Ambulance Ltd. - Ambulance Ltd. > Reviews > Distinctive, stylish and laid-back American rock

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Distinctive sound, mostly solid tracks, good value for money
Disadvantages:	Nothing ground - breaking

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Introduction - Ambulance LTD.

It's difficult to fit new American band 'Ambulance LTD.' into a genre. Their instumentation marks their music as 'rock', yet the smooth and slick sound, paired with songs that are mostly mid-tempo with breezy, poppy tunes separates them from the pack. I feel that the album cover design defines their smooth, 'stylish' sound well.
Songs vary from noisy instrumentals (Yoga is Union) to rather 'Twee' pop songs (Anecdote), but mostly the sound is one of smooth, stylish and breezy rock. Instrumentation can get heavy, but is never raucous, and mostly tuneful. Vocals take a lead role in most songs, and these are distinctive and rather 'smooth' and 'suave' sounding, fitting the tone of the music perfectly. Lyrics don't particularly stand out to me, as the overall tune and tone takes dominance - but they're certainly not bad. The sound is very radio-friendly, yet they don't really sound like any other band I know.

Highlights:

- 'Yoga is Union'
The introductory, slow-building instrumental. It is a tantalizing lead up to the rest of the album, if you like instrumentals. However, its slow build-up and lack of a distinctive tune may be dull to some.

- 'Primitive (The Way I Treat You)'
My favourite track, and their most distinctive. This is slick, sexy and unlike anything else I know, with a fantastic, subtle instrumental build-up throughout the entire song (Ambulance LTD. are especially good at these). The tune is unbelievably catchy, and I was singing it for weeks before it finally pushed me to buy the album. 'Sugar Pill' is similarly suave-sounding, but much less brash and confident.

- 'Ophelia'
Has an almost menacing rhythm and tone, which is offset wonderfully by the overlying breezy vocals and guitar riffs. Again there is a subtle build up to the end, completing the stylish sound.

- 'Stay Where You Are'
Has a very slow but satisfying build up to the beginning of vocals, which continues gradually throughout the song. The tune is very easy to listen to, starting very laid-back and increasing in tempo and substance as the song progresses. The sound is catchy, poppy and breezy, making it a good single release and perfect for listening to in the car - like most of their songs.

Lowpoints:

There are a selection of quite dull (to me at least), songs, that are too laid-back and slow for my tastes. These are 'Michigan' and 'Straight As', which lack the catchiness and style of the other songs. They are nice ballads, if you prefer the more laid-back side of the band. 'Swim' and 'Young Urban' are similarly slow, but I like them better as they are more distinctive, and maintain that smooth, sophisticated style.

Price and Availability

Because they are an American band, possibly the album is more popular and therefore easy to find in America: but as I live in the UK, I found it unavailable in all the shops I tried and bought it off Ebay in the end - you can also find it for a good price on Amazon, but not many other internet stores.
I got it off Ebay for about £6, so it was very good value for money. It is a very good album of 12 tracks overall, with a few real stand-out tracks along with a few slower fillers.

I would recommend it to fans of the more laid-back, poppy form of Indie and Alternative rock, but as with all albums, it is better to sample a track on the net (I recommend 'Primitive') before buying the full album.