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]
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]
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
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 BillboardActive Rock chart, peaking at 35 and 37, respectively.[31] "Take My Bones Away" also reached 38 on the BillboardMainstream Rock chart.[32]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by John Dyer Baizley; all music is composed by Baroness
