Ears Wide Open: The Ceremonies
Kevin Bronson on
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The Ceremonies are three brothers who hail from the San Fernando Valley and think really, really big, judging from their first single. Songwriter Matthew Cook, 21, and his fraternal twin brothers Mark and Michael, 19, find their influences in New Wave and post-punk and play musical chairs with instruments and vocal duties. Yes, “Land of Gathering” has one of those pesky “oh-oh-oh” choruses,” and some “ooh-oohs-oohs” to boot, but that’s forgiven once the horns kick in over its relentless backbeat. You can almost see the vista when the brothers harmonize “I’ve got a such a view.”
||| Stream: “Land of Gathering”
[…] Way back when, we were sure the Ceremonies were poised for world domination. They could write songs; handsome brothers Matthew Mark and Michael Cook sang pristine sibling harmonies; and their band T-shirts even sported etching of famous literary figures. Then, poof, they went away. (It’s a long story, and one we aim to relate soon.) They resurfaced for shows last year with all those attributes intact, and now they have an album ready. We’ll be buying, and in the meantime here’s an oldie but goodie. […]