New Order, "Ceremony" (Track of the Week)

No music suits the dark cold post-holiday winter doldrums better than early New Order. Before their music got more of a cold, sparkly sheen in the mid-80s it was the aural equivalent of an electric blanket or space heater. It makes me want to curl up next to the speaker the way I used to do by the heat vent in my childhood bedroom. While crouching there in that little pocket of warmth the cold hand of winter could be kept at bay as long as I didn't move a single muscle.

I am leaning extra hard into that music this year. I find myself mentally curled up, my trust in others beyond my immediate circle questioned. I hate winter but this one is the worst yet. The vaccines are coming and the end is in sight but the current wave is fearsome. 

In this environment I find "Ceremony" especially comforting. Tonight before bed one of my daughters and I took turns sharing songs with each other. (She loves k pop.) I chose "Ceremony" after she played BTS's COVID comfort song, "Life Goes On." I couldn't put my finger on why, and it came to me while I told her why I like the song.

I don't really know what it's supposed to be about, it's more of a mood for me. And when I listen to it I can't help thinking about Ian Curtis and how the members of Joy Division found a way to keep going after his suicide. (All I told my daughter was that he died suddenly.) To me this song has always been about finding hope after sorrow. It's an emotional mixture I've experienced a lot recently. 

It's one of those songs that my body has to respond to. When I hear it I bang my fingers against the table in its space between the lines rhythm and nod my head along. The unspoken message courses through my body: "this too shall pass."