Album Review
Celebration - Albumin
2 StarsAn album which appears to lack the punch and creativity needed to be anything more than second rate.
Returning with their fourth studio album ‘Albumin’ Celebration are looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Baltimoreans Future Islands and finally breakthrough as not just hometown heroes but as a force to be reckoned with on a more global scale. Unfortunately ‘Albumin’ appears to lack the punch and creativity needed to be anything more than second rate.
Opener ‘Razor’s Edge’ sets the tone, building powerfully as vocalist Katrina Ford’s strained, muted vocals surge into audibility. As the record progresses it twists and turns from the funky dream-pop of ‘Tomorrow’s Here Today’ to the gritty, bluesy riffing and lofty organ chords of ‘I got Sol’. Aided by ten years of experience as a band there’s obvious talent within every aspect of the wide instrumental range showcased throughout ‘Albumin’ as well as clean, smooth production. Skilled construction of the record as a whole, tied together by Ford’s warbling, impassioned vocals draws on years of song-writing and life experience to retain elements of complexity and intelligence throughout.
While diverse in places and interesting at its best, ‘Albumin’ is disappointingly underpinned by the singular drone of fairly dull, generic rock.
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