It feels like lightyears since Pelican released a record, referring back to last 2009’s sublime What We All Come To Need album. Ok, so it’s only been about two and a half years but it’s actually the longest they’ve gone without putting out some kind of record. After a short break following some heavy touring, Pelican have finally emerged from the shadows again with this 18 minute EP, Ataraxia/Taraxis, a concept of sorts exploring personal anxieties brought on by our over exposure to information. Very open ended and broad, the topic mirrors the music, being vast in scope and interpretation.

Firstly, Pelican’s trademark sound is very much intact on this EP, however there’s peppering of deviation here that may very well elude to things in the future. In the opener, Ataraxia, the EP is introduced by some eerie atmospherics and gentle but still oddly harrowing acoustic guitar patterns that are eventually shattered by the little time wasting riffs of Lathe Biosas, instantly recalling much of the sounds explored on City of Echoes and What We All Come To Need.

Meanwhile, Parasite Colony is a lumbering, broody number. Slow coarse guitars enter first as the song eventually descends into some crisp melodic passages with meandering lead guitars. Taraxis suitably closes the EP. Where Ataraxia’s acoustic guitars were more solemn and imposing, Taraxis ends proceedings with slightly more buoyant moods initially in the track, which build in dissonance and aggression. The sludgy guitars, which finally enter, create a rickety and volatile atmosphere only to come to a screeching halt.

At a very scant 18 minutes, Pelican have plenty going on within the four tracks of Ataraxia/Taraxis. Still, when the closer comes to its ebullient end, the yearning for more really kicks in along with the feeling that a new album should come as quick as humanly possible.

Drop-d Rating: 8/10

Pelican