More bombastic than the subtle and somewhat underrated City Of Echoes release, the newest full-length from Pelican finds the band expanding their low end proclivities and yet still fine-tuning their penchant for captivating melody. Listening to Pelican at times is like having an opium dream while staring at light playing on the surface of water, before you conquer your fears and cannonball on in. What We All Come To Need shows them in full command of their past and focused with a raptor gaze (er...pelican?) of intensity on the opportunities of the present. It is this sterling commitment that has created such a devoted following and a bright future for a band that is eventually destined to reach institution status.

If it wasn't exciting enough to have new material from the band in general, this time Pelican have invited along an imposing array of guests from the (s)avant-metal world. Greg Anderson of Sunn O))), Aaron Turner of Isis and even a startling vocal cameo from Shiner/The Life of Times man of the hour Allen Epley add to the prism of sounds on What We All Come To Need. The album is capable of reflecting your own life back at you, whether on brighter days or (especially) on moody winter nights alone when the wind rattles the windows. From the warm yet crashing wave/wash of "Glimmer" to the surprise of "Final Breath" this album proves Pelican take their RDA of rock vitamins.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Trevor about the record and getting more acquainted with what makes the band tick during these times.

MORGAN Y. EVANS: I'm sure you'll be asked this a lot, but it's sort of mandatory. This is your first full record for Southern Lord. They have had an impressive year, from the new Sunn O))) record Monoliths And Dimensions to the Eagle Twin debut (which is my favorite album all year, no offense to you guys!). But now, this new Pelican release is simply rock solid. How did you become involved with Greg and Stephen, et all? Obviously there is the Lair Of The Minotaur connection, but why didn't you go with Hydra Head this time or for the Ephemeral EP? Clearly, things are cool with Aaron Turner as he plays guest guitar on your new title track!

TREVOR DE BRAUW: As with Aaron and Hydrahead, we have a long-standing relationship with Greg that dates back to the early days of the band and playing with Sunn 0))) at some of their early Midwest shows. We decided at this stage of the band it was time to just test new waters and experiment doing records with another label to see if maybe there were other people we could reach. Hydrahead remain good friends and totally understood our reasoning.

MYE: Any new frontiers you were aiming your sights on for What We All Come To Need, or a general mission statement that you try and adhere to when writing in general? The record sounds very warm and yet lush and dark, like a lot of your albums. There's insightful passages and parts that are like crashing waves. Particularly, I was blown away by "The Creeper" with Greg Anderson on it from Sunn O))).

TDB: In general we write our records with no sort of mission in mind and just see where the material takes us. Somewhere around the halfway point of writing an album we'll begin to notice themes in the writing and try to develop those in a manner that will make the record cohesive. With this album we were consumed with an ever-darkening worldview which contributed a darker vibe all around.

MYE: Hey, you guys toured with Kayo Dot not so long ago, who currently have my ex-Divest band mate, drummer Dave Bodie. He said it was amazing seeing you guys play and that you let him have way too much merch and wouldn't let him pay for it...but that he was super psyched! How was the experience of playing shows with Kayo Dot?

TDB: Kayo Dot are a great band. Toby Driver may be the closest the avant jazz world may ever come to having their own Daryl Hall.

MYE: [laughing] That rules. So, I've been a vocalist in bands for 15+ years and should feel threatened by bands like yours, but never have! One, because it is great music, and as King Buzzo said in some Melvins liner notes somewhere "There is room for everything". He was talking about there being room for whatever the Melvins wanted to release but, yeah... the more good music the merrier, even if instrumental. And on top of it, the crucial point with your band is even though primarily instrumental, the music itself is so vocal and melodically memorable. You can almost "sing" the mood (that sounds real hippie of me).

TDB: Yeah, I love the Melvins. I think a talk show with King Buzzo and Steve Albini would be a real treat. Maybe set up a stage that mirrors so that both hosts have talk show host desks at either side and the guest sit in the middle and get berated by both of their brilliant sarcastic wit. If anyone from IFC is reading this I have a lot more ideas where this one came from.

MYE: Speaking of vocals, though, Allen Epley from Shiner and The Life and Times sings on the final cut ,"Final Breath". That's new. Do you just know him from the Chicago scene? I was in a different band with original Coheed and Cambria drummer Nate Kelley called PPSP, and he got me way into the Shiner album The Egg. Man, I wish I had moved out to Chicago!

TDB: Chicago is a tough town. Ever read "The Jungle"? Stuff like that is still happening every day. Luckily we have a very fruitful music scene to numb some of the pain of existence. We are all also fans of Shiner from way back, but we came to know Allen on a personal level through his current band Life and Times. We loved their first album and at the time of its release were being booked by the same booking agency. We put together a tour and quickly became friends and allies. When we wrote "Final Breath" we all agreed that it seemed like a song that could benefit from vocals and all agreed that Allen would be a great choice to voice it. He truly exceeded our already high expectations. He killed it.

MYE: Think you'll get any criticism for having vocals on a song? It fits the atmosphere. It's funny, I was just interviewing Josh Graham (ex-Red Sparowes) on his new band A Storm Of Light and he said he'd gotten sick of being in instrumental bands, but again, your music is so kinetic. There always seems to be a sense of motion to what your band is doing. Even the name makes me think of a bird above a huge swath of ocean. It must be so liberating in some ways, seeing all the crap out there in the mass culture and knowing you guys can travel the world and play free, instrumental music.

TDB: We will probably get flack, but it doesn't really matter. We're incredibly fortunate to have been afforded so much respect throughout the years and to have had so many opportunities. The truth of the matter is that with that song, with the new record, and with all our records, we are simply answering to our muse and playing the music that is in our hearts without any deep regard for how it will go over with people. We count ourselves as incredibly fortunate and deeply humbled that it also awards us the opportunity to travel and share this vision with people who appreciate what we're putting out there.

MYE: Let's talk about this Pelican burger I've been hearing about? That band Daylight Dies makes their own beer, but it's cool you guys have a slab of beef named after you (though it probably should have been bird meat considering the band name). What's the scoop on the burger and also do you fear backlash from your vegan fans (if there are any after people saw all the blood in Lair Of The Minotaur videos and chics rubbing guts on their tits)?

TDB: Kuma's Corner is a Chicago gourmet burger restaurant that name their burgers after metal bands. On one level it's an incredible honor to be counted amongst the bands that have been honored in burger form, on another level, as a vegan of 15 years, it's a bit of a bummer to see a burger that incorporates no fewer than three species of dead animals in-between its egg-ridden bun. When the request for the Pelican burger to be vegan was denied, I too, requested that it at least be made of pelican meat so that it seem appropriate. Alas, it was a no go. But regardless, many thanks to Kuma's for the support and for hosting our album listening party (the event at which the burger was served). As a side note, the Lair of the Minotaur video is highly exploitative. But it's pretty funny, too. Not sure it's a turnoff for vegans, though.

MYE: How was the experience of working with Chris Common on What We All Come To Need? What of his past work impressed you the most?

TDB: We all loved his production work for his own band These Arms Are Snakes and he's a friend, so he seemed a great fit. We had a great time recording with him. He's incredibly meticulous, but without ever veering into stressful territory. He really coached great performances out of everyone and had a real idea for what the record was supposed to sound like, that completely gelled with our own.

MYE: I appreciate that your band is a "feel" band. There is usually an organic quality to the songs and it shows through. Everything doesn't have to be picture perfect but it all adds to the overall whole. Do you think your fans realize this?

TDB: Like I said before, we're just very fortunate and appreciative that people enjoy the music we're making. We just play the music we want the way we want to play it and everything else is a magnificent bonus. Thanks everyone for listening! Go vegan!