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Forever Becoming

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Forever Becoming
The 2019 Remix artwork features a gold border instead of white
Studio album by
Pelican
ReleasedOctober 15, 2013 (2013-10-15)
StudioElectrical Audio Studios
GenrePost-metal
Length50:12
LabelSouthern Lord (LORD182)
ProducerChris Common
Pelican chronology
Ataraxia/Taraxis
(2012) 		Forever Becoming
(2013) 		The Cliff
(2015)

Forever Becoming is the fifth studio album by American post-metal band Pelican. The album was released on October 15, 2013 through Southern Lord Records. Forever Becoming marks Pelican's first release to not include founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec.[1]

Prior to the album's release, Pelican released an online stream of "Immutable Dusk" in July, 2013.[2] "Deny the Absolute" was released as a stand-alone single in August, 2013,[3] and later as a music video in December, 2014.[4] An online stream of "The Cliff" was released in September, 2013,[5] and was followed by The Cliff as a separate EP in 2015.[6]

Background and composition

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Forever Becoming is the first Pelican album since its inception in 2001 to not feature founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec.[1] He withdrew from touring with Pelican in 2010, told his fellow band members that his "heart wasn't fully in it" following the recording of the 2012 EP Ataraxia/Taraxis, and publicly announced his departure two months after the release of the EP in June 2012.[7] Schroeder-Lebec left to spend more time with his family. Pelican originally planned to carry on as a three-piece band,[7] but then-touring guitarist Dallas Thomas of The Swan King became a full-time member and ended up contributing to the writing process of Forever Becoming. On working with Thomas, guitarist Trevor de Brauw said, "[Bassist Bryan Herweg] and I are more freewheeling. We don't have every detail worked out, whereas [Dallas Thomas] is very meticulous and really likes to have things thought out. Having that balance means we're not going to veer too far in either direction."[8]

On the sound of Forever Becoming, de Brauw described it as being "a lot darker, depressive, and angry," which he attributed to the "nervous headspace" caused by continuing on without Schroeder-Lebec.[8] The increased aggression of the album drew positive reactions from critics.[9] While songs on some of Pelican's more recent albums experimented with a traditional or pop structures, the songs on Forever Becoming were designed to feature a narrative or journey, with songs intentionally ending very differently from where they began.[8]

Forever Becoming was produced by Chris Common, formerly of These Arms Are Snakes, who also previously produced Pelican's 2009 studio album, What We All Come to Need.[2]

2019 Remix

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In February 2019, Pelican and Southern Lord announced a deluxe vinyl reissue of Forever Becoming. In a statement from Southern Lord, the label stated that the band was satisfied with the original recordings, but the post-production mixing and mastering was done in a makeshift studio that was set up in "less-than-ideal circumstances" that was said to have "varnished the incredible tones generated during tracking".[10] The original producer Chris Common returned to remix and remaster the album at his own studio. Southern Lord said he brought "a new level of low-end depth, atmospheric clarity, and tight, punchy heaviness to the album." All streaming sites updated their version of Forever Becoming to the 2019 Remix version.[10] In addition refreshed audio, the 2019 reissue also features the formerly Japan-only bonus track "Bardo" and the version of "The Cliff" from The Cliff EP with Allen Epley providing vocals (in addition to the original version).

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[12]
Alternative Press[13]
The A.V. ClubA−[14]
Consequence of SoundC+[15]
Pitchfork[9]
PopMatters[16]

Forever Becoming was met with positive reception. The album received an average score of 74/100 from 10 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11] Gregory Heaney of AllMusic wrote, "it seems the change in membership has reinvigorated them, providing their songs with a sense of stability that shines through on an album that easily ranks as some of the band's most exciting work in recent years."[12] Writing for The A.V. Club, Jason Heller praised Forever Becoming, saying that "by stepping back and taking stock, Pelican has reconnected with what made it a pioneer in the first place: force, vision, and soul."[14] Pitchfork writer Colin St. John said lauded the album's heightened aggression, saying the unusual heaviness proves that the band still has life left.[9] However, not all critics were impressed by the efforts of this new version of Pelican; in a more middling review, PopMatters writer Brice Ezell (who had praised the band's previous EP)[17] criticized Forever Becoming for regressing in quality and style.[16]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Terminal"3:27
2."Deny the Absolute"5:35
3."The Tundra"5:13
4."Immutable Dusk"7:01
5."Threnody"8:07
6."The Cliff"4:06
7."Vestiges"7:15
8."Perpetual Dawn"9:28
Total length:50:12
Japanese bonus tracks[18]
No.TitleLength
1."Bardo"3:38
2."Deny the Absolute" (7" Version)5:35
3."The Truce" (7" Version)3:16
Total length:12:29
2019 Remix[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Terminal"3:26
2."Deny the Absolute"5:34
3."The Tundra"5:14
4."Immutable Dusk"7:02
5."Threnody"8:09
6."The Cliff"4:05
7."Vestiges"7:17
8."Bardo"2:58
9."Perpetual Dawn"9:38
10."The Cliff" (feat. Allen Epley)4:07
Total length:57:30

Personnel

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Forever Becoming personnel according to liner notes.[19]

Chart positions

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Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[20] 21
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[21] 7
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[22] 22

References

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  1. ^ a b "Important Announcement Jun 26 2012". hydrahead.com/pelican. Pelican. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Adams, Gregory (July 10, 2013). "Pelican Return with 'Forever Becoming,' Unveil New Track". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  3. ^ McGovern, Kyle (August 13, 2013). "Pelican Unleash Alternate Version of Relentless 'Deny the Absolute'". Spin. Spin Media. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  4. ^ Breihan, Tom (17 December 2014). "Pelican – "Deny The Absolute" Video". stereogum.com. Stereogum. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  5. ^ Crane, Matt (September 18, 2013). "Pelican stream new song 'The Cliff'". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  6. ^ Camp, Zoe. "Pelican: The Cliff EP". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Adams, Gregory (June 27, 2012). "Pelican's Laurent Schroeder-Lebec Leaves Band". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Mejia, Paula (July 17, 2013). "Pelican Regroups on 'Forever Becoming'". Spin. Spin Media. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c St. John, Colin. "Pelican, Forever Becoming". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Kennelty, Greg (March 1, 2019). "Pelican Announces New 7" Midnight And Mescaline, Streams Remix Of 2013 Album". Metal Injection. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Forever Becoming Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Heaney, Gregory. "Forever Becoming - Pelican : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  13. ^ "Pelican - Forever Becoming". Alternative Press (November): 90. 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Heller, Jason (15 October 2013). "Pelican: Forever Becoming". music.avclub.com. The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  15. ^ Kivel, Adam (15 October 2013). "Pelican - Forever Becoming". consequence.net. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Ezell, Brice (22 November 2013). "Pelican: Forever Becoming". popmatters.com. PopMatters. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  17. ^ Ezell, Brice (22 April 2012). "Pelican: Ataraxia/Taraxis". popmatters.com. PopMatters. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  18. ^ "Forever Becoming Japanese Discogs entry". discogs.com. Discogs. 9 October 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  19. ^ Forever Becoming (Media notes). Pelican. Southern Lord Records. 2013. CD booklet. LORD182.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Pelican Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  21. ^ "Pelican Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  22. ^ "Pelican Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
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