"Flickering Resonance" comes to us via Run For Cover records six whole years after "Nighttime Stories" (Southern Lord Records), and I would say it was worth the wait. Post-Metal criteria upheld, with creative and fresh additions found throughout. This release is the first since 2009 to feature the original lineup. That year's release, "What We All Come To Need", could shuffle in with the new release. A timeless sound this band maintains. More on this album's specifics below.
Distorted yet laid back, the album opener "Glutch" sets the precedence for the rest of this 8 track release. A base is provided, and the ingredients start coming together in "Evergreen", which is track two. You don't need words for a song to speak. This band can tell stories through their meticulous melding of textures and flavors. "Indelible" is almost inedible for the average picky eater in the beginning, but somewhere between the 3 and 4 minute mark, a balance is found. Track 4 is intriguing as it is called "Specific Resonance", and brings into question the meaning of the album. The themes of steady vs unsteady and intensity come to mind. Track 5, "Cascading Crescent" is a single from this album and has a visualizer-style video accompaniment. Listening to it with your eyes closed could be a suggestion based on the video. "Pining For Ever", this track title and instrumental gives a sense of exasperation. This sixth track is one of my favorites, I really enjoyed the build-up a third of the way through. Track 7, "Flickering Stillness" is an oxymoron. I know that sounds rude, but the instruments are dialed back for the beginning of the song, and then the guitars take charge and switch things up with these glittered shapes and arpeggiated patterns. The visualization that plays when you listen to this song on a music app is a firepit fire. An appropriate description of the title and vice-versa. Now we have arrived to track 8, which is calling us all out..."Wandering Mind". Whether it be about the themes discussed in this album or virtually anything else, we've all done it. A very steady rhythm section meets with reverberated and jazzy-delayed guitars. I'm a big fan of how this album was mixed, my favorite example being the drums on this track.Â
All-in-all, Pelican is a sonic force that will captive your ears and your mind. The fuzz and delay can speak your language, no matter which corner of the world you live in. The founder guitarist rejoined the band, which is something that is a rarity for most bands, and where some nostalgia for the foundational inspirations can be brought back out into the frey. This album is a celebration of reunion, nostalgia, and that sweet bluesy fuzz. If it were a flavor, I'd say it's a smokey honey BBQ.
If you're hungry for more, catch Pelican on the road this summer, secure those tickets
Give the album a full listen and share with a friend, especially a friend who likes metal, stoner-metal, blues, jam bands, and distorted chugs.
