Forever Becoming

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]

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)

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

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

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
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
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

Forever Becoming personnel according to liner notes.[19]

Chart positions
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
gollark: I think they're implying that Discord has more furries than the general populace.
gollark: Are you sure you don't mean "furries"?
gollark: As previously explained, I will be supreme world dictator *anyway*.
gollark: Sane people *are* capable of learning things independently.
gollark: With strict scheduling.

References
  1. "Important Announcement Jun 26 2012". hydrahead.com/pelican. Pelican. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  2. 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. "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. Adams, Gregory (June 27, 2012). "Pelican's Laurent Schroeder-Lebec Leaves Band". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  8. Mejia, Paula (July 17, 2013). "Pelican Regroups on 'Forever Becoming'". Spin. Spin Media. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  9. St. John, Colin. "Pelican, Forever Becoming". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  10. Kennelty, Greg (March 1, 2019). "Pelican Announces New 7" Midnight And Mescaline, Streams Remix Of 2013 Album". Metal Injection. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  11. "Forever Becoming Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  12. 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. Heller, Jason. "Pelican: Forever Becoming". music.avclub.com. The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  15. Kivel, Adam. "Pelican - Forever Becoming". consequenceofsound.net. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  16. Ezell, Brice. "Pelican: Forever Becoming". popmatters.com. PopMatters. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  17. Ezell, Brice. "Pelican: Ataraxia/Taraxis". popmatters.com. PopMatters. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  18. "Forever Becoming Japanese Discogs entry". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  19. Forever Becoming (Media notes). Pelican. Southern Lord Records. 2013. CD booklet. LORD182.CS1 maint: others (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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