Ceremony blew minds when Matador Records dropped the official music video for “The Separation” and “The Understanding.” It was a few months before their 2nd release with Matador and it didn’t go over too well. All the kids who grew up listening to the angry “fuck you” attitude of what Ceremony once was were pretty upset by the new release when they realized,  “Holy shit, I might not be able to rip my shirt open like Hulk Hogan while listening to this record.” It was hard to grasp for many.

But this album also found a new place in a lot of our cold hearts. From “Hibernation” to the catchy “Root of the World”, this is a great release that has influences from Wire to Public Image LTD and I’d even say their Bay area friends AFI. Throwing piano in with catchy rhythm and Ross Farrar’s lovely voice — which ranges on many levels and features an obvious Joy Division influence. I mean, we all saw this coming, right? So get over your heartbreak with this one, or shit, maybe you’ll get even sadder? I don’t know. Give this record a chance, whether you’re an angry teenager, a stoned surfer or another cliché stereotype I couldn’t think of right away. You might like it. —Andrew Compton

The L-Shaped Man is out now on Matador Records