Celebration : Celebration

Sabina Sciubba of the Brazilian Girls, Erika Wennerstrom of the Heartless Bastards, Neko Case of the New Pornographers, Ninja from the Go! Team, the list goes on and on and on—even though the year isn’t over, 2005 will be remembered as the year of the woman in indie rock. So, brace yourselves; about to join the rank and file is Katrina Ford of Baltimore trio Celebration. Her whooping coo is well at home alongside the multi-instrumental wizard Sean Antanaitis and drummer David Bergander. Produced by TV on the Radio’s David Sitek, Celebration’s self titled debut is a vibrant punk party ruckus.

Bergander’s festive beats are at the helm of the opener “War,” a track that could be a bitchin addition to any of the songs played in Rio during the week of Carnival. “Diamonds” lurks with crawly lounge murkiness while a complete edgy rhythm ensues on shimmering mindfucks like “Holiday.” “Foxes” has a monotonously swooning bass line with a bit of an acid jazz tactility, while “Lost Souls” is a chilly triumph as Ford’s nerve-wringing incantation is accompanied by a scintillation of cascading cymbals. Its gothic coating merges with Ford’s voice makes her sound as if she were the love child of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey.

The only thing missing from the blastoff of “Ancient Animals” is someone yelling “Step Right UP!!!!. But the track does just fine on its own as it morphs into a sort of bohemian gypsy-style mesh with a groovy dub exterior. The straggling trot of “New Skin” is a delightful treat to the ears a hissing throb similar to Suicide takes way on “Stars.”

“Tonight” pretty much sums up the feel of the album though and makes it seem like it was recorded in a secret underground lab at Tipitina’s in New Orleans where everybody is on mescaline. It’s just like New Orleans, in a way, with a sound that just makes you want to party at the drop of a hat. A wild and rambunctious stew, Celebration is the best thing to come out of Baltimore since crabs (the kind you eat, not scratch).

Similar Albums:
Lion Fever- Haunted Water
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Fever to Tell
Glass Candy – Love Love Love

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Celebration - Celebration

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