Pelican
City of Echoes
(Hydra Head, 2007)

Listeners of instrumental music carry with them an air of having more capability to appreciate music than others. And, call it pretentious, but they probably have a right to do so. The theory being that, if one takes the time to fully understand the range of things the musicians are attempting to convey without them telling us what it is with words, the better that person is at interpreting the music.

Instrumental music brings with it the feeling that if you do understand it (and, furthermore, enjoy it), this puts you directly into a smaller group of people that can look out at everyone else thinking that you know about certain things that others do not. This is where the snobbery comes into play, but it’s still okay in my opinion. It’s like jazz or mind expansion through drugs; lots of people don’t get that stuff. Hardcore fans of varying genres of music especially receive great joy when others don’t get them. There’s solace in the separation, the comfort taken in knowing where everyone stands for a brief moment.

It mostly boils down to a matter of time. Understanding a band like Pelican takes some time… that thing for which many of us seem to have so little. You can spend your time trying to monitor Paris Hilton’s every move, learn to regurgitate sports statistics, or understand the complexities of instrumental music. However, it seems that to truly consider the music, you have to be trapped in your car on some long lost highway or on a cross country plane or alone in your apartment on beer number six. You can’t come into this, hear it once, and “get it.” You just can’t.

So, what about Pelican? Hydra Head, for all intensive purposes, is a metal label, releasing records from the likes of Big Business and Boris. And while Pelican’s music displays many dark and heavy moments and is very much where their roots remain, with the band hailing from Chicago, their songs (especially on this third full-length album) reveal influences from the instrumental music of a decade-long genre of bands coming from this windy mid-western city… namely Tortoise. Perhaps that is why this album is called City of Echoes.

This album shows that Pelican has refined their textured sound with a sense of clarity—this most apparent in the more narrative moments, like on the slower yet no less epic track aptly named “Spaceship Broken – Parts Needed.” Tracks like these create an unexpected twist and, even without lyrics, provide a lyrical outlet. Also driving the band away from their metal leanings of the past and into more melodic territory is Pelican’s development of a very keen, driving rhythm section. However, fans of their heavier material won’t be disappointed for there are several songs like “Dead Between the Walls” that flat out slay.

Even for instrumental music, one should not shy away from Pelican based on the notion that they can’t be instantly gratifying, because they actually can be. But if you suddenly find some extra time while trapped in a bunker waiting for World War III, get into the head of this album and you’ll be glad you did, because there’s plenty more to offer than what’s immediate. In terms of music, as in life, the difference between the person who is willing to put in the work and the person who isn’t actually does mean everything.

Listen: “City of Echoes” [at myspace.com]

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