The Old Ceremony - Walk On Thin Air [2009]

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After causing quite the stir around the indie scene with their first pair of albums, Chapel Hill, NC’s The Old Ceremony are ready to break through the glass ceiling with their most stunningly progressive effort to date, Walk On Thin Air. By stripping away all the unnecessary frills and thrills from his music, songwriter/singer/guitarist/violinist/pianist Django Haskins treats the remaining elements of melody, structure, soul and sound like putty in his multi-tasking hands. What he winds up with at the end is nothing short of indie-pop brilliance.

While Walk On Thin Air does continue the Brit-pop vibe of Our One Mistake, in a Roger Waters vs. latter days Lennon & McCartney sense, the overall aura of the newer release is a much darker one. Even one the disc’s most musically upbeat numbers, “Ready To Go,” with its marching rhythm and quasi-western vibe, tells the tale of a fatal car crash, from the perspectives of each of the accident’s victims. Opening track, “Til My Voice Is Gone” is a shoe-in for most glorious sing-a-long of the year, yet it remains one hundred percent fluff-free. Conceptually exploring escapism, while musically minimalistic, “To Disappear” is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s more introverted and depressive material; though it remains as captivating as brighter tunes like “Plate Tectonics” and “By Any Other Name.”

Walk On Thin Air is an anomaly of sorts when compared to other albums of its ilk coming out right now. A sort of bridge between to very close, yet markedly different worlds, this record carries enough complexity, subtlety and thought-provoking subject matter to make huge waves in the indie scene, while at the same time bringing an obvious element of tuneful accessibility that will catch the ear of any music fan. I wouldn’t expect the trend-driven mainstream to maintain enough focus to latch onto this gem, but it could easily become a classic in many of music’s sub-circles.

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