Ambulance LTD - AmbulanceLTD

Thu 15th Sep, 2005 in Music Reviews

“We don’t kick much ass volume wise,” reads Ambulance LTD’s press release, “Conceptually, poetically, we kick ass.  Atmospherically, we kick ass.”

Marcus Congleton, lead singer and songwriter for the New York based band has been able to summarise his band’s sound in sixteen words, using the phrase “kick ass” three times.  You’ve gotta respect that.

But he forgot ethereal and dreamy.  Ambulance LTD’s music is delicate and fragile and oh so beautiful.

Ambulance LTD (pronounced L-T-D, not limited) got together four years ago and is made up of Congleton on vocals and guitar, Benjamin Lysaght on guitar, Darren Beckett on drums and Matt Dublin on bass.

Ambulance LTD’s debut album kicks off with Yoga Means Union, an instrumental number, very reminiscent of the delicate compositions of Air.   It’s probably the perfect opener for this album.  Unlike a lot of the music out of New York in recent years, it is not filled with jangly guitars and the music isn’t hidden behind rock and roll hair, tight jeans and a lot of distortion.

This song reminds me of the shy kid in school begging to scream out to anyone who will listen, and although towards the end, the guitars pick up and you think this might be the time to scream, what it ends in is somewhat of a whimper.  Like this person, the song begins to rock but seems to realise it is neither the time, nor the place and instead retreats to its quiet self.  Like the shy kid at school, it creates the atmosphere of being there and in turn sets the mood for this album, but because of its nature and what it thinks of itself, it doesn’t do all it could.

Which brings to me Primitive (The Way I Treat You). It feels as though Ambulance LTD are selling themselves short with this song.  The vocals in this remind me of that Cake song Short Skirt and Long Jacket.  This is probably the weakest track of the record.

But wow, from here, I’ve been falling more and more in love with this record.

Anecdote feels like spring.  It makes me want to walk through a small country town holding an umbrella over my head wearing a pretty summer dress.  Wow, I’m not weird at all.  I fell deeply in love with this song by the second listen.  It warms my indie rock heart and makes me want to hug an indie rock boy.  During this song, Congleton’s voice is reminiscent of Jack White fused with The Shins’ James Mercer.  Beautiful.

The chorus of Ophelia triumphs with beautiful layered backing vocals and Congleton singing ‘And babe, I’m just like the best thing that could happen, happen to someone.  Now I’m seething from the inside, plastered to the outside, reaching to your side, under the sheets.’

Congleton really knows how to use his voice as an instrument, he sings with a song, not over it, and knows where his voice belongs around the other instruments.  In a gorgeous falsetto he begs ‘Ophelia, let your life be shallow.  Ophelia let your life be hard’.

Stay Where You Are begins quietly and sounds like something that, I imagine, would begin a Jeff Buckley gig (those who were lucky enough to see, would know, not I), until it builds slightly more and sounds somewhat like a The Postal Service track.  And by minute two the song’s pace reaches a crescendo and I begin to rejoice because I love Stay Where You Are.  It’s a great pop song with awesome layered guitars by Lysaght and Congleton.  ...’They’re burning hotels down, son, stay where you are’.

Michigan has a very The Shins sound about it.  It’s simple and acoustic and kind of heartbreaking when Congleton sings softly, ‘You’ve been a teenage runaway, carry the people that you hate in a suitcase’.

With similarities and influences ranging from The Shins to Elliott Smith and Belle & Sebastian to The Velvet Underground, and the last track being a cover of Ocean by Lou Reed, this debut from New York’s Ambulance LTD is as catchy as it is beautiful.

Marcus Congleton was right, this is a kick ass record….now, where’s that indie boy for me to hug?