Thursday, June 21, 2012

Streaming Album, Streaming Thoughts #1: BARONESS - Yellow & Green

This may or may not be the first entry in a series. As new albums are released to music "journalists" (like me) in streaming form, I can jot down my thoughts as said album flows. The score is based completely on my first impressions. Let's see what happens.

BARONESS
Yellow & Green
Relapse Records - July 17, 2012

Looking for metal? You're in the wrong building, try First or Second.

One song on the Yellow side sounds like an unearthed Meat Puppets track.

I hear Jethro Tull and the Byrds creeping through...

"Cocainium" is a great song title. Whoa, total Goblin worship going on!

If you don't like fuzzy guitars, leave the hall. There are lots. What were you expecting, anyway?

For a side called Yellow, they sure do talk about water a lot.

People will want to smoke to "Board Up The House". It's the feel-good hit of the summer. Haha, "Green". I get it.

Do I hear a little Elvis Costello going on?

Man, a lot of people are going to hate this. I take almost as much satisfaction in that as I do in this album so far.

 If the first minute of "Collapse" had a fatter bass line and different vocals, it could be a Brothers Johnson song.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...this is entering Weather Channel background music territory...OK, it's over. And now the first two minutes of are redeemed by a double-tracked theramin-sounding solo!

 "Stretchmarker" might be instrumental, but if Jackson Browne was singing over it no one would blink.

The heaviest song comes next to last, and it's still "lighter" than half the songs on Blue Record. It also contains the album's best guitar solo.

It ends not with a bang, but a pensive shimmery instrumental. The vibrato gives it a Western vibe. Nice and reflective.


Score:
8