Another classic Pelican album

I've been a fan of this band since around 2002, when I got their debut EP before Australasia came out. I have no idea how I came across that release. I'm not normally that cool. It could have been a glowing review in Kerrang! or Terrorizer perhaps. I can't even find a purchase receipt or anything like that in my emails so who knows where I got the inspiration from. I was a big fan of Isis so I could easily have been led down a recommendation. 

Nonetheless I have enjoyed Pelican for over twenty years at this point. I can say at this point I never really got into City of Echoes or The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw, listening to them again recently they're still good but they were missing a certain something that they found on Australasia. And then they found it again on What We All Come To Need. 

I'm glad to say that they continue to have It, whatever It may be, on Flickering Resonance just like they continued to have on Forever Becoming and Nighttime Stories. Long form albums best enjoyed in one sitting as a series of movements instead of individual tracks, that build together to produce a satisfying whole. Doomy, proggy, heavy post-metal that sometimes flirts with the lighter strains of post-rock when they're not using an overwhelming mass of sound to crush the listener. Once again there are no vocals so they rely entirely on instrumentation for their art. This is an entirely textural sound, where you have to listen through the brash guitars and thumping percussion to appreciate the beautiful soundscapes they're creating. 

The physical release is a wonderful thing to behold too, a nice orange colour (totally not Irn Bru) with side D being an etching of the cover art. 

However Pelican continue to aim for something and never quite hit it. I know they have an absolutely titanic album within them; this isn't it. Some tracks feel like they could use a little more development, they start building towards a climax and finish prematurely. Perhaps the next one will be the classic I want it to be.