-rock band The Black Keys. The Black Keys are a rock duo formed in 2002 that consists of vocalist/guitarist Dan Aurbach and drummer Patrick Carney. "Brothers" is the sixth album from the band and is their most successful to date. The album sticks to the band's roots, which is hard-driving, soulful blues rock. It provides the right amount of catchy modern blues rock tunes and slower, soulful rhythm.

Their methods haven’t changed much from previous albums with the deep smokey-whiskey voice of lead singer Dan Aurbach belting out tunes that seem as though they should be emanating from a 60-year-old blues barroom singer. Aurbach sings of similar topics related to most all blues rock songs; he’s singing of trifling women and lovers long gone, but with enough of a new and modern twist to keep the old material fresh.

The beats are solid and catchy as Carney shows his dominance over the drums, making you tap your feet and move along to most of the songs. Aurbachs’ mastery of the guitar is prevalent in long guitar solos that are up there with some of the best guitarists in the genre.

The fare is a little stale from the artists though as they basically repeat the same sounds from their previous albums; though the songs are a little cleaner and crisper than in their past albums.The band continues to retain that garage band retro feel that is their signature.

If you’re looking for variety from The Black Keys you’re not getting it with this album, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The band plays the music that garnered them the attention and the audience they received in the first place. Each song is enjoyable and fun in its own respect; (think AC/DC, same stuff but always enjoyable.) It's pure raw, simple blues rock that’s headed by talented musicians that know how to play the blues.

This has been a breakthrough album for The Black Keys whose careers have been struggling to garner them the popular success they deserve. The band had felt as though they wouldn’t last much longer in the music world but with the recent success of their latest album they seem to finally be getting the success and attention they deserve, being a hit in both the charts and with critics.

This recent album has not only been a commercial success for the band(the album has reached number three in the Billboards charts) but has also garnered the band recognition from the critics. Their album has been nominated for a Grammy Award for best alternative rock album and their single “Tighten Up” has also been nominated for best rock song.

After years of struggling to gain attention, the band has finally hit the right chord with popular audiences' and this latest album deserves all the attention that it’s given them. It is one of the best alternative rock albums of 2010 and if you enjoy catchy blues rock songs with unrelenting guitar riffs and pulse pounding percussion all of which are fronted by an incredibly soulful and powerful voice, then this album is for you.

At a Glance:
Band:The Black Keys
Band memebers: Dan Aurbach: vocalist/lead guitar, Patrick Carney: Drummer
Album: "Brothers"
Record Label:Nonesuch Records
Album Release date: May 18, 2010
Singles: "Tighten Up", "Howlin' For You

LBCC Goes Green

LBCC Goes Green
By John Rosales



LBCC is continuing to show its commitment to sustainability and green technology as solar panels were recently added to what will eventually be a gazebo in the courtyard. This is just one of the many advancements made in the past couple of years that illustrates the schools' sustainability practices. The school has shown increasing interest in showing the community and the students their dedication to becoming a sustainable campus. Renovations to many of the buildings are still underway and interested students can see how the school is creating new and exciting projects that revolve around the idea of sustainability.

Madrone Hall is the newest building addition to the campus and its design and construction reflect this dedication to sustainability. A portion of the building itself was constructed from recycled material; the building reused about 10 percent of building waste in order to help in its construction. The building also sports a set of solar paneled windows facing the south side of the school. These windows produce around nine kilowatt hours of energy, which, in comparison to the 19,000 kilowatt hours the school consumes, doesn’t seem to be a very effective addition.However, through efforts like these the school hopes to teach the ability to use alternative energy in a functional way.

Madrone Hall has also incorporated a water cistern that is used to collect rainwater from the roof. The water travels down a water slough and is filtered and dispersed into the ground. This helps to relieve the amount of water that goes into the sewer drains. This not only helps the school but will also help the community.

Daniel Lara, dean of science and technology at LBCC expressed what the school hoped to accomplish by focusing so largely on sustainability in their projects: “It allows the college to communicate to the external community what went into its building practices…it’s a way for the college to say these are the values we hold.”


Construction is still being completed on the White Oak Hall building, which is located next to Madrone Hall and was formerly the home of the science and technology program. One of the more creative and interesting features of this newly remodeled building will be the green roof. This donor funded project will literally be a garden on top of the roof. Four inches of soil will cover the roof and will be home to over 7500 different plant species. It will also help to reduce thermal energy costs by creating a natural insulation for the roof. The roof will be used as a teaching tool for some of the classes on campus and should be completed sometime around April.

There has also been the construction of a solar gazebo in the courtyard that will not only provide much needed shade for students but will also help to offset power consumption for the school. These projects also help the school gain certification in the LEED program, a program designed to acknowledge efforts towards sustainability in new buildings.


The mechatronic and industrial maintenance program is also working on some green projects and is working to create students that can bring renewable energy to the community.

Denis Green, the program advisor explained why thinking about sustainability is so important: “The cleanest, cheapest energy is the energy you save…people think if I change a light bulb it wont make any difference, but if you and a hundred people change a light bulb it makes a difference.”


It is not just the leadership that is working towards a greener campus but students are also getting involved by creating projects around the school. The Green Club, which was formerly called the Students for Sustainability Club, is a student run organization that is hoping to help educate the students and local community about the benefits of a greener life.

Advisor to the Green Club, Lori Fluge-Brunker talked about what the Green Club was hoping to accomplish on campus: “We’re hoping to be really educational…bringing that element of education to the campus community.“

One of the clubs' future projects is an Earth Day fair which the members are hoping will educate students on the need for green living. Hopes are that the fair will also have a few TED speakers that will come and talk about sustainability. TED is an online website dedicated to spreading innovative ideas. The club is currently seeking more students to help with the oncoming projects, so if you’re interested they urge you to visit their website and become involved.

At a glance:
The LBCC Green Club Advisor Lori Fluge-Bunker phone number: 541-917-4411, email:flugebl@linnbenton.edu
Justin Hussey, Green Club student rep. email: obvious.ingenuity@gmail.com
White Oak Hall, Madrone Hall
Mechatronic and Industrial maintenance program
LBCC sustainability