Pelican could have easily gone the easy route with their latest LP. The success of 2005’s thunderous The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw, made it clear there was a surprisingly voracious audience for walls of instrumental power that moved more like a destructive glacier than a mechanized robot. Following the Mogwai trajectory of more atmosphere (and more boring) seemed almost logical even, but it appears Pelican has tastefully declined. City of Echoes’ most stunning moments are melodies, the kind that stick with you for days. With a monstrously catchy title track and the shimmering smooth lines of ‘Spaceship Broken – Parts Needed’, they’ve created some of the more interesting and appealing instrumental rock to justify the bastard genre. Toss in the requisite sludgy grindfests and a sweet acoustic interlude or two, and City of Echoes comes complete as a record that could at last unite the metal nerds and indie haters.
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