After they dropped out of college, childhood friends Patrick Carney and Daniel Auerbach, better known now as The Black Keys, made a living mowing lawns and whacking weeds for a slumlord. They ended up getting fired for not edging a lawn correctly, but the blues-rock duo pressed on, this time in a more musical direction.

After a decade of hustling productions of new songs, The Black Keys finally won popular and critical acclaim in 2010. Their album Brothers, which included the popular single “Tighten Up,” won three Grammy Awards, as well as being sampled on many commercials including for  Subaru, Victoria’s Secret, American Express and Zales.

On Friday, Dec. 2nd, 2011, The Black Keys released their catchy, beat-driven, gritty roadtrip-ready album titled El Camino.  The album represents not only The Black Keys’ ability as a musical group (following up the commercial cash-cow of Brothers was no easy feat), but also their achievement in keeping bluesy garage-rock alive and kicking to a nice, non-fussy beat.

The album is perfect for a good head-bobbing session near your laptop speakers, or even a party-mix buffer song between the rap and dubstep.

Recommended songs include, but are not limited to, “Lonely Boy,” “Gold On the Ceiling” and “Money Maker” (Ludacris’ version is good too).