Review: Baroness

Baroness- The Blue Album

Like a great many people, I picked up Baroness’s first full-length release “The Red Album” in 2007 and thought, “pretty good.” They clearly had talent and the will to make a good record, but I was unsure they would ever be able to move forward and make a great album. I am happy to report that my doubt was well founded. Baroness did not have the will to make a great album…they made a mind-blowing album.

While the “Red Album” turned heads, the “Blue Album” drops jaws. It is the kind of record that makes you feel like you got to the party late and discovered that you friends miraculously became more interesting. This type of personal growth is not supposed to occur in the space of a single release. I was more than willing to wait and watch Baroness grow slowly over the course of several albums, evidently Baroness does not share my patience. I have no idea who decided that it was time for Baroness to take of the handcuffs and show the world what they had to offer, but we all own that person a drink.

The “Red Album” featured some truly enjoyable moments, but suffered from a case of paint-by-numbers at times. Many of the tracks sounded a bit to similar, a bit to much like a desperate attempt at proving their sludge metal cred. Thankfully Baroness stopped trying to fit themselves into genre and explored quite a few new sounded. While they are still a sludge metal band, they are a sludge metal band that isn’t afraid of acoustic elements (is that a banjo I hear?) or play with tempo. It is really refreshing to hear a band actually trust itself enough to not hide behind distortion pedals but actually use them to craft a unified sound.

Baroness has just jumped way ahead in line, from casual listen to appointment audio experience. I recommend that you take your finger off the skip button and simply let this album wash over you. That being said, there are a few highlights. “Jake Leg” and “A Horse Call Golgotha” will set you straight if you require a more traditional sludge metal listening experience. I however strongly recommend that you give “The Gnashing” a shot.

Grade: A

Best Track: The Gnashing

Review: The Pains of Being Pure of Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- S/T

With the debut of their first full length release, NY indie pop outfit The Pains of Being Pure of Heart have made it very easy to hate them. That isn’t to say that I hate them. On the contrary, I actually enjoy their sound quite a bit. But somewhere, out there in the world, some hipster is screaming bloody murder and playing the “I am aware of more obscure references” game to a crowd of uninterested friends upon hearing this album. TPoBPoH obviously has a great deal of fun trying to weave together nostalgia and sound. Right after pressing play listeners will be hit with a pretty solid wave of 80′s alternative sounds. Granted at times this trope can feel a bit played out and like a pitiful attempt at sonic reinvention. At least after the first listen.

My second listen was the one that convinced me that TPoBPoH is worth the time I put in. True the mid/late 80′s nostalgia may a bit much. Not to mention the heroin slung vocals nearly shout pretension. But give it some time and a careful listen and I am pretty sure you will find that this album has quite a bit going on. Yes, the arrangement reeks of misplaced 80′s love, but it also has hooks that smack of mid-90′s punk mixed with other more contemporary sounds. From the cover art down to the at times vapid lyrics, this album asks the listener to overlook a lot. I would recommend that you ignore the shallow and self-defeating efforts to garner your love and not take this album at face value.

The songs feature a catchy up tempo beat even if they are paired with sometimes painfully sweet vocals. The lyrics are not earth shattering, but it will become obvious they are not attempting to be. More than anything I think you will hear a decent first effort from a band that potentially has quite a bit to offer. Homage is a difficult business and TPoBPoH does a pretty good job balancing between showing their love and being original.

Grade: B/B-

Best Track: “Come Saturday”