PELICAN - After the Ceiling Cracked DVD (www.hydrahead.com)
By Zach Huff
Pelican has been around since 2001, and they have waited until now to unleash a live DVD of their December 20, 2005 performance from London's Kings Cross Scala. Was it worth the wait? Yes. The band is a very interesting musical act, with a harsh, hard post-metal sound. They dish out guitar-heavy music that sounds like Queens of the Stone Age would sound if they were hipper, jammier and had no vocals. They also exert extreme control over their music, a fact that shines during the performance; it's both wandering and carefully directed. The band never seems to follow the same riff/bass pattern for too long before shifting into something else, with the drummer's constant beat leading them along and eventually leading them back to where they began.
Pelican's presence onstage is captivating and epic; they keep your attention even as they take a moment to tune their guitars or take a well earned momentary breather. The camera work of the performance was very nice, with smooth transitions and soft panning. No noticeable jerking was present, and the overall presentation did not induce headaches (as live concert DVDs sometimes do). Some quirky shots, such as obsessive, extreme close-ups on the guitarists' foot pedals and a crazy behind-the-amps, wire-filled shot broke up the monotony of shifting from one band member to another quite nicely.
Obligatory shots of the audience revealed the usual fan base of any band that is known for a good live performance. There were the soft head bangers (and the complimentary off-beat soft head bangers), that one guy who head bangs harder than anyone else, the hipsters who just stand there and the cell phone camera aficionados who work their way up to the front of the crowd and snap away at the band. Everyone in attendance seemed to feel the epic soundscapes the band created.
Besides the London show, there is a collection of live takes from a variety of venues and time periods, as well as an interview and a music video. The quality of the live footage varied greatly and most of it was considerably lower than the London show, but the band's intensity and passion remains the same. The interview provided some insight into the band's thoughts on the band, but it was extremely forgettable. The music video, titled "Autumn into Summer," lacks the draw of the live segments. Its inclusion provides a welcome sense of variety from the performance heavy DVD, and it nicely rounds out the overall experience.
After the Ceiling Cracked provides one hell of a punch of live music goodness in the performance from London, and the inclusion of a multitude of other live takes and other materials makes it a complete package. It's an obvious purchase for fans of the band as well as an interesting introduction for anyone who has never heard of them.
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