For Those Who Like: Celebration, Beach House, Porcelain Raft, Heavenly Beat
In two weeks, Baltimore’s Celebration will be releasing their long awaited new album. To prepare for that launch, I’m reflecting back on a terrific EP that was released earlier this year by another Baltimore band and that has links to Celebration.
Mt. Royal is a five-piece indie indie band that features the amazing Katrina Ford on lead vocals. If you’re not familiar with Ford, she’s also the frontwoman for Celebration and has provided vocals for TV on the Radio and on David Sitek’s solo project, Maximum Balloon. Like everything she does, Ford’s voice is astonishingly mesmerizing and hypnotic. On the self-titled, debut EP by Mt. Royal, her voice rises above the subtle melodies and instrumentation on each of the six tracks.
And that’s where the brilliance of the album lies. While there are some great melodies and rhythms – especially on the exhilarating “Missing Reward“, the uptempo “More”, and the majestic “Yes Your Majesty” – the intent is to let Ford’s voice drive the music while the instrumentation acts as the foundation and support system. The album is one of those rare ones that doesn’t have the keys, guitar, drums, or bass drowning out the lead singer’s voice, and the EP isn’t too layered with too many textures. It is a great debut album, but no word on when the band will release a full length.
If you’re like me and am waiting for Celebration’s new album (August 19 on Bella Union), you can purchase Mt. Royal’s debut EP on iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic.
Mt. Royal comprises of Katrina Ford (vocals), Ed Harris (bass), Matt Pierce, (keys), Woody Ranere (guitar), and Mike Lowry (drums).
Website – http://mtroyalband.com/
Facebook – Mt. Royal Band
Twitter – @MtRoyalBand
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