Pelican

It can be either a blessing or a curse when a band's style can be summed up in a short sentence or phrase -- it's a blessing in that a potential fan base is easily identified, but a curse in that the band might feel pigeonholed or unfairly categorized. In the case of Pelican, the phrase would be "Isis without vocals". It would be unfair to stop the review there, as Pelican is more than an Isis clone, but as a basic description of where these guys are coming from, it sums up the situation nicely. The lack of vocals aren't particularly missed, since bands of this ilk often write songs with long, drawn-out instrumental passages that ebb and flow, with vocals almost an after-effect. Thus far the band has released one full-length album and two long EPs (at around 30 minutes each, the EPs are practically full-lengths themselves), and they've really nailed the atmospheric post-hardcore style quite well indeed (Neurosis, of course, is still the standard-bearer here -- while Isis sounds like Neurosis and Pelican sounds like Isis, Pelican sounds more like Isis than Neurosis, if that makes sense).

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Discography

Studio Live

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