Celebration

If reviews of Celebration’s 2005 self-titled debut are anything to go by, it’s easy to fold our arms and peg them as TV On The Radio wannabes. By and large these comparisons were generally warranted, as David Sitek produced it, with other TVOTR members in tow. This sophomore record is similarly inclined: Sitek’s back tweaking knobs as producer and Tumbe and co. lend their voices on a couple of tracks. But with the prog-y post-punk of The Modern Tribe, Celebration well and truly step out of the shadow of their Brooklyn buddies with some help from their friends (Nick Zinner, Antibalas). Drummer David Bergander is a force, shifting from low-key syncopations to unhinged cacophony as the song dictates — the Antibalas collaboration ("Hands Off My Gold”) in particular is a thing of sublime polyrhythmic beauty. But the real star is Katrina Ford’s versatile, jaw-dropping voice — it coos, wails and occasionally unfurls into an impossibly huge, soulful croon. The TVOTR comparisons won’t stop anytime soon but Celebration can rest assured they’ve set themselves apart with this sumptuous effort.