Pelican (band)

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Pelican


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genre = Post-metal
Sludge metal
Years_active = 2001–present
Label = Hydra Head Records
Associated_acts = Tusk
URL = [http://www.hydrahead.com/pelican Hydrahead Records site]
Current_members = Trevor de Brauw
Bryan Herweg
Larry Herweg
Laurent Schroeder-Lebec
Past_members =

Pelican is a four-piece instrumental band from Chicago, Illinois who have since relocated to Los Angeles.cite web
url = http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/jul2007/pelican.aspx
title = Pelican: "Pelican speak softly and carry more than just big riffs on the monolithic City of Echoes"
author = Andrew Parks
work = Decibel Magazine
month = July | year = 2007
accessdate = 2007-11-07] The band is known for its dense combinations of different melodies and extended track lengths. Their distinctive sound draws from doom metal as well as post-rock and many other influences, making them exemplary proponents of post-metal. They are signed to Hydra Head Records, which is owned and operated by Aaron Turner of Isis. Larry Herweg, Trevor de Brauw, and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec also make up three-quarters of the band Tusk.

Genre

Regarding the band's genre, de Brauw said, "I don’t think of Pelican as a metal band... I feel like we're part of a trajectory of Midwest bands that kind of blend aggression with a pop sensibility, so while it's easy to classify us with instrumental bands, we're not instrumental by design. We just didn't know how to put vocals in our music and for it to sound right."cite web
url = http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/1801290
title = Pelican: "We're neither trend setters nor trend followers"
author = Mike Diver
work = Drowned in Sound
date = 2007-03-27
accessdate = 2007-03-29]

Speaking on the plethora of labels used to describe Pelican's genre, bassist Bryan Herweg states that "it's flattering, really", and that "I take that as nobody being able to classify what we're doing. I really don't want to be fixed in one genre."cite web
url = http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/06/14/1631268.html
title = "Pelican's music tough to categorize"
author = Allan Wigley
work = Ottawa Sun
date = 2006-06-14
accessdate = 2007-08-02]

As for the instrumental nature of the band, Herweg states that "I think there are limitations that come with having a vocalist. If we had some big burly man in front screaming, we'd be classified as metal. If we had some scrawny guy we'd be emo. As it is, no one can pin us down."Touring has evolved the band's style from "drawn-out... slow-building" to "more direct and faster, and straight to the point" material to provide more energy on stage.

Themes

Though an instrumental band, the music of Pelican certainly does have a thematic center. The overwhelming motif is that of nature, specifically aspects grand in scale. Long, slow, heavy and low songs, often gradually evolving over the course of a song or entire album, lend to this seasonal-natural feel. However, before one even reaches the listening stage, album artwork and song titles outline nature as the central theme. Albums "Australasia" and "March into the Sea" both clearly set the massive aspect of nature as a theme in their title. Song names are often even more evocative; for example, from "The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw": "Last Day of Winter", "Autumn into Summer", "Aurora Borealis" and "Sirius"; from their eponymous debut: "Mammoth" and "Woods"; from "Australasia": "NightEndDay" and "Drought".

There also seems a sense of optimism, despite the heavy nature of the music. Much of it is performed in major key, giving it an uplifting feel. Song titles are often about moving from something relatively bleak onto something better, such as "Last Day of Winter", "Autumn into Summer", or "Drought" followed by the rain-motivated "Angel Tears".

Current members

*Trevor de Brauw - guitar
*Bryan Herweg - bass guitar
*Larry Herweg - drums
*Laurent Schroeder-Lebec - guitar

Discography

Full lengths

*"Australasia" (2003)
*"The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw" (2005)
*"City of Echoes" (2007)

EPs

*"Pelican" (2001)
*"March into the Sea" (2005)
*"Pink Mammoth" (2007)

plits

*"Pelican/Scissorfight/The Austerity Program Split" (2003)
*"Pelican/Playing Enemy Split" (2005)
*"Mono/Pelican split" (2005)

DVDs

*"Live in Chicago 06/11/03" (2005)
*"After the Ceiling Cracked (Live in London)" (2008)

Multi-Format Sets

*"After the Ceiling Cracked" (2008)

Notes

Additional reading

cite web
url = http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/jul2007/pelican.aspx
title = Pelican
author = Andrew Parks
work = Decibel
date = July 2007, issue 33
accessdate =

External links

* [http://hydrahead.tortugarecordings.com/pelican/ Official website]
* [http://www.hydrahead.com Hydra Head Records]
* [http://www.hydraheadshop.com Pelican and other Hydra Head Records merchandise]

*myspace|pelican|Pelican
* [http://www.last.fm/music/Pelican Pelican] at last.fm
*musicbrainz artist|id=5a797e16-f69a-4957-820f-1152ec19d236.html|name=Pelican
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:vu7ibk59aakc~T00 Pelican] at Allmusic