Celebration

As much as Celebration and TV On The Radio are intertwined, only one band really makes impression with their kitchen sink indie soul rave-ups, and it ain’t Celebration. Hey, hey, it’s not all fizzle, but this self-titled debut just seems to be trying so much that it comes across more forced than it should be. Lead singer Katrina Ford sang on TVOTR’s "Staring at the Sun,” and that band’s David Sitek comes around to produce this effort, giving the proceedings a neat jerky energy. Of course, for the most part, the inspiration and grand moments come in fits and bursts, with only a few tracks keeping the energy going for the length of a song. Look to "Holiday,” with its propelling beats and thick keyboards for the perfect amalgamation of the disparate elements of this band. While Ford’s frantic yelps keeps things with a manic energy, it starts to grate, with "New Skin” being particularly egregious. On a whole, though, one can see there is much potential with Celebration as, even though the elements don’t mesh well, the spirit of experimentation and new styles does make this whole endeavour somewhat celebratory. It doesn’t all work, but when it does, there is indeed some hope for the future.