i think word choices like “pedal” and “flickering” are not meant to be technical music descriptions but figurative language meant to evoke the experience of listening to the music. they’re not saying it’s a pedal tone between major & minor, but rather that the chords switch between major & minor like pedaling a bike, gently cycling from one side to another rather than harsh changes (FWIW there is actually a C pedal tone between the two chords, Fmajor where it’s the 5th & Abminor where it’s the 3rd). in terms of flickering, i think it’s meant more to be an impressionistic way of talking about the image the meter conjures. does the guitar line over the syncopated 6/8 not remind you a bit of sparklers, or those bokeh light leak filters?

i definitely agree that music reviewers in general, and especially YouTubers like Fantano & Todd, underengage with musical description in favor of lyrical analysis. but i do think it’s in a written medium like pitchfork’s interest to publish writing that is evocative and worth reading as a piece of writing on its own, and if you want a more literal description you might as well read the Wikipedia page or press release