Yellow & Green by Baroness

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.

This is an impressive effort, one that involved a lot of heavy lifting, and it's best experienced with that sort of commitment.

Yellow & Green sees Baroness going full-on melodic, embracing space and mood rather than bombast.

Yellow & Green casts off the shackles of expectation while simultaneously taking a measured step in the direction of accessibility.

This is a case where the good does far outweigh the bad, and had this album been a bit more condensed, it would have been one of my favorites this year.

There’s an abundance of good ideas here, all of them fearlessly pursued. Next time, the band just needs to hire an editor.

Rather than write this off as a complete dud, though, be prepared to do your own editing.