Baroness Make ‘Blue Record’ For Personal Reasons — Exclusive Video

Savannah, Ga. psych/art metal band Baroness have always embraced minimalism. Their 2004 EP 'First' was followed a year later by their second EP 'Second.' Then they switched to colors; in 2007 they released 'Red Album,' and now they've followed with 'Blue Record.' In part, the open-ended titles are like empty canvases that provide listeners no preconceptions before they hear the music. But also, they prevent the band from concocting something pretentious like 'Below the Friction Lurks Our Divinity,' or some such horse crap.

"We put so much density and so much depth and complexity into the music, lyrics and artwork," frontman John Baizley tells Noisecreep. "We felt that it would be really heavy-handed to give it a title that sort of matched that. We wanted an access point, you know, like an open door to the record."

Still, Baizley acknowledges that 'Blue Record' conjures images of melancholy reflection, a condition that was very much a part of the writing process. Not that Baroness were profoundly depressed when they wrote the songs. They were just dealing with some pretty heavy personal issues that colored the tone and title of the disc.

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"Our last record, which is 'Red,' was conceptually a reaction to these external things [in our lives]," Baizley explains. "And with this record, 'Blue,' we've turned the focus from external to internal. And that hit on some themes with us that were a little bit less easy to digest. And maybe had a little bit more of that melancholy to them."

Baizley is purposely vague about the ordeals he and his bandmates experienced, but he says that without them, the songs on 'Red Album' wouldn't be nearly as meaningful or enduring.

"There were some fairly serious moments we confronted and some really difficult obstacles to get past," he says. "And then, to further that, we dug into our pasts in order to write music that was evocative for us -- you know the type of music that we thought we would have continuing involvement with, and a lasting sort of personal investment with. We chose to use some of those more difficult experiences -- the trials that we've been through and some of our collective struggles.

"I think that's where some of this melancholy comes from, but that's not to say that the record's meant to be depressing or anything. In fact, I think through that process we actually came out with something that is arguably a little more positive than some of our previous material."