The Cliff (EP)

Last updated
The Cliff
The Cliff (2015) cover.jpg
EP by
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2015
Studio
Genre Post-metal
Length24:40
Label Southern Lord Records (LORD205)
Producer Sanford Parker, Aaron Harris
Pelican chronology
Forever Becoming
(2013)
The Cliff
(2015)
Nighttime Stories
(2019)

The Cliff is the sixth EP by American post-metal band Pelican, released through Southern Lord Records on February 24, 2015. [1] Despite Pelican being a predominantly instrumental band, three of the EP's four tracks feature vocals. [2]

Contents

The Cliff was released digitally, as a standard 12-inch vinyl, and as an orange vinyl limited to 1,000 copies. [3]

Content

The Cliff features three altered versions of its title track, which originated from Pelican's 2013 studio album, Forever Becoming . The first of these versions is "The Cliff" with vocals by Allen Epley, who had previously provided his voice on the closing track of Pelican's 2009 album, What We All Come to Need . [4] The second track is a remix by Godflesh frontman and Pelican inspiration Justin Broadrick. Jeremy Ulrey of Metal Injection said about this remix, "Broadrick in particular makes the song his own, stripping out the vocals and leaving behind a skeletal drone that sounds like a dead ringer for his own act, Jesu." [5] The third song is a remix of "The Cliff" by Aaron Harris and Bryant Clifford Meyer of Palms. The EP's closing track is a Pelican original entitled "The Wait". [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Drowned in Sound 7/10 [6]
Metal InjectionAverage [5]
Pitchfork 6.7/10 [7]
Under the Radar Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

The Cliff was met with somewhat positive reception. Zoe Camp of Pitchfork considered the EP an interesting experiment that hinted at a more melodic, vocally-driven Pelican. [7] Writing for Metal Injection, Jeremy Ulrey said, "it's a fairly disposable addition to the catalog. The key selling point of this release is the original studio mix of "The Cliff", with the remainder of the EP being non-essential lagniappe. Which is kind of what EPs have historically been anyway." [5] Joseph Rowan of Drowned in Sound said that The Cliff may only be for devoted listeners, but that it was a worthwhile experiment that should please fans. [6] Under the Radar's John Srebalus wrote, "The Cliff works as an expertly curated maxi-single, but also as a top-to-bottom journey in inspiration, purpose, and emotional resonance." [8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The Cliff" (Vocal version)4:03
2."The Cliff" (Justin Broadrick remix)8:27
3."The Cliff" (Palms remix)6:08
4."The Wait"6:01
Total length:24:40

Personnel

Credits adapted from liners notes. [3]

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References

  1. Metalsucks (3 December 2014). "Exclusive: Pelican Announce New EP The Cliff + Track Premiere (with Vocals!)". MetalSucks . Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  2. "The Cliff EP" (Press release). Pelican. Southern Lord Records. February 24, 2015. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  3. 1 2 3 The Cliff (vinyl liner notes). Pelican. Southern Lord Records. 2015. LORD 205. Retrieved April 4, 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. "Pelican "The Cliff"". Southern Lord Records . Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Ulrey, Jeremy (5 March 2015). "EP Review: Pelican The Cliff". Metal Injection. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Rowan, Joseph. "Pelican – The Cliff". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Camp, Zoe. "Pelican – The Cliff EP". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Srebalus, John. "Pelican: The Cliff EP (Southern Lord)". Under the Radar . Retrieved June 15, 2018.