The Graduation Ceremony by Joseph Arthur

The Graduation Ceremony, Joseph Arthur's eighth studio album, came out on May 23, 2011 on Lonely Astronaut Records, and it finds the Akron, Ohio songwriter going it alone again. After two records with his backing band the Lonely Astronauts, this was his first solo album since Nuclear Daydream, and it started life as a planned joint release with session drummer Jim Keltner.

Keltner stayed on board, alongside Liz Phair and Lonely Astronauts bassist Sybil Buck, with John Alagia producing. Arthur said plainly that he wanted to make something simple, and the record takes him at his word: hushed, bare-boned indie folk, all hushed voice and unhurried guitar, where the pedal-stacking loops of his live shows give way to room to breathe. "Over the Sun" is the pick, a slow-glowing thing that gets under the skin quietly. Redemption City came next.

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