The Big Come Up (Reissue)

If you're not hooked by the time Dan Auerbach finger-picks his way into the whining guitar groove of opener Busted, then the delivery of his sandpaper vocal drawl - ably assisted by Patrick Carney's whiplash drumming and "medium fidelity" production - will assure you that, in the US Midwest, they still keep their blues traditionally bottled. And therein lies the key to The Black Keys' brilliance - the ability to make exciting new tunes sound raw and well-travelled, without falling into lame pastiche or parody.