Ceremony

Zoo

Matador Records

This California band wants to be just like The Fall, down to the vocalist sounding like Mark E. Smith, and writing ultra-cryptic lyrics, just like Smith. Where they part company with The Fall is the straight up non-conformity anthem “Ordinary People,” and the anti-bullying, “Community Service.” There is also a bit of grunge in their music, as there are a few guitar riffs that are reminiscent of Kim Thyhil. All of which adds up to a great album. It’s so nice and refreshing to hear 70s-sounding punk, and not, Graham Nash or Paul Simon, as wonderful as they are. May they continue to look ahead using this sound, and not back to nostalgia.[http://www.ceremonyhc.com]

Andrea Weiss