I can't let 2011 go by without gushing about the newest music to come from this criminally underexposed Virginia-based group. This brief four-song EP is a walloping punch with an infectious lead title tune that is more of an honor to the wall-of-sound of Joe Meek's production for The Tornadoes claim to fame than it is for any '80s band. This has been accomplished without turning their back on their already established signature sound.
Ceremony aren't trying to re-invent the wheel, they're simply trying to be a rock band and make some catchy songs drenched in the heavy guitars that made us all fall in love with the sounds of Creation, originally released twenty plus years ago.The duo of John Fedowitz and Paul Baker are hardly novices, however, as they have been mastering their art starting off in Skywave back in the late '90s. We all know about the split and formation of A Place To Bury Strangers by Skywave alumni Ollie but John and Paul remained behind to work more on pop songcraft than total sonic anihilation. They're now expanded to a trio for the live experience (hence the photo on the cover) but I'm fairly certain the drum machine sounds on this EP are an indication that these songs might not feature the newest member.
The opening "Not Tonight" wastes no time, launching with a gun-like drums and screaming anthemic guitars. As aforementioned, I hear this song much like a tribute to the classic song "Telstar," with vocals and a chorus. My only complaint is that I wish I knew the exact words to sing along, as it is a fantastic melody.It is followed up with another pulsing tune of powerful guitars and guitar noise, "Leaves Me Cold," but its lack of immediacy makes for a good release from the charged opener. The band fall into a slick groove with the hypnotic "Dreams Slipped Away" and then pick up the fervor in the EP's closer, "Take You Down." In the time it takes to read this review, the EP has probably ended.
Okay, so I may be a little biased about this band because I released an awesome album of theirs last year which was nearly completely ignored by the masses (as well as an EP this year with reinventions by Justin Broadrick, Jessica Bailiff, and other A-list awesomeness), but that only means I think they're fantastic enough to support, and this EP (which I have no financial ties to) is another brilliant mark in their growing catalog.
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