The Old Ceremony: Walk On Thin Air

By: Dennis Cook

Don’t parade your scars
It will only keep them from healing
It will only re-ignite that feeling
That you have come this far
So, don’t parade your scars

There’s resonate hum inside The Old Ceremony, a feeling akin to gospel without its trappings. Theirs is a clear-eyed positivity that faces down life’s slings & arrows and outrageous fortunes and remains standing in the face of it all. Their last album, Our One Mistake, was a quintessential grower, gaining depth and force with repeated listens, and their new one, Walk On Thin Air (released February 24 on Alyosha Records) has all the markings of a song cycle that’s only going to thicken up beautifully with time. Emotionally sincere and boldly etched, The Old Ceremony is rock in the vein of Cold War Kids and early U2, though a touch warmer than either of those. Some tunes, notably “Stubborn Man,” bear a swell resemblance to solo John Lennon. While perhaps not as readily ear-grabbing as its predecessor, Thin Air may ultimately prove the denser work. Leader-songwriter Django Haskins belts ’em with a nigh Jeff Buckley level passion and sweetness, and he’s surrounded by peels of vibraphone and violin, purring organ and bright whistling. As the list of things to be cynical and downhearted about grows by the day, we need music to march us into a brighter tomorrow. From the wonderfully anthemic opener, “Til My Voice Is Gone,” through the gorgeous, contemplative title track on through another dozen well put together studies of hearts and bones, The Old Ceremony provide a nice soundtrack for the long journey towards that brightness. Another splendid album from a band that only seems to grow and grow.

And a bonus live clip of one of the standouts on Our One Mistake.

JamBase | Chapel Hill
Go See Live Music!