Ten years after an extended road trip around the United States, Du Blonde & Samuel T. Herring of Future Islands finally release their standalone deep-cut ‘Pelican Canyon’.
Recorded in one take in a haunted Los Angeles studio in 2013, Pelican Canyon is a stripped back acoustic track, reminiscent of the 70’s folk of John Prine and Joan Baez. Lyrics such as “So nice to meet you, what’s your name and where you been?” encapsulate the essence of two strangers hitting the road in search of distraction from their day-to-day lives. Over four weeks the pair visited 15 states, including California, Virgina, Maryland, New York, and North and South Carolina, finally deciding to name the song after the pelicans and canyons that flank the magical stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between Los Angeles and Malibu.
Du Blonde reminisces on the recording: “Pelican Canyon is a song that’s really close to my heart. It’s a time capsule of one of many trips I took in my early twenties, when the world was still new to me and I was adventurous enough to drive out into the desert with a total stranger. It encompasses a feeling and experience I’ve been looking to recreate ever since.”
Pelican Canyon showcases a different side of Herring to the emphatic, tour de force vocalist we’ve become accustomed to through his work with Future Islands. Laid over a backdrop of Du Blonde’s finger picked acoustic guitar and soft harmonies, Herring’s vocals bring forth elements of Johnny Cash’s more melancholy work, proving that even the most gritty vocals can be the most beautiful when afforded space to sail.
Listen here: https://ffm.to/pelicancanyon
Amazing vocals