Ambulance (LTD) to the rescue

Ambulance (LTD)
(TVT Records)
4 (out of 5 stars)
Reviewed: Mar. 3, 2004

Review by Tony Bonyata

While the majority of New York, and the rest of the underground / indie world for that matter, may still be standing in the shadow of The Strokes' hip retelling of retro rock 'n' roll, the Big Apple quartet Ambulance (LTD) are poised to emerge from the darkness once their forthcoming self-titled debut album hits the stores in just a few weeks.
That's because lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Marcus Congleton, along with drummer Darren Beckett, bassist Matt Dublin and guitarist Benji Lysaght, have produced an effort that's, quite frankly, all over the place. While there's an undeniable amount of '90s shoe-gazing atmosphere throughout (with swelling arrangements, buzzing guitars that hint at My Bloody Valentine and lazy, hazy but ultimately cool-as-a-cucumber vocals), there's also interesting elements of odd bedfellows such as The Smiths, The Beatles-circa '68, Velvet Underground, Jesus And Mary Chain and even the blue-eyed soul of Hall and Oates to keep it all in check.
Coming from different musical backgrounds (from jazz to Guns N' Roses - both Congleton and Lysaght were huge fans of Axl and Slash) and geographical locations (from Oregon to Ireland), the contrasts are successfully melded together into a dreamy, often catchy, collection of fresh, non-threatening rock music.
From the spacey vibe that clings to the lush arrangements on songs like "Young Urban" and "Stay Where You Are" to the jangly, sunny feel of "Heavy Lifting" to the quaint heart-melting pop of "Anecdote" the results are like an ice-cold drink of water on a sweltering August afternoon.
As Congleton quickly admits, "We don't kick much ass volume wise. Conceptually, poetically, we kick ass. Atmospherically, we kick ass." And with an atmosphere that kicks as effectively as this, who needs squelching wankers like Axl Rose.

Ambulance (LTD) will be appearing with Paper Airplane Pilots Wednesday, March 10th at Schuba's, 3159 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, IL. (773) 525-2508