Music Baroness - Gold & Grey [Out Today!]

[Keyser_Soze]

Baroness have been pretty consistent with their albums though slowly changing their sound over time. This sounds a lot like Purple (which I enjoyed) but a bit more subdued and a bit more psychedelic.

 

Also, if you only get one physical release this year make it this, the artwork is quite nice. 👌

 

 

 

 

 

I'll probably have more to say about it later!

[Keyser_Soze]

Woo, this was a popular topic!

 

So I listened to it several times.

 

Overall I enjoy it but I feel like there are several things that keep it from being great or even as good as Purple.

 

The album may be an hour long but I feel like a lot are "filler" songs, not really filler but more like atmosphere / album building songs (not necessarily filler as in throw away or meh songs) Especially about the halfway mark after "I'd Do Anything" then I feel like Borderlines is the next highlight. In fact most of the best songs they made a youtube music video for with the exception of "I'm Already Gone"

 

Also, something a lot of people don't seem to be digging and I can tolerate it a bit but they have this wall of white noise clipping thing. I'm pretty sure it's intentional because it was in their previous album, but I kept thinking was something wrong on my end because that's how abrasive it sounded, luckily this is only an issue on some tracks.

 

@GeneticBlueprint

[GeneticBlueprint]

I haven't had a chance to listen yet. I will and then I'll post my thoughts here.

[GeneticBlueprint]

On 6/20/2019 at 8:45 PM, Keyser_Soze said:

Also, something a lot of people don't seem to be digging and I can tolerate it a bit but they have this wall of white noise clipping thing. I'm pretty sure it's intentional because it was in their previous album, but I kept thinking was something wrong on my end because that's how abrasive it sounded, luckily this is only an issue on some tracks.

 

I'm only on the first song but if the clipping is this bad through the rest of the album I'm going to stop listening a few songs in. My God. But the song itself is really good.

[Keyser_Soze]

13 minutes ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

 

I'm only on the first song but if the clipping is this bad through the rest of the album I'm going to stop listening a few songs in. My God. But the song itself is really good.

 

It's really only bad on a couple of the first few songs and then it gets toned down.

 

From what I understand this has the same producer of purple which also had that clipping issue (as I said)

 

Here's a review from RYM talking about it:

Quote

With Purple being the most recent example, calling on the assistance of producer Dave Fridmann, for one of the bands most laid back projects.

Now with Gold & Grey, the band have called upon Fridmann’s services once again. And the result is… well, certainly not bad by any stretch, but it is absolutely a step down from their previous output.

And most of the blame has to be put on Dave Fridmann again, just like it was with the last album. Yes, I still do really enjoy Purple, but some of the production choices kept the album from being an epic masterpiece. And that still applies to this album, particularly in the percussion. I don’t know what Fridmann was thinking, opening the album with a bass drum that is swallowing everything around it in the mix on “Front Toward Enemy”. This continues into the next song, “I’m Already Gone”, in which the guitars have been compressed just so that they don’t peak in the mix. It also doesn’t help that John Baizley’s vocals have also been compromised.

 

https://rateyourmusic.com/collection/saxystephens91/rating114536532

 

[GeneticBlueprint]

Thoughts after first listen through:

 

It's on par with Purple (which I actually think was a step down for them). It might even be better. There are some really great songs on here--Front Toward Enemy, Tourniquet, Throw Me an Anchor, I'd Do Anything, Broken Halo, and Borderlines are all standouts for me. But without question the production is way worse than Purple. Or anything else they've done for that matter. It is brickwalled to shit. Like... I get that that can add a feeling or element to a song. But please not an entire fucking album.

 

Also, I can't fathom why they'd add a female voice to the band and then basically use her on only one song on this entire album (only a slight exaggeration). Pretty much every song is just John doing his own harmonies. He's obviously got a great voice. But so does Gina as you can plainly hear on "Borderlines" or briefly in "Broken Halo". Way underutilized.

 

I don't mind the proggy noodling on this and their previous album. But I much prefer the blend of dirty southern sludge and rock they did on their first releases.

[GeneticBlueprint]

I mean just listen to the difference. These guys have done thick walls of sound without brickwalling.

 

Terrible:

 

Beautiful:

 

[Keyser_Soze]

8 hours ago, GeneticBlueprint said:

It's on par with Purple (which I actually think was a step down for them). It might even be better. There are some really great songs on here--Front Toward Enemy, Tourniquet, Throw Me an Anchor, I'd Do Anything, Broken Halo, and Borderlines are all standouts for me. But without question the production is way worse than Purple.

 

Those are great songs for sure (no mention of I'm Already Gone and Seasons though) but they're all surrounded by "filler" songs so by naming those songs you're basically just naming the only songs on the album.

I'd give Purple the edge just because it trims the fat and gets right to the good songs.