The Blue Record, the second full-length from Baroness, dropped a few months ago. In recent times, Baroness has run with bands like High on Fire and Pig Destroyer, but inspired rumblings of “You should hear their old stuff” at concerts from “those guys.” That’s what happens when your first two E.P.’s indicate a “heavier than thou” trajectory and the two albums that follow are actually “catchy like you wish you were.” “More accessible” typically means “worse,” but that preconception doesn’t apply to The Blue Record, even though the term does. Instead of beating listeners down, Baroness draws them in with adept instrumentation and hooks strong enough to haul in the large fish on the album’s beautiful cover.Vocalist/guitarist John Baizley shifts between a straight up bellow and a more traditional singing voice. His soaring, drawn-out yells are impressive, but they disappear right when they start to feel overdone. This speaks to the band’s self-awareness: they pull listeners in, but keep them from getting restless. Songs like 'The Sweetest Curse' and 'Jake Leg' are incredibly catchy, while the mostly-acoustic 'Steel that Sleeps the Eye' shows that the band can pull off softer songs as well. However, 'The Gnashing', with its triumphantly-upbeat jam at the end, might have made a better final track than the instrumental 'Bullhead’s Lament'.The lyrics are abstract enough to avoid easy interpretation but concrete enough to provide some insight into what they are driving at. Alcohol is a recurring theme for most of the album, although on women, death, and regret are also tossed into the mix.The instrumentation on The Blue Album plays a large part in the album’s catchiness. Allen Blickle’s infectious drumming drives most of the songs and will get crowds moving. 'A Horse Called Golgotha' was wisely chosen as a first single, both because of the quality of Baizley’s voice and lyrics and because of the fuzzy guitar solo that hints at future greatness.Overall, The Blue Album is a great album from a promising young band, one that should appeal to both the underground metal crowd and more radio-oriented listeners. However, they might think about throwing a chorus or two into future songs, as there are numerous moments on The Blue Record that scream to be repeated. After numerous end-of-year accolades and their first headlining tour, big things seem to be in the cards for Baroness: “Ace of staves, we will dance evermore,” indeed.