The Black Keys have long stood in the shadow of The White Stripes, their exponentially more famous counterparts. The comparison between the two groups has stood for as long as both two-person, minimalist, blues-rock bands have unequally shared the spotlight since the early 2000s. Despite such critical acclaim as Rolling Stone's four-star rave of their debut album, The Big Come Up, The Black Keys have been unsuccessful in amassing the equivalent fan base of their rival. But lately, the scales may be shifting - Stripes fans grow weary of Jack White's incomparable side work with The Raconteurs and miss the days when Jack and Meg's absurdity wasn't so commercial. Enter Attack & Release, the Black Keys' fifth album, to the rescue of disillusioned Stripes fans everywhere.

That is not to say that fans of The Black Keys have to worry that Attack & Release may be less than the sound they are used to. If anything, it is more. Attack & Release is the band's first studio-recorded album and collaboration with a producer - Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley and the Gorillaz. In spite of the bold changes, The Black Keys retains their characteristic minimalist appeal of raw guitar riffs and simplistic drumming.

The title is somewhat deceptive in describing the sound of the album. What should be emphasized is emotional "release" rather than anything loud and fast that "attack" implies. The Black Keys cover typical blues subjects of nostalgia and heartbreak with slow-burning acuity. Vocalist Dan Auerbach does not have the greatest singing voice - he wails more often than he sings - but for what the Keys play, his imperfection works. In Attack, he and his guitar cry in a harmony that is only fitting of blues rock.

The Black Keys retain the qualities that earned them the parallel to The White Stripes. Auerbach sounds incredibly similar to Jack White on the album's second track, "I Got Mine" - such that it could be mistaken for a track off the Stripes' Elephant (2003). Nonetheless, the album's remaining tracks demonstrate that the Keys can also offer a distinct flavor of rock - one that borrows from both classic American and alternative rock. "Psychotic Girl" stands out as a haunting blues take on something similar to the Eagles' famous "Witchy Woman." The album's riff-heavy first single, "Strange Times" echoes Queens of the Stone Age. The Keys make their greatest impression with "So He Won't Break." The track samples a "Stairway to Heaven"-reminiscent intro and saxophone with a distinctly retro-soul result.

With Attack & Release, The Black Keys strike a compromise with fans. They retain Stripes-like garage minimalism, yet further emphasize classic, blues-infused rock to distance themselves from the latest White Stripes. The result is an album of dark, lonesome melodies that leave listeners hurting and wanting more at the same time. A-

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