Critiques CD: Pelican | What We All Come To Need

This album ushers in new times for Chicago’s wordless wonder heavyweights Pelican, namely in the form of new label bosses Southern Lord (Sunn O, Earth, etc.). This four-piece will surely stand out from their new home’s dark masses/bands, for no matter how loud these boys get, melody, emotion, and beauty are usually staring at you from not far beneath the jarring surface. Rock, metal, and prog tendencies intersect randomly over incredibly tight musicianship (two guitars, bass, drums), along with complexly constructed instrumental passages that will leave you guessing what’s what, and what comes next.