The Old Ceremony is the rare band that can write contemplative, artsy rock ‘n’ roll while not coming across as holier than thou. Walk on Thin Air, the Chapel Hill quintet’s third album, is sometimes bold and brash, often sparse and ethereal, but at all times introspective. Django Haskins, principal poet and songwriter for The Old Ceremony, sings of, among other things, inevitability, finding anonymity in the bottle, and the simple matter of perspective. From the shake-your-first-at-the-world opener “‘Til My Voice is Gone” to the intense self-reflection in “Stubborn Man” and the brotherly advice of “Don’t Parade Your Scars,” Walk on Thin Air, without being preachy, consistently encourages listeners to look within. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.
