Customer Reviews

Ephemeral [Vinyl]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This new, three song EP is not a giant leap (or even a small step) away from what I expect from Pelican. I would definitely say that it is not as complex as previous works. This is not to say that it is not tight, polished, well-produced, and heavy. Admittedly, this album has not been given the white glove treatment yet, but has been listened to start to finish and I had a smile on my face the entire time. After reading the other review posted ("No, no, no, etc..."), I'm shocked that any fan of Pelican's previous work would find this new offering THAT disappointing.

EDIT: Okay, after listening to this a few more times I am changing my ranking from 4 stars to 5. I love it. It is aggressive and rhythmic and, again, I cannot believe any fan of Pelican's other work would not like this. Kudos, Pelican, I cannot wait until more new releases.

This EP is everything I've been waiting for. City of Echoes left me eager for more, and Pelican delivered. While this is not a full-length album, the band definitely packs in an album's worth of intensity and effort. They even had the guts to do an Earth cover, "Geometry of Murder," which is a feat in itself, and they pull it off masterfully. "Geometry" crashes through in a heavy, crushing, almost meditative drone, reminiscent of Pelican's first EP. Some of the sickest Pelican guitar riffs are unleashed on this album, and you will not be disappointed. The drumming on this EP is on another level and is much more noticeable, especially in the title track. The percussion has always been good in this band, but Larry has really stepped it up here. Ephemeral follows in the footsteps of City of Echoes with similar progressing guitar riffs and movements, but it also represents a slight reversion to the older Australasia-esque sound due to its heaviness. A great listen for fans of any of their work!

To address the one-star "No no no no" review below:

I saw them play all three of these songs live last night in Cincinnati and passion was certainly present onstage. I find it hard to believe that someone could call himself a fan and give this album one star. And what's more - you say you're "one of the few who love both City of Echoes and Australasia" as if you've gone around and taken a poll of all the Pelican listeners and most fans only like one or the other. Don't pretend that you're one of the only ones who appreciates both Pelican's earlier and later material. A true fan would appreciate both, and it appears that someone who would bash the band this way is not one of those. These guys might be the hardest working band in the industry and they are taking the genre (a genre they have essentially created themselves) in new directions.

If anyone is taking that guy's review seriously, do yourself a favor and at least download the MP3 version here on Amazon - it's $2.97 - and believe me, this is way more than three dollars' worth of music.

It may be worth buying if you want that song, it is pretty good. 12", 45 RPM. Comes with large folded poster. Which even Pelican would have to admit, 'could've put something more interesting on it' the poster that is. Just about anything would have been better, actually. Unless you're from Washington like me and it would remind you of home.