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She kept on playing it. Or rather, I thought, she keeps on playing it. By her, I mean one of my coworkers. I had no idea who the album was by; suffice to say that my inclinations moved from indifference to intrigue to admiration and finally devotion.

From the first lines of “Evergreen” on The Modern Tribe, Celebration invites the listener to embark on a journey that seems quite different then what was previously attempted. The melodies are soft, harmonic and even sweet as Katrina Ford sings throughout the first song. But the listener won’t easily be confused, as the album progresses into “Pressure”, a low, yelping manifesto that as a writer, incites the sort of urgency I crave when trying to produce any type of work, whether fiction or non-fiction. For a week or so, this was the only song I downloaded off of the album and I played the song on repeat through the deserted streets of Ashland at night, through the throngs of students on my way to class, trying to conclude my thoughts for a dissertation-like final exam. It enthralls the listener to embark on a journey that is overwhelmingly familiar. I only wish people recognized and appreciated Celebration on the same caliber as their frequent collaborators, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio, so they can experience the revelation in true form.

“Heartbreak”, the next single is reminiscent of Love is All (another band that needs to make a second album, and quick) in its eloquent use of trumpets to otherwise score a rather down tempo song. It is a wonderfully crafted sprite of rhythmic joy that further drew me into The Modern Tribe and truthfully, the band itself. Singer Katrina Ford breaks away from her signature, earthy and bluesy growl to sweetly croon about the demise of a relationship and the inevitable stage of denial that it is finally over. It is the “heartbreak we ignore, heartbreak we do store,” that is surprisingly, the most accessible and at many instances beautiful song on the record. The repeat of “heartbreak” during the last chords of the tune are uplifting in the way only the most intriguing and melodically interesting pop songs can be. In a different time, perhaps when the sales for records were not down and the major music industry still welcomed fascinating choices to break apart the chart-topping norm, Celebration could themselves break through and others could, easily, be a part of the highs and lows that resonate well after the song has completed.

Another song, “Fly the Fly” produces a sort of rejuvenation after a series of quieter tunes, letting the audience become reacquainted with Celebration’s roots of rhythmic, urban and often tribal-oriented drums and powerhouse vocals. For me, it is the sort of song that you want to hear in the morning, getting ready for the day, pumping yourself up for the inevitable quips and quandaries among the mass population of life in the city. It’s a body shaking, head flailing tune that is quite obviously in due part to their friendship with the previously mentioned Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Ford channels Karen O’s vocals but on a more subdued and beautiful temerity that is missing in most YYY records.

Other standout songs on the album include the back and forth vocals of Ford and Tunde Adebimpe of TVOTR on “Hands of My Gold”, the rhythmic sorrow of “In This Land”, and the beautiful, though relatively different closer “Our Hearts Don’t Change.”

I’m falling in love, is what I want to say to everyone. It’s just that good. Celebration is, at times, refining their now signature sound not to better appeal to a wider audience, but to feverishly grow as a dynamic trio worthy of the praise oft forgotten.