Celebration

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more dynamic, fervid and swaggering singer, male or female, in all of indie-rockdom than Katrina Ford, frontwoman of brambly Baltimore post-punkers Celebration. She's an arresting, mesmerizing stage presence, and her voice -- husky, powerful and neither overtly feminine nor masculine -- is the force that propels the trio's moody, occasionally turbulent compositions, which typically attain their grooves via serrated guitars, skittery drumming and layers of carnival- and cabaret-style Hammond and Wurlitzer organs. Last year's self-titled debut album (produced by band pal Dave Sitek, of TV on the Radio fame) was a treasure, if a fairly overlooked one; new material should find its way into Celebration's set this time out. And aside from the musical reputation that precedes them, any band that cites such influences as "dithyrambic moments," "levitational breakdance," "time travel," "fruit sculpture" and "psychic Warrior monks" on its MySpace page promises to be one singularly compelling (and totally freaky) live act.