• Band / Artist : The Old Ceremony – mySpace
• Genre : Pop / Rock
• Sample Track Download : Poison Pen
• Buy CD : Band Store
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 9 out of 10

I’ve had this album a while and have to say their PR company has been hassling me for a while to find out if I would be reviewing it. OK maybe hassling isn’t the right word, it was more like enthusiastic vigor. I have some amazing relationships with the PR companies, labels and artists who submit to Indie Launchpad, but suffice to say, there was never any doubt that this album would be featured in Indie Launchpad as it really is an incredible album.

To pigeon hole this band is pretty difficult, as there are so many influence and sometimes not from the most likely of places. They have a style that sometimes borders on the theatrical, but it’s so wonderfully done, reminding me at times of the Kinks. Another band they remind me of, is another previously reviewed band on Indie Launchpad, Harvey Danger, fusing great rock, with that touch of humor and showmanship.

Opening this 12 track album is “Talk Straight”, which has a wonderful lilt, reminding me of a 70’s singer songwriter, Peter Skellern. The piano also greatly adds to the feel of this song. “Poison Pen” begins with a glockenspiel I think, which certainly isn’t an instrument you would usually find on a rock album. Add to that the violins and you end up with a song, that has a very Celtic feel to it. “Papers in Order” again shows a different side to the band, and it’s here that I begin to hear the Kinks influence. “Our One Mistake” follows a similar theme and puts to mind the bizarre movie, Percy, for which the Kinks provided the soundtrack. Talking of bizarre, I was certainly taken aback when I heard the track “Bao Qian”, not because it was a bizarre track, but because it appears to be mostly sung in either Mandarin or Cantonese. The album rounds off with the wonderful track “Baby, What is Going On”, with more than a hint of the circus in it, with the waltz time and the organ in the background. Great stuff.

This is certainly an album out of the ordinary, but very welcome. I love to see bands push previously undeveloped areas of pop and rock and this certainly does that to the nth degree. It was very difficult trying to pick put favorite tracks as they are all great in their own ways, but I have to say I do have a soft spot for both “Talk Straight” and “Radio Religion”.

Conclusion : An awesome album, from an amazing band that I’ll be sure to keep tabs on.