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Yellow & Green (Baroness album)

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Yellow & Green
Yellow cover
Studio album by
Baroness
ReleasedJuly 17, 2012 (2012-07-17)
RecordedNovember–December 2011
StudioWater Music
Hoboken, New Jersey
Elmwood Studio
Dallas, Texas
Genre
Length74:59
LabelRelapse
ProducerJohn Congleton
Baroness chronology
Blue Record
(2009) 		Yellow & Green
(2012) 		Live at Maida Vale
(2013)
Alternative cover
Green cover
Singles from Yellow & Green
  1. "Take My Bones Away"
    Released: May 14, 2012[2]
  2. "March to the Sea"
    Released: June 12, 2012[3]

Yellow & Green is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness. The double album was released in 2012 by Relapse Records.[4][5]

Background

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Baroness took a year off from touring in 2011 to write Yellow & Green.[6] The album was recorded in November and December 2011 at Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey, and Elmwood Studio in Dallas, Texas[7] It is the second Baroness album produced by John Congleton,[6] and the only album Baroness recorded as a trio, with frontman John Baizley playing all bass guitar parts due to the departure of the band's original bassist, Summer Welch.[8] The album is the last full-length from Baroness to feature drummer Allen Blickle, who left the band after their 2012 bus accident.[9]

Days before the Yellow & Green was released, the band performed songs from the record live in Maida Vale Studios for BBC Radio 1's Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter.[10] This session resulted in an extended play titled Live at Maida Vale, which was the final Baroness release through Relapse in 2013.[11]

Release

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On May 14, 2012, "Take My Bones Away" was revealed as the album's lead single on Baroness' official YouTube channel. The second single, "March to the Sea," was released on June 13. Jimmy Hubbard directed music videos for both songs using footage from the band's spring 2012 tour with Meshuggah.[12][13] The song "Eula" debuted on Liquid Metal Sirius XM on June 18.[14]

Yellow & Green was released on July 17, 2012 by Relapse Records.[15] It is available on CD, on vinyl, and as a music download. Relapse also released a deluxe edition of the album housed in a 28-page hard covered book set featuring artwork from John Baizley.[16]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The A.V. ClubB−[18]
BBCVery favorable[19]
Consequence of Sound[20]
NME[21]
Paste7.2/10[22]
Pitchfork8.5/10[23]
PopMatters[24]
Rolling Stone[25]
Spin[15]

Yellow & Green was well received by music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on 26 critics, the album received a score of 82/100, which indicates "universal acclaim." Entertainment Weekly and Spin both named Yellow & Green the top metal album of 2012.[26][27]

In a review for Pitchfork, Brandon Stosuy gave Yellow & Green an 8.5/10 rating, calling it "an epic record that is heavy in a new way." He said the Yellow and Green discs "elegantly mirror each other," and stated, "Each disc stands on its own as a powerful document; together, they genuinely earn the word 'epic.'"[23] Dean Brown of PopMatters gave the album a rating of 9/10, and wrote, "This release is the epitome of soul music, not in the musical sense of the word, but more in a literal sense..." He went on to say, "This double album may not connect with those unwilling to grow with Baroness, but for those willing to support a progressive band in their selfish exploration of their musical capabilities — give Yellow & Green enough time to bear its soul to you."[24] In his review for Spin, Christopher Weingarten wrote, "On its own, the 40-minute Yellow is the second-best metal record to come from Georgia’s drop-tuned, swamp-bathed, crust-caked community..." (behind Mastodon’s Leviathan). He gave the album a 9/10 rating, saying, "On Yellow & Green, [Baroness] come out smarter and weirder and better than any metal band this year."[15]

In J. Edward Keyes' review for Rolling Stone, he gave the album a score of 3.5/5, declaring it Baroness' "most accessible record." He said, "The edges are smoother and the choruses more pronounced than before, but they're still as marauding and feral as ever. The Yellow disc is more immediate... Green is artier, stretching filmy guitars across monk-like vocals. It adds up to a thrilling hard-rock epic."[25] Writing for The A.V. Club, Ryan Reed gave Yellow & Green a B- rating. Although he noted that the record is "almost inevitably bloated," he said, "Yellow & Green is crammed with highlights... There’s an abundance of good ideas here, all of them fearlessly pursued. Next time, the band just needs to hire an editor."[18] Jon Hadusek of Consequence gave the album a B score, and said, "Baroness possesses an acute sense of melody, unpredictable songwriting, and vision for its work. Yellow & Green encapsulates all of those things, and, consequently, it’s one of the year’s most engaging metal albums."[20]

Commercial performance

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Yellow & Green debuted at 30 on the US Billboard 200, selling 12,660 copies in its first week of release.[28] It was the highest charting debut in the history of Relapse Records.[29] By November 2015, Yellow & Green had sold 57,000 copies in the United States.[30]

"Take My Bones Away" and "March to the Sea" both appeared on the Billboard Active Rock chart, peaking at 35 and 37, respectively.[31] "Take My Bones Away" also reached 38 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.[32]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by John Dyer Baizley; all music is composed by Baroness

Disc 1 (Yellow)[33]
No.TitleLength
1."Yellow Theme"1:44
2."Take My Bones Away"4:59
3."March to the Sea"3:11
4."Little Things"5:03
5."Twinkler"3:16
6."Cocainium"5:08
7."Back Where I Belong"6:15
8."Sea Lungs"3:21
9."Eula"6:47
Total length:39:44
Disc 2 (Green)[33]
No.TitleLength
1."Green Theme"4:22
2."Board Up the House"4:33
3."Mtns. (The Crown & Anchor)"4:17
4."Foolsong"2:57
5."Collapse"3:51
6."Psalms Alive"4:08
7."Stretchmarker"3:23
8."The Line Between"5:02
9."If I Forget Thee, Lowcountry"2:42
Total length:35:15

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

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Chart (2012) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 59
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 124
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[37] 52
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[38] 22
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[39] 13
Italian Albums (FIMI)[40] 99
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 66
UK Albums (OCC)[42] 85
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[43] 9
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[44] 3
US Billboard 200[45] 30
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[46] 8
US Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[47] 3
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[48] 6
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[49] 8
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[50] 3

Accolades

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Best-of lists
Publication Accolade Rank
Entertainment Weekly Six Best Metal Albums of 2012[26] 1
Decibel Top 40 Albums of 2012[51] 2
Magnet Top 25 Albums of 2012[51] 12
BBC Music Top 25 Albums of 2012[51] 13
PopMatters 75 Best Albums of 2012[51] 15
Spin 50 Best Albums of 2012[51] 15
Treble Top 50 Albums of 2012[51] 16
Stereogum Top 50 Albums of 2012[52] 18
The Village Voice Top 100 Albums of 2012[51] 24
Paste 50 Best Albums of 2012[51] 47

Loudwire Music Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2012 Yellow & Green Rock Album of the Year[53] Nominated
"March to the Sea" Rock Song of the Year[54] Nominated

Metal Storm Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2012 Yellow & Green Best Sludge / Stoner Metal Album[55] Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Mills, Matt (April 2021). "10 metal bands who went 'soft' – and were better off for it". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  2. ^ Robert Pasbani (May 14, 2012). "Your First Official Taste Of New Music From BARONESS". Metal Injection. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Alex Young (June 12, 2012). "New Music: Baroness – "March to the Sea"". Consequence. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Zaleski, Annie (March 30, 2012). "Interview: Baroness' John Baizley discusses the 'unexpected' tone of their third album". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  5. ^ Ramirez, Carlos (April 11, 2012). "Baroness, 'Yellow & Green': Georgia Sludgesters Announce Third Album". Noisecreep. AOL. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Comaratta, Len (July 18, 2012). "Interview: Allen Blickle (of Baroness)". Consequence. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo (July 16, 2012). "Yellow & Green – Baroness | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Williams, Pete (November 10, 2021). "Total Request Live: Baroness's John Baizley on Concerts By Request, Post-COVID Touring, and Gold & Grey". Consequence. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  9. ^ Martins, Chris (March 25, 2013). "Baroness' Rhythm Section Departs Following Bus Crash". Spin. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Jolicoeur, Todd (July 23, 2013). "Baroness Streaming "Live At Maida Vale" EP via Alternative Press". 100percentrock.com. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  11. ^ "Baroness – 'Live at Maida Vale – BBC' Available Now in North America on LP/Digital!". relapse.com. July 22, 2013. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
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  14. ^ "Audio Roundup: New music from BARONESS, VOD, ARSIS, THY WILL BE DONE". Metal Injection. June 25, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
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  21. ^ Gardner, Noel (July 16, 2012). "Baroness – 'Yellow And Green'". NME. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
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  25. ^ a b Keyes, J. Edward (July 17, 2012). "Yellow & Green". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  26. ^ a b "Best and Worst 2012: The six best metal albums of the year". Entertainment Weekly. December 19, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  27. ^ "Baroness' 'Yellow & Green': Hear the Metal Album of the Year". Spin. July 10, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
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  44. ^ 22, 2012/112/ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
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  50. ^ "Baroness Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  51. ^ a b c d e f g h "Year-End Lists - Yellow & Green". yearendlists.com. December 31, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  52. ^ "LISTOMANIA: Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2012". Stereogum. December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  53. ^ "ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR – 2012 LOUDWIRE MUSIC AWARDS". Loudwire. December 4, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  54. ^ Spencer Kaufman (January 16, 2013). "THREE DAYS GRACE WIN ROCK SONG OF THE YEAR IN THE 2012 LOUDWIRE MUSIC AWARDS". Loudwire. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  55. ^ "The Metal Storm Awards 2012". Metal Storm. 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
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