Celebration

The Modern Tribe

[3/5]

Imagine Siouxsie And The Banshees stripped of their scratchy, swirling six-string sonics and you’ll have a “For Dummies” explanation of Celebration’s aesthetic. It’s only half the story, however: On the Baltimore trio’s second album, the space between Katrina Ford’s yowl and drummer David Bergander’s tribal tattooing is amply filled by multi-instrumentalist Sean Antanaitis. On songs like “Evergreen” and “Heartbreak,” his Wurlitzer, Hammond organ and Mellotron help the band trade goth claustrophobia for a more danceable, Bacchanalian vibe, while guest horns, handclaps and a choir warm up the organic-sounding disc to an unusual degree, taking things out of the batcave and into the firelight. Siouxsie certainly never sounded as horny as Ford does on “Pony,” a breathless faux-disco chant suitable for your next fertility ritual. (BEGGARS BANQUET; beggars.com) Dan LeRoy