The Old Ceremony – Sprinter (2015)

Auburn, New York natives A Cast of Thousands are releasing their third album Alone in the Crowd. It has been four years since they released their last album Aqua Fur. Over the last four years, the band cultivated 16 songs for their new effort. Beth Beer penned most of the songs and the band welcomed several guest musicians to expand their sonic scope.

Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover wrote that, "Having reviewed this Finger Lakes (outside Syracuse) Auburn, NY husband/wife and stickman’s second LP, Aqua Fur (get it?) in 2012—I remember anyone that shares a name with The Adverts’ second LP—it’s nice to see Beth Beer and Terry Cuddy back. Like Aqua, Alone’s quieter tracks are simple stabs at precious pop, but the louder they get, the more effective they are. E.g., “The Ballad of Billy Blame,” whose bright guitars educe R.E.M.’s take on The Byrds with a shade of Felt’s Lawrence’s evocation of Lou Reed, in a Dylan-like seesaw folk melody format; or the more pared “Wallace,” which cops a Pink Flag Wire/GBV clipped-guitar scratch with fetching ’60s organ, Beer’s Susanna Hoff-type vocal, and a yearning melody as singsong as pretty. As organic and free of fatteners as a Portlandia free-range chicken, Alone is good and plenty."